- 1). Acquire a fishing license. If you are over the age of 16 in Connecticut, you must purchase a fishing license to fish legally. The fee is $20 for Connecticut residents and those in the armed forces and $40 for nonresidents. Free licenses are available for residents who are over 65, blind, disabled or mentally retarded.
- 2). Have your license with you at all times while ice fishing in Connecticut. If you have a license but it is in your truck or car while you are fishing, you can be issued a citation. Put your license where it will be safe from the weather and available to show to a DEP officer if he comes to inspect it. The fine for fishing without a license or failing to carry your license is a steep $77, so make certain it is in your possession while out on the ice.
- 3). Have only six tip-ups or hand-held lines in the water at any one time. This means that if you have six tip-ups in holes and you drill another hole to jig with a hand-held rod and reel, you must take one of the tip-ups out of the water. If you are under 16 years old, then you are allowed only two tip-ups at once, or one tip-up and a hand-held line. The tip-ups and hand-held lines cannot have more than three hooks that are baited.
- 4). Stay with your tip-ups. Do not leave them unattended! They must also have your name and address written clearly on them or attached to them in some manner.
- 5). Be aware that various ponds and lakes have different open seasons in Connecticut. Many lakes and ponds in the state are not open to ice fishing after the last day of February, while others remain open year-round. Usually, wherever the DEP stocks trout, the season ends on the last day of February. For example, Moosup Pond in Plainfield does not allow ice fishing past February 28 or 29, while Quaddick Reservoir in Thompson is fishable until the ice melts. Check with the DEP or a bait and tackle shop if you do not know if a lake or pond is open to ice fishing.
- 6). Know the legal limits for several game fish species in Connecticut. Ice fishers may keep only two northern pike, with a minimum length of 26 inches. Walleye must be at least 18 inches long, and only two can be kept. Largemouth and smallmouth bass must be a foot long, and you may keep only half a dozen. Chain pickerel must be no less than 5 inches, with a daily limit of six in Connecticut. Some lakes are what are known as Bass Management Lakes, meaning that there are "slot lengths" for legal fish. Bass between a certain length cannot be kept; these regulations are always posted at the lake's boat launch.
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