Seeforellen FAQ: By now you may have heard about the unprecedented stocking of 400 surplus broodstock Seeforellen Brown Trout. Trout this size have not been stocked in CT in recent memory. We are extremely proud to offer these very unique and valuable fish to our angling community. Our hope is that anglers get out and take advantage of this incredible opportunity. For the lucky few who may happen to catch one, they have the potential to harvest and possibly mount them as an “once-in-a-lifetime” catch!! These fish are being stocked as a put-and-take fishery. Why stock fish of this size? These very large fish are 5 years old and are not routinely kept as broodstock for this long. Normally, these fish would be stocked at age 2 or age 3, however, due to an issue with a disease several years ago, the hatchery staff needed to retain a large number of the disease –free fish to restart the strain. Now several years later they are much larger than we need or can handle. At this size, they are too large to be kept at the hatchery and are past their prime (their productivity is decreasing). In order to make room for the younger, more productive broodstock, we decided to make the most of these fish by giving a once and a lifetime opportunity to our angling community.
Why Lakes? Lakes were chosen as they offer the maximum potential for these fish to be caught. Specifically, the fish are readily accessible via shoreline, boat, and ultimately ice. Second, the fish will remain available to anglers as they are unlikely to move out of the lake (rivers offer greater chance for the fish to move to places where anglers could not access), and finally, those which do holdover through the winter will provide enhanced fishing well into the spring of 2015.
Will there be impact to the existing fisheries? No, these fish should have no significant effect the forage fish in any of the lakes where they were stocked. They are extremely large hatchery fish and basically “past their prime”. This means they will not be feeding extensively in order to grow…i.e. they’ve already “grown” as large as we ever expect them to get. Additionally, because they have been hatchery raised for 4-5 years they will have large fat reserves. That coupled with the upcoming cold water temperature means they probably won’t be aggressively feeding until sometime next year. Will these fish reproduce? No, the majority of these fish were not stocked until after they were spawned at the hatchery or were barren (not producing egg or sperm this year). We do not anticipate these fish to live for another 2+ years due to the fact that they are reaching the end of their natural life cycle. They will not be able to spawn within the lake. In order to spawn, they need clean gravel in a stream or river with significant ground water input. What do I do if I catch one? Celebrate! These are truly a once and a lifetime fish. Other than surplus broodstock Atlantic Salmon, the DEEP has not been able to stock fish of this caliber. Our hatchery staff has been providing excellent care, raising these fish from the day they hatched, back in 2009. Collectively this group of fish has produced millions of brown trout used to augment our adult trout stocking and fry stocking efforts statewide.
If you decide to harvest: Please be aware of the regulation for the waterbody you are fishing. We strongly encourage anglers to take only the fish they intend to use. We hope that as many anglers as possible will be able to take advantage of this opportunity. If you decide to practice catch and release: These fish are very large and if being released, need to be treated with utmost care to ensure they survive. We recommend being prepared, have your camera or phone handy, support the fish from the tail and the belly. Take photos as quickly as possible and return the fish to the water as soon as possible (preferable within 30 seconds).
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