Freshwater Fish of Connecticut
Cisco
Coregonus artedi
Also called: Lake Herring, Cisco Herring, Tullibee
Identification
A slender, silvery fish with a bluish-green back, large scales, a small adipose fin, a forked tail and a mouth at the very tip of the snout. It looks like a herring — hence the nickname "lake herring" — but it is not a true herring.
Habitat
A coldwater member of the trout and salmon family (a whitefish). It needs cold, well-oxygenated deep water, so in Connecticut it is found only in a handful of deep, clear lakes in the northwest hills, such as Twin Lakes (East Twin) and Lake Wononskopomuc in Salisbury.
Behavior
Lives in open water, often in schools, feeding on zooplankton and small insects. In summer it stays deep, below the thermocline where the water is cold; in late fall it moves shallow to spawn over gravel and rock as the water cools. Cisco are an important forage fish for trout and other predators in the lakes where they live.
How to Catch
Rarely targeted, and usually caught by anglers fishing for trout or through the ice. Use very small jigs, flies or tiny spoons fished slowly near the depth where the schools hold (deep in summer, at or below the thermocline). A small piece of bait or a grub on a light jig can work through the ice.
Notes
Cisco are sensitive to warm water and low oxygen, and Connecticut populations are limited to a few lakes. Check the CT Fishing Guide for current regulations before keeping any.
Where to find Cisco in CT
- East Twin Lake Salisbury / Torrington
- Lake Wononskopomuc Salisbury
- Twin Lakes Salisbury
- Whitney Lake Hamden