Opening Day for fishing season was on April 20. Fishermen (and fisherwomen) of all ages reeled in some fresh dinner (or tossed their catches back) at bodies of water throughout the state. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection expected to have 376,000 trout stocked throughout 101 lakes and ponds, and 203 rivers and streams in Connecticut.

At Taunton Lake, some cast their lines from the shore, others were in boats, and there were those who stood in the water to catch their fish. It all got started bright and early (actually dark and early) while some sprinkles fell from the sky, and the fishing festivities continued under mostly overcast conditions. Among the many to participate were members of the Newtown Fish and Game Club, which supports preservation of Taunton Lake.

There was a five-fish limit for Opening Day casters, but filling their buckets wasn’t a priority for some fishermen. As Fairfield’s Fred Frillici, a longtime member of the Newtown Fish and Game Club pointed out while at Taunton Lake: “It’s not important that you catch fish. It’s important that you’re fishing.”

The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Natural Resources Inland Fisheries Division will hold CARE (Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education) Free Family Fishing Course, Learn To Fish, on May 18.

Learn To Fish, open to Newtown residents, will be offered at Great Hollow Pond in Wolfe Park, 447 Purdy Hill Road in Monroe. The course will run from 8 am to 1 pm.

Families, and individuals of all ages are encouraged to attend and learn basic fishing skills, about equipment and tackle, knot tying, fish identification, casting, rules, and regulations.

Adult participants (16 and older) will need a valid Connecticut fishing license. Equipment and bait is provided.

To register, call Dave Connelly at 203-231-0946, or Russell Zelanin at 203-560-6826.