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100% of your investment in fishing license fees come to the DEEP Bureau of Natural Resources to support your passion for the outdoors- Thank You! 👍👍
June 2025
Please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov with any suggestions, comments, or questions related to CT's Fisheries.
2025 Fishing Licenses are Available
Fishing licenses are available for 2025. Don't miss a single day of fishing - renew or get your fishing license today.
FREE Fishing License Day June 15
Sunday, June 15 is the first of two FREE fishing license days for 2025
Get a free 1-day fishing license online anytime for June 15th. Please note that all other fishing rules and regulations remain in effect (like size limits, daily limits, etc.). We hope you take advantage of this opportunity to get out or take someone new out to experience the many benefits fishing has to offer! If you have questions, please reach out to: mike.beauchene@ct.gov
Record Breaking Brown Bullhead
Congratulations to Rowan Lytle who landed this new STATE RECORD 5.45 pound 20 inch Brown Bullhead on May 21 from Hamburg Cove. An amazing specimen and massive for this species. Check out our other inland state records and the history of our trophy freshwater fish (harvest or catch and release) on our webpage.
Record Breaking Common Carp
Congratulations to Rafal Wlazlo who landed this 45.5 pound Common Carp on May 25 from Lake Lillinonah - a tie for the STATE RECORD. Check out our other inland state records and the history of our trophy freshwater fish (harvest or catch and release) on our webpage.
Angler Survey Underway
The Fisheries Division is seeking information from select waterbodies using trail cameras and soliciting your input.
Want to learn to fish? Brush up on your techniques? Catch a nutritious and locally sourced meal?
The Fisheries Division's FISH with CARE program has announced our schedule of fishing events for 2025. Visit our web page to learn more about the FISH with CARE program!
Feedback Requested - Warmwater Fisheries Plan
Connecticut boasts a diverse array of freshwater sportfish. Connecticut’s warm- and coolwater fisheries encompass over twenty different species which support exceptional fishing opportunities and are an important component of the State’s overall recreational angling activity. Each year, approximately 1.2 million fishing trips per year are spent fishing for warm- and coolwater fish such as Northern Pike, Walleye, catfish, and panfish. The purpose of the Warmwater Fisheries Action Plan is to maintain and improve these recreational fishing opportunities in Connecticut lakes, ponds, and rivers over the next five years. The plan focuses on three major themes:
- Provide Diverse Fishing Opportunities
- Provide Equitable Access and Promote Fisheries
- Monitor Fish Communities, Angler Use, and Habitat
The plan is being published in draft form to give stakeholders the opportunity to help shape it before implementation begins in 2026. Please review the draft Warmwater Fisheries Action Plan and provide your feedback using the following electronic form: Warmwater Fisheries Action Plan Feedback Form. The Fisheries Division will solicit public comment on the draft plan until July 1, 2025.
View the draft Warmwater Fisheries Action Plan: Draft Warmwater Fisheries Action Plan
Submit feedback on the plan: Feedback Form for Draft Warmwater Fisheries Action Plan
Visit the Warmwater Fisheries Action Plan webpage: Warmwater Fisheries Action Plan Webpage
If you have issues accessing the plan or using the feedback form, please email us at DEEP.WWAP@ct.gov.
Eagle Landing Fishing Pier OPEN
A brand-new pier at Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam is now open for anglers, nature lovers, and other members of the public to enjoy scenic views, fishing, and more on the beautiful lower Connecticut River. Built by Amtrak and owned by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the permanent pier now provides an alternate fishing location while the Ferry Landing Pier/Boardwalk in Old Lyme is closed to make way for Amtrak’s construction of a new Connecticut River Bridge between Old Lyme and Old Saybrook.
Eagle Landing State Park is located at 14 Little Meadow Road, Haddam. Additional details are available at ctparks.com.
Ferry Landing Fishing Pier CLOSED
Amtrak’s Connecticut River Bridge Project is now underway to replace the existing 118-year-old bridge with a modern moveable bridge that will improve the customer experience by eliminating delays, providing faster journeys, and modernizing another critical infrastructure asset that benefits the entire Northeast Corridor. With construction of the new bridge underway, the Ferry Landing Pier/Boardwalk located at the DEEP Marine District Head Quarters in Old Lyme is now closed.
Once the new Connecticut River Bridge is in service and the old bridge has been demolished in 2029, Amtrak will build a new and improved, fully accessible 1,000+ foot long observation deck and stairway at Ferry Landing State Park that would open in 2030/2031. The new Ferry Landing Pier/Boardwalk will upgrade the overall experience for everyone, featuring a 50% wider walkway with improved accessibility, a location slightly west of the existing site that will provide anglers better access to deep water, and stronger, more durable concrete piles for more support compared to the wooden piles used for the original structure.
Aquatic Invasive Species Stamp Info
New for 2025- The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Stamp must be purchased separately from your vessel registration. Any person operating a vessel on Connecticut inland waters that is required to be registered, in CT or another state, must have a CT AIS Stamp.
There are two AIS Stamp options:
- $7 individual operator
or
- $25 AIS decal to cover all operators on a vessel
Visit AIS Stamp FAQs for more information. You can purchase your 2025 AIS Stamp now through the Online Sportsmen Licensing system. This is required for CT registered and out of state registered vessels.
DIY Videos
Learn some tips for fishing in CT's Trout Parks and Community Fishing Waters
Fishing Challenge DIY Videos
To help budding anglers fill their youth fishing passport fishing challenge score card the Fish With CARE program has made a special playlist on the DEEP Video YouTube channel.
The fishing challenge is free for all age 15 and younger. The challenge is a year-long fishing scavenger hunt to try and catch all 33 species on the score card. Catches are submitted online and results displayed on the dashboard. For more info please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov
This Month's Mystery Fish
Think you know this species 👀? Send your guess to mike.beauchene@ct.gov
Mystery Fish Revealed
Last month's mystery fish was a Brown Trout (above), specifically a "Cortland strain Brown Trout". While many were lured into thinking it was a Tiger Trout due to the vermiculation along the back half of the body and the adipose fin, our State Fish Hatchery staff let us know that the "blurring" of the spots is a genetic mutation within this strain, which when expressed creates some very unique looking fish.
Tiger trout (below), the sterile hybrid of a Brook Trout and Brown Trout, generally have a darker body with beige/tan vermiculation.
Need to find a place to fish? Check out our "Where to Fish For..." interactive map with video tutorial below.
DIY Videos- our complete library can be found on the DEEP YouTube Channel
How to get your fishing license online
How to get the youth fishing passport online
Have a Tip or Photo You Would Like to See in CT Fishin' Tips?
Have a Tip or Photo You Would Like to See in CT Fishin' Tips? Email your tip to DEEP.Inland.Fisheries@ct.gov
E-Tackle Box
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are seeking a communication aid or service, have limited proficiency in English, wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint, or require some other accommodation, including equipment to facilitate virtual participation, please contact the DEEP Office of Diversity and Equity at 860-418-5910 or by email at deep.accommodations@ct.gov. Any person needing an accommodation for hearing impairment may call the State of Connecticut relay number - 711. In order to facilitate efforts to provide an accommodation, please request all accommodations as soon as possible following notice of any agency hearing, meeting, program or event.
This program receives Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability.
If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you need more information, please write to:
Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights
U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
Report a Fishing or Hunting Violation
Call DEEP's Environmental Conservation Police 24/7
860-424-3333
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