2023 Fishing Licenses are Available Online

The CT Fisheries Division has partnered with FishBrain, the world's largest fishing APP to provide CT's fishing regulations right to your smart device. These regulations are available in the FREE version of the APP. As with any APP if you would like to have access to premium features there is a subscription fee.

The annual stocking of Walleye fingerlings has been completed. Each fall the Fisheries Division purchases 4-6 inch "fingerling" Walleye from a vendor in Minnesota. These fish will spend the next several years growing into a prized catch for many anglers. Learn more about the CT Walleye program here.

Thank you to David Moran’s class from Housatonic Valley Regional HS. They have helped us stock trout into the Housatonic River system for 23 years standing!

Each fall and winter the Fisheries Division stocks approximately 1,500-1,800 Atlantic salmon to support a very popular recreational fishery. Since 1991, Atlantic Salmon - raised at our Kensington State Fish Hatchery - have been stocked into the designated Atlantic Salmon Management Areas and select lakes.

The regulations for the fishery can be found on the image below as well as on the annual declaration issued by DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes

Each month in 2023, CT Fishin' Tips will highlight one of Connecticut's many inspirational female anglers. The featured anglers have a deep passion for Connecticut's fisheries and serve as role models for all of us.

At what age did you start fishing?

Very young. My family spent a week on Lake Champlain at a fishing camp every summer. 

Who introduced you to fishing?

My father

What is your favorite fish to try and catch?

As a kid, I loved catching anything. The pike and pickerel on Lake Champlain were a lot of fun. I love catching trout on the fly but bass are also a lot of fun to catch on the fly. Fly fishing is my favorite method mostly because it keeps my brain occupied.

Why do you like to fish?

I love the outdoors and love being on or around water. Fishing is a great way to connect with beautiful places and really get to know the waters and land more intimately. 

Much if not all of the clothing and gear is male focused and does not fit women. What advice could you give to a new female angler about this problem?

I know that there are brands that have come out with women's fishing gear, and I think its getting better. I don't wear any of it, when fishing, I can be found in jeans and a sweatshirt. I always wear long pants fishing. My advice to any angler is wear what makes you comfortable and keeps you protected. 

What were some barriers that you had to overcome? (and maybe still battle)

The assumptions that are made because I am female by male anglers can be frustrating. Usually, there is an immediate assumption that I fish solely because my spouse fishes. My spouse does not fish at all. Also, there seems to be an automatic assumption that my skill and knowledge levels are lacking. 

Much if not all of the clothing and gear is male focused and does not fit women. What advice could you give to a new female angler about this problem?

There have been some recent improvements by outfitters on this front. Clothing and gear that are focused on the female form are more readily available. But usually not available in stores. We just need to get over the shrink and pink barrier. My advice is to connect with other female anglers and find out what works for them.

What is your favorite fishing memory or memories?

Time with my dad and with friends on the river. About 20 years ago I worked for a company that had half day Fridays in the summer. I fished with my dad every Friday afternoon. I really enjoyed having that time set aside to spend time on the river with my dad. Also, the times spent with my friend Lisa fishing. Our days were always an adventure and usually ended up with us sitting on a riverbank with a beer or passing a flask. We have a lot of stories from our times on the river.

What advice would give to a woman who says "I would like to fish, but it does not seem to be for me"?

Remember that fishing isn't all you see in pictures and on social media. Reasons to fish goes beyond catching that fish that allows you to get that "grip and grin" picture. It's OK for fishing to be about fishing and not catching. It's OK to fish because you enjoy the being on the water, the scenery, the fresh air and the beautiful places where fish reside. It's not a competition, despite what you see in pictures and on social media.  



Please share anything else that you think would be motivational or helpful and speak to female anglers

Don't be intimidated. Find people people to fish with that you are comfortable. Fish for your own reasons and just ignore anyone that makes you feel like you shouldn't be there. That person is just a jerk.

The Fisheries Division – Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education Program (CARE) is seeking volunteers to join our team of certified Fishing Coaches! FISH with CARE program hosts classes and events all over the state where we teach basic fishing skills to adults, families, and youth. FISH with CARE coaches work with Fisheries staff to educate and engage the public in the outdoors through the sport of fishing. If you are interested in sharing your love and knowledge of fishing while creating the next generation of environmental stewards, consider joining our Fishing Coach team! Our next certification training will be offered in spring of 2024, information to get involved can be found HERE!

Would you like to see your catch highlighted in upcoming issues of CT Fishin' Tips? If so, please email your photo to mike.beauchene@ct.gov 

The kokanee salmon is a landlocked form of the larger Pacific sockeye salmon. Like all Pacific salmon, the kokanee life cycle is unusual in the fact that they are semelparous, meaning they die after spawning.

Kokanee also go through extreme physiological changes, such as changing colors from silver to bright red and developing fang-like teeth and a hooked jaw (or kype), during their once-in-a-lifetime spawning occurrence.

Kokanee have been stocked into select Connecticut lakes since the 1940s, and currently provide several very unique and exciting fisheries not found anywhere else in the Northeast! Learn more about the program here.

Kokanee cannot spawn naturally in Connecticut with enough success to sustain a fishery, so each autumn biologists from the Fisheries Division collect adult salmon using trap-nets in either East Twin Lake or West Hill Pond. The salmon are stripped of their eggs and milt at Burlington State Fish Hatchery and mixed. The fertilized eggs are incubated and hatch at the Hatchery, resulting in approximately 170,000 fry that are reared until late May and then stocked.

To ensure your released catch can live to be caught again, please take care to do "Catch and Release" correctly. This video offers several examples to help improve the survival of a released fish.

NEW for 2023 - The list of species has been increased to include many popular fish, both freshwater and saltwater. The challenge is ON! Start catching and submitting, you can be CT's next "Top Angler"

If you have a guess as to the fish pictured below, email Mike.beauchene@ct.gov

Last month's mystery fish was a juvenile Blue Runner (Caranx crysos). Blue runner are also known by a few names such as bluestripe jack, Egyptian scad, hardtail jack or hardnose and are sometimes confused for a small bluefish. The blue runner is a schooling predatory fish often taking small bait fish along the shoreline. They can be found from the Gulf of Mexico northward to the Canadian Maritime region. Blue runner are edible and often used as bait.