Open house at Rainbow Dam

The annual Open House at the Rainbow Dam Fishway will be held Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

This is the largest fishway in Connecticut and there is a good chance to see migrating salmon, shad, bass, trout, sea lamprey, and other marine life, according to Stephen Gephard ,supervisor of the Diadromous Fish Program and Habitat and Conservation Enhancement Program for the Inland Fisheries Division of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

There is an underground viewing window that is normally off-limits to the public, but on this day the public is invited down to watch fish swim by.

Those using GPS to find the fishway should try 400 Rainbow Road, Windsor.  You still may have to look for our sign on the south side of the road.  Otherwise, take I-91 to Exit 40 and Rt. 20 toward the airport. Take the “Hamilton South” exit, turn left and proceed to the intersection at Rainbow Road. Turn right and look for our signs to the left within a ¼ mile.

“Given the river conditions and the weather forecast, I bet there is a good chance fish will be actively migrating on Saturday,” Gephard said in an email.