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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 2026
Please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov with any suggestions, comments, or questions related to CT's Fisheries.
Free 1-Day Fishing License - June 21, 2026
June 21st is the first of 2 FREE FISHING LICENSE DAYS in 2026 – 1-Day Fishing licenses are FREE valid for June 21, 2026, in CT. This is a great opportunity to introduce someone new to fishing without needing to purchase a fishing license!
The second FREE 1-Day Fishing License is on August 8, 2026. The free 1-day fishing licenses are available 3 weeks prior to the date by using the Online Sportsmen Licensing System
Need a place to fish? Check out our interactive map resources a few sections down in this newsletter.
2026 Fishing Licenses Available
Don't miss any days of fishing in 2026 - renew or get your fishing license today! Planning to keep a trout or fish in a Trout Management Area, Wild Trout Management Area, Trout Park, or Atlantic Salmon Management Area? Be sure to add the Trout and Salmon Stamp to your cart before checking out - required for harvesting trout or fishing any of those special management areas.
State Record Bluegill
Congratulations to Connor Valentine who ties the Bluegill State Record in the Catch and Release Category. Connor's Bluegill caught on May 6 in Woodridge Lake, West Hartford, was 10.5 inches long - creating a 4-way tie for the catch and release bluegill category. Connor said the fish took a 2.5" crankbait at a depth of 15 feet; he was super surprised to see this beast of a bluegill at the end of the line. Great fish and thanks for sharing it with us.
Catch and Release Trout Fishing Survey
Connecticut is now five years into having "no closed season" for trout as established by Connecticut Public Act 21-12* and we are seeking your input via this short anonymous survey https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/3VUfzSSYjy
In 2021, after the passage of Public Act 21-12 by the CT General Assembly, the Fisheries Division sought angler input to obtain angler perspective on preferences and desires related to trout fishing for the 2022 season. Based on angler responses the Fisheries Division opted to implement a default statewide regulation requiring "catch and release" for trout from March 1 until the second Saturday of April. Now, after five years of a Catch and Release season for trout, the Fisheries Division is once again seeking angler input on preferences.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your preferences and opinions about the Catch and Release season for trout. Take the survey https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/3VUfzSSYjy
*Many people continue to suggest that DEEP return to a "closed season" for trout. However, the current "no closed season for trout" is the result of a state law, passed by the CT General Assembly. Only the CT General Assembly can modify or change a state law. The CT DEEP can suggest changes to the legislature but cannot bring back opening day independently.
Looking for a Fishing Hole?
We have you covered. Check out suggestions on our web page or our either our interactive "Where to fish for" map covering lakes and ponds or the "trout stocking map" for the latest on trout stocking. If marine fish are your preference - check out the Saltwater Fishing map.
Catch all 33 if You Can - The Youth Fishing Challenge
Looking to keep the kids busy this summer? Tackle this fishing challenge! The Fisheries Division sponsors a year-long youth fishing challenge. The goal, see how many of the 33 species on the list you can catch. To help you figure out tips and strategies each species has a short video on our DEEP YouTube page (and in a section below).
All you need to do is submit a photo of your catch via our online portal and watch your name move up the leaderboard. The top 4 anglers receive a generous prize pack. Questions? Reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov
Learn to Fish with CARE!
Fish with CARE May schedule, visit our web page for full list of 2026 events:
The Fish with CARE program (CT Aquatic Resource Education) has been introducing, or re-introducing, people to fishing since 1986. Fishing means many things to many people. Come find what fishing means to you by attending one of our many fishing events.
Check out our online, self-paced "Let's Go Fishing" course - a beginner's guide to fishing in CT - and put your skills to the test at a Fish with CARE event. We have all of the equipment, bait and a dedicated group of knowledgeable and patient fishing coaches to support you. A fishing license is required for participants age 16 and older.
Meet Your Fisheries Team
Each month in 2026 you will get to meet one of the highly dedicated and passionate staff of the Fisheries Division. Each of our team bring skill and professionalism to make CT's fisheries the best they can be.
Meet Mike Miller
Mike is the project lead for the CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Nearshore Long Island Sound Survey Project. This project was established to help fill a gap in fish monitoring data. Spring, summer, and fall - Mike and his crew are out in Connecticut's shallow coastal embayments deploying a 200-foot seine net, fish traps, a beam trawl net, and light traps (at night) all with the goal to describe and define important sportfish occurrence.
Education: Colorado Mountain College (Associates), Colorado State University (Batchelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Biology concentration in Fisheries), and New Mexico State University (Master of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Ecology).
What was the spark to get you interested in fisheries biology/management? Fishing with my mother as a child.
Favorite part of the job: Working on the water with my team.
Least favorite part of the job: Headed back to the boat ramp.
When not at work: I am on a bowling league and like bird hunting with my German Shorthair Pointer.
Trivia/Favorites of Mike:
Pizza Topping: Pepperoni
Movie: Good, bad, ugly
Favorite Fish: Aphrodite of the hemlock (Brook Trout), because they are the best.
Favorite Concert: Chile peppers
Red Sox or Yankees: Rockies bro
Phobia: Getting bitten by small animals
Dream place to live: Home is where you make it
Fishing Challenge DIY Videos
To help budding anglers fill their Youth Fishing Passport (YFP) fishing challenge score card the Fish With CARE program has made a special playlist on the DEEP Video YouTube channel. The playlist will give you tips on gear, bait, and techniques on targeting each of the 33 fish species found in the YFP fishing challenge!
The fishing challenge is free for young anglers ages 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 these 3 species 👀? Send your guess to mike.beauchene@ct.gov
Mystery Fish Revealed
Last month's mystery fish was the Bowfin (Amia calva). The Bowfin in part of an ancient family of fish which has been around since prehistoric times. Bowfin prefer slow-flowing, vegetated areas of lakes and rivers. A specially adapted air bladder allows them to breathe by gulping air at the surface, enabling them to live in stagnant swamps and backwaters.
Bowfin are well established within the Connecticut River and are especially fond of the shallow backwaters and coves. The Bowfin are often mistaken for Snakehead, an invasive predatory fish, which were making headlines in 2002-2004 as anglers were catching them in the mid-Atlantic states.
Quick ID: Unlike the Snakehead, the anal fin of the Bowfin is "normal" looking. That of a Snakehead runs along the back half of the belly of the fish.
Upper Image: male bowfin with characteristic eye-spot on tail, and greenish fins.
Lower image: female bowfin
Learn about all of Connecticut's Freshwater Fish in our mobile friendly application.
Access CT's Freshwater Fish Community Data in our interactive data viewer.
Need to find a place to fish? Check out our "Where to Fish For..." interactive map with the video tutorial below.
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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