If you are planning on putting your boat on the lake there are several things you need to know. Following these tips will help save you some money, as well as some trouble with the Candlewood Lake Authority.

Before one can put their boat on the lake, there are some preliminary things that need to be taken care of. In order to operate a boat in the state of CT, one must have a boating license also known as Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation (CPWO). As far as the boat is concerned, it can’t be any longer than 26ft. Any individual who fails to adhere to the boat size limit will be subjected to a $75 fee.

In order to get the boat on the lake, use any of the trailer friendly boat ramps that are located around the lake. Once in the water, make sure you follow the speed limit. During the day the limit is 45 mph, while at night it is 25 mph. Another thing to keep in mind is that all individuals that will be in the boat need to have a life jacket

If you happen to be moving your boat between bodies of water make sure to check for any unexpected passengers. Zebra Mussels are an invasive species that reside in other lakes such as CT’s: Zoar, Lillinonah, and Twin Lakes. If moving your boat into Candlewood Lake from one of the aforementioned lakes, makes sure to triple check your boat and remove any of these animals. If left unchecked these animals can take a major toll on the wildlife of the lake. The recommended procedure is to clean your boat and “dry” it. The process of drying a boat requires you to not put it back into water for a certain amount of time depending on the month. In June/July this process can take a week, while in May or late September it could take a month. Mussels can survive without water for several weeks depending on the time of the year, so make sure that you remove them or kill them off before returning to the lake.

For further references check out CT’s boating laws as well as Candlewood Lake Authority.