Swimming. It is not advised that people swim in the Massachusetts portion of the Housatonic due to PCB contamination, but there are places where you can safely swim in tributaries such as the Konkapot and Green Rivers as well as in the watershed’s lakes.
Table of Contents
Where can I fly fish on the Housatonic?
- Section 1: State line to the top of Great Falls.
- Section 2: Great Falls to the Route 7 and 112 bridge crossing.
- Section 3: Route 7 and 112 bridge crossing to the Route 4 and 7 bridge crossing.
- Section 4: Skiff Mountain Road to Dawn Hill Road.
What fish are running in the Housatonic River?
Fish Populations Fish surveys conducted by the MassWildlife have found Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker, Brown Trout, Yellow Perch, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill in the upper section of the Housatonic Catch-and- Release Area.
Are there pike in the Housatonic River?
Enjoy a day of fishing for Northern Pike and smallmouth bass in the upper and lower sections of the Housatonic River from my ClackaCraft drift boat. Fishing slower and deeper water where these fish like to hide and wait for their prey.
Are there salmon in the Housatonic River?
For a quality coldweather fishing experience, look no farther than the Housatonic River’s tidal estuary, where you can enjoy a thriving striped bass and Atlantic salmon fishery all winter long.
Is the Housatonic River polluted?
The Housatonic River and its floodplain are heavily contaminated with PCBs originating from the GE Facility in Pittsfield, MA. Most of the contamination is found between the confluence of the East and West branches in Pittsfield and Woods Pond Dam in Lenox and further into Rising Pond in Great Barrington, MA.
How do you fish the Housatonic River?
What animals live in the Housatonic River?
A fourth species, the muskellunge (Esox masquinongy), has been occasionally reported in Connecticut, but no reproducing populations are present. Massachusetts stocks “tiger musky” (muskellunge/northern pike hybrids) into some lakes. The closest reproducing populations of muskellunge exist in New York State.
Are there musky in Connecticut?
Northern Pike are the largest predatory freshwater gamefish in Connecticut. While not native to Connecticut, they have been in the Connecticut River since the mid-1800s and became established in other areas of the state since then.
Are there northern pike in Connecticut?
Carp caught in the Housatonic River should not be eaten by anyone. People in the High Risk Group should not eat carp caught in the Connecticut River.
Is the Housatonic River navigable?
“It was not a one company town, but it was dominated by that company for many years,” Dickson said. “Many people’s lives and families were tied up by work there.” But labor unrest in the 1950s and 1960s caused GE to branch out beyond Pittsfield.
Can you eat fish from the Housatonic River?
Trophy trout are categorized by CDFW as larger than 2.99 pounds each, but can be much larger. Another category of large trout released by CDFW each year is “super-catchable,” which are fish between 1.1 and 2.99 pounds each.
Is it safe to swim in the Housatonic River?
There are two native species of sturgeon in Connecticut, but only the shortnose sturgeon is thought to currently spawn in the state. Both species spawn in the spring in high-velocity waters, typically beneath the first major change in elevation of their home river.
Why did GE leave Pittsfield?
[ hoo-suh-ton-ik ] SHOW IPA. / หhu sษหtษn ษชk / PHONETIC RESPELLING. noun. a river flowing S from NW Massachusetts through SW Connecticut to Long Island Sound near Stratford, Connecticut.
What is considered a trophy trout?
The name Housatonic is supposedly derived from the Mohican (Mahican) Indian word for “place beyond the mountain.”
Are there sturgeon in CT?
Tiger muskies are very rare in nature because they’re sterile and can’t reproduce on their own but due to their stout genetics, they grow larger faster than either of their parent species. Thanks to their popularity among anglers they are often stocked by fish and game organizations.
How big do trout have to be to keep in CT?
Trout: Daily creel limitโ2, 15 inch minimum length. All fishing prohibited in tailrace canal and from mouth of tailrace upstream to Rainbow Dam.
How do you pronounce Housatonic?
Which direction does the Housatonic River flow?
The Housatonic River (/หhuหsษหtษnษชk/ HOOS-ษ-TON-ik) is a river, approximately 149 miles (240 km) long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about 1,950 square miles (5,100 km2) of southwestern Connecticut into Long Island Sound.
What does the word Housatonic mean?
The chain pickerel is Connecticut’s largest native freshwater predatory fish.
Where did the name Housatonic come from?
Pacchiarini’s Northern Pike On August 5, 2020, IGFA Representative, Paolo Pacchiarini caught this incredible 19.50-kilogram (43-pound) northern pike to set the new IGFA Men’s 10-kg (20 lb) Tippet Class World Record.
How long is the head of the Housatonic?
Head of the Housatonic is a 2.3 mile head race held in October. It starts south of Indian Well State Park and finishes at the New Haven Rowing Club Boathouse.
Are Tiger muskies rare?
Very specific spawning requirements limit their ability to reproduce in most Connecticut lakes and ponds. Pike can be caught on a variety of lures or by using live fish as bait.
Are pickerel native to Connecticut?
In Minnesota, northerns ranging from 2lbs-15lbs are fairly common, and can grow to over four feet in length. The average size is about 2 to 5 pounds. The MN state record for a northern pike caught on a hook and line is 45 pounds, 12 ounces, length n/a, from Basswood Lake (Lake County), 05/16/1929.
What is the world record pike?
Fishing At Lake Lillinonah Fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white catfish, bluegill, green sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish,white perch, yellow perch, chain pickerel and northern pike at Lake Lillinonah in Connecticut.