Stocking

Is the state going to stock for opening day or is stocking on hold?

Very interesting question. Can ya keep a “ social distance “ at a Trout Park?

My trout club in Essex will be getting our fish from Beaverkill, Ny this Sunday. business as usual . No hiccups for our Ct State stocking either.

Ive been wondering about that as well.

I get both free CT license and pay $40.01 for nonresident Mass license.

From CT DEEP SITE:

CT DEEP -Fisheries DivisionSpring Trout StockingPage 1 of 3DEEP’s spring, 2020, trout stockings have begun. Among the areas being stocked first are many of the Trout management Areas (TMA) and a number of the Trout Management Lakes. All TMA’s are open year-round (currently catch-and-release only) and offer great pre-season fishing opportunities. The Trout Management Lakes (TML) are open to fishing through March 31 and offer some late winter fishing opportunities.Note that our regular spring trout stocking has started, and numerous areas are being stocked, but until Opening Day we are only listing those areas (TMA’s, TML’s) stocked that are open beyond the last day of February.

From the Mass website:

Spring stocking will continue! Use the map or list below to see stocked locations. While stocking locations and frequency may be altered slightly due to the coronavirus situation, MassWildlife will continue to stock trout this spring. Check the stocking report for daily updates throughout the spring.

All ready knew all that CAT_in_the_hat. Was wondering if they were going to stock all the regular places such as Trout parks and community fishing waters or if they were going to hold off. Lots of people congregate at those places.

Mill River (Sleeping Giant SP)and Naugatuck River (TMA) stocked last Friday. From DEEP trout stocking page:

"DEEP is encouraging all anglers to follow social distancing practices.

Anglers should maintain a distance of at lest six feet from others, practice good personal hygiene, and stay home and away from others if you feel sick. If you arrive at a favorite fishing spot and see that crowds are forming, choose a different location, or return another day or time."

Stocking updates today on the DEEP interactive trout stocking page.

It appears to me that Inland Fisheries continued stocking all last week before and after the Governor's announcement that the trout opener was now going to be Wednesday 3/25. One reason is that it would cost the state more money to keep the trout at the hatchery than it would by putting them in a truck and having a two man crew dump them in the lakes and streams. What will suffer is the stream distribution. The easiest spots will get stocked. No running nets up into the woods now, no parking on one side of the road and running nets across moving traffic, those kind of changes. So a stream like the Norwalk River will probably be stocked in maybe half of the spots on the stocking map.
I went through the stocking info that has occurred already and I did not see the Norwalk River as being stocked yet.
That stream is usually stocked the week before the season opener which, based upon the normal schedule, has not happened yet so I am assuming there are nothing but holdovers in there now. If anyone has fished it yet can confirm or correct this impression that would be helpful.