Conn Post 4/9/06

• Catch the excitement of trout's opening day: The state's trout fishing season officially opens at 6 a.m. And by opening day, the state Department of Environmental Protection should have more than 410,000 trout swimming around in 97 lakes and 200 rivers.
• Rain, ice and flooded rivers have delayed or severely hampered the pre-season stocking effort for the past several years. But stocking has gone well this spring because of the cooperative weather and ideal river flow conditions. Hatchery personnel and volunteers are expected to deliver over 200 truckloads of trout before the season opening.
• If the weather patterns hold, anglers will get to enjoy a variety of trout fishing experiences ranging from the small streams to quiet ponds to specially managed trout areas, such as trout parks, trophy trout streams, and catch-and-release trout management areas.
• Trout parks are stocked heavily prior to the season opening and will get weekly stockings during the season. The multiple stockings almost guarantee trout catches — and fishing memories. Such promises make the trout parks ideal locations to introduce children and novices to fishing. The trout parks within easy driving distance of Bridgeport are Black Rock State Park Pond in Watertown, Southford Falls State Park Pond in Oxford, Wharton Brook State Park Pond in Wallingford, Great Hollow Pond in Monroe's Wolfe Park, and the Mill River in Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden.
• Area trout anglers also have several new places to fish this season. The Pequonnock River in Beardsley Park is stocked every year, but stockers always ignored Bunnell's Pond. This year, the DEP will release trout directly into the pond. Also Baummers Pond in Naugatuck and Fountain Lake in Ansonia will be stocked for opening day.
• This season should give some anglers a few surprise catches. Along with the normal stockings of rainbow, brook and brown trout, the department plans to release 4,800 tiger trout and 1,850 surplus broodstock. Tiger trout are a hybrid cross between a brook and rainbow trout. They are a very pretty fish with a unique tiger-stripe color pattern. The surplus broodstock, which are the used-up parents of the smaller stocked trout, will range between three and 12 pounds.
• In January, 500 broodstock Seeforellen strain brown trout ranging in size from three to eight pounds were stocked into Beach Pond, Black Pond, Crystal Lake, Mashapaug Lake, Quonnipaug Lake, Cedar Lake, West Hill Pond, Mt. Tom Pond, Mohawk Pond, Stillwater Pond, West Side Pond and Tyler Lake. Because of the fickle ice fishing season, many of these "seefor" breeder should still be available for opening day. [written by Frank McKane, Jr]