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August 2025
Please reach out to mike.beauchene@ct.gov with any suggestions, comments, or questions related to CT's Fisheries.
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DEEP's Annual Saltwater Fishing Day!
Saturday, August 9 from 10 am to 3 pm, is DEEP's annual Saltwater Fishing Day. Make the trip to Fort Trumbull State Park in New London and join the "Fish with CARE" program and the No Child Left Inside program as we drop our lines off of the pier. We have all of the fishing equipment, you bring enthusiasm and excitement (and a cooler with ice if you want to bring home your fresh catch of the day).
No fishing license? No problem! August 9th is FREE Fishing License Day. Anyone can get a FREE 1-day fishing license online.
Take the bus to the event -details below the graphic.
Take a bus to the event!! The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) are pleased to announce a new focus for the collaborative ParkConneCT program. This program will now offer free bus transportation for special excursion trips, including the popular No Child Left Inside® (NCLI) and Fish with CARE Saltwater Fishing Event. These hands-on, guided excursions will use motorcoach buses that are ADA accessible and air-conditioned to provide convenient and comfortable transportation to pre-scheduled park activities and events. The new special excursion format replaces the special summer bus service to select parks offered in past years.
For more information and to make reservations, please visit www.ctparks.com/parkconnect.
This bus trip combines two exciting events into one sun-and-fun-filled day! We'll travel first to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford to explore the Eolia Mansion, tour its gardens, and complete a scavenger hunt. Then, participants will reboard the bus to travel to Fort Trumbull State Park in New London to participate in the NCLI and DEEP Fisheries Division's Saltwater Fishing Day. August 9 is FREE Fishing License Day. Although the fee for a fishing license is waived, participants still need to obtain their fishing license through the Online Sportsmen Licensing System. Loaner fishing equipment with bait will be provided to participants at no charge. Volunteers from the DEEP Fisheries Division CARE Program will teach participants all they need to know to (hopefully) hook a big one. Participants should bring a hat, sunscreen, lunch/snacks, and water, as well as a cooler and ice if you choose - you may catch dinner! The bus will depart Norwich Park & Ride at 9:30 a.m. and return by 3:15 p.m.
Advance reservations are required through Reserve America, with a limited number of seats available for each trip on a first-come, first-served basis for individuals, families, and community organizations and groups serving youth. The park excursions are free, and a $2 non-refundable online reservation system fee applies to each seat. Seats are required for all participants. All buses are handicapped-accessible and air-conditioned. For more information and to make reservations, please visit www.ctparks.com/parkconnect.
No Boat? No Problem! Fish from a Pier!
Fishing from CT's coastal shoreline can be a challenge due to limited public access. A few locations we recommend with either a fishing pier or ample shoreline access to CT's most sought after marine fish include: Fort Trumbull State Park (New London), Fort Nathan Hale (New Haven), Baldwin Bridge (Old Saybrook), and the shoreline or jetty at Harkness Memorial State Park (Waterford). Check out the video below for some tips on fishing from a pier. For a complete list of coastal access points, check out our saltwater fishing map. Just a reminder that the Ferry Landing Pier in Old Lyme at the DEEP Marine Headquarters is closed due to the Amtrack Bridge Replacement project.
Crabbing Can't be Beat
Blue Crab (factsheet) are relatively easy to catch and provide lots of fun and excitement (and even some delicious crab cakes). During the summer, especially August, Blue Crab can be found in just about every salt marsh, cove, tidal creek, and along rocky shores/jetties. All that is needed is a net, string, bait, ruler, and bucket. Simply tie your bait to some line and toss it out into the water. Wait for the line to start to tighten as the crab tries to scurry off with the bait and then slowly pull the crab in toward shore. A long handle net is helpful to scoop the crab before it gets to warry and lets go of the bait.
Crabs must be 5 inches from tip of spike to tip of spike (unless it is a softshell, which is 3.5 inches spike to spike). Egg bearing females must be released.
Summer Beach Seining to Evaluate Juvenile Fish
Estuaries rank among the world’s most productive ecosystems, providing critical spawning and nursery habitats for recreationally and commercially important fishes. However, stressors such as climate change, shoreline hardening, and population growth significantly threaten the resilience of these ecosystems, leaving fisheries resources vulnerable to collapse.
In 2025, CT DEEP has initiated a survey to assess the long-term dynamics of finfish in nearshore habitats. Data collected during the survey will evaluate the relative abundance, diversity, and distribution of key species, including Winter Flounder, Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), Tautog (Tautoga onitis), Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), Scup (Stenotomus chrysops), Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata), Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis), and Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus). In addition, important forage species including Atlantic Silverside (Menidia menidia), killifish (Fundulus spp.), and anchovies (Anchoa spp.) will be monitored throughout the duration of the survey. These data will inform stock assessments, fishery management plans, and the identification of essential fish and invertebrate habitats in Long Island Sound.
Beasty Bowfin
Congrats to William Auger (right) who landed this nice size bowfin from the CT River. Running low on bait, William got creative and used a piece of hard salami from his snacklebox! Lessoned learned: when fishing with kids always bring snacks!!
Aquatic Herbicide Spraying - DEEP Press Release
Hydrilla is a fast-growing invasive plant that crowds out native species, damages aquatic ecosystems, and harms local communities. If left untreated, it degrades water quality and fish habitats, clogs waterways to the point that boats and kayaks can’t pass, increases flooding risks, and lowers property values along the river. Mechanical harvesting has been ruled out for this project because it often makes the problem worse, small plant fragments break off, float downstream, and start new infestations. The Army Corps’ environmental assessment determined that targeted herbicide application is the most effective control method.
To learn more about this topic please view our Press Release.
Photo - CT River Conservancy
Banded Twins
Banded sunfish are a little known native member of CT's fish community. In Connecticut, banded sunfish are limited to the eastern coastal plain in scattered sites along the lower Connecticut River Valley and eastward to Rhode Island and also north in ponds and streams along the Quinebaug River Valley. Since the 1950s, they may have disappeared from a few larger lakes, but it is unclear whether their populations are declining elsewhere in Connecticut. These fish were collected as part of efforts this summer to re-visit locations where these tiny jewels have been observed in the past.
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.
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 the Creekchub Sucker (Erimyzon oblongus), a true sucker (member of the family Catastomidae). A rarely seen native species, the Creekchub Sucker has a fairly wide range covering most of the waters east of the Mississippi drainage. In CT, this species has a scattered distribution, which based on historic data may be in decline. Tell tale characteristics are the dorsal fin, which is strikingly tall for a CT fish and the anal fin, which is elongated. Juvenile Creekchub Suckers look similar to a Bridle Shiner or Blacknose Dace. When found they are often in low gradient streams or lakes/ponds with abundant emergent plants.
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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