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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! 👍👍
December 2024
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. CT's fishing licenses expire on December 31 each year so don't miss a single day of fishing - renew or get your fishing license today. Need a refresher on how to use CT's online system? Check out the video below.
No changes to 2025 Freshwater Fishing Regulations
There are no changes 😁 to the regulations for sportfishing in the Inland District 🎣 for 2025. Download your PDF copy. Printed copies should be available in January 2025 at many town clerks and tackle shops.
The changes proposed over this past summer are still working through the formal adoption process. As such, the Fisheries Division is opting to keep the regulations as they are. We expect the proposed changes will take effect January 1, 2026, about one year from now.
Ice Safety - Beware of Thin Ice!
The forecast for much of the state is to have overnight temperatures well below freezing for the first week or so of December. The Fisheries Division knows that many are chomping at the (ice) auger to fish on the water. BE SMART! Please note that the Fisheries Division does not monitor ice thickness.
As you prepare for your potential ice fishing adventure, please be sure to review our ice safety tips on our web page and watch our video on how to "test" ice thickness (below). If you have never been ice fishing, check out our interactive web-based ice fishing course for all the basics to get started this winter!
The video below was filmed in 2023 when there was adequate safe ice. If you plan to head out onto the ice, please check ice thickness often!!!
Ice Fishing Gear - The Essentials
Ice fishing is a New England tradition. If you or someone you know is getting started, the initial investment can be simple and just a few tip ups, a jigging rod, and spud bar (for checking ice thickness). The video below offers some suggestions for essential gear to have a safe and enjoyable fishing trip on the ice.
This holiday season, recognize the person who introduced you to fishing by sharing your passion for the sport with others! The Fisheries Division - "Fish with CARE" program relies on volunteer coaches to teach fishing to beginners and support our fishing events throughout the state. Join our team of over 100 active coaches and express your gratitude to the person who took the time to show you how to fish.
Start the process of becoming a CARE fishing coach. Register for the next training course being offered spring of 2025. Contact us with questions at 860-663-1656.
Since 1986, "Fish with CARE" has offered classes and events designed to engage people in the outdoors by showing how fun and easy fishing can be. Simultaneously, we aim to foster an appreciation for our state's natural resources and the environment. As a certified volunteer fishing coach, you will be acknowledged as a representative of the DEEP while working to provide quality fishing education programs and events to the public.
The DEEP Fisheries Division relies heavily on our corps of volunteer FISH with CARE coaches – who are supported by CARE staff with training and regular email communication with opportunities to get engaged. We greatly appreciate your desire to give the gift of fishing back to your community!
Catches for angler recognition due by January 15, 2025
We hope that you were able to catch some great memories this past year.
Just a reminder that if you are seeking recognition for a trophy fish, first fish, personal best, or catches part of the Youth Fishing Passport Fishing Challenge, all applications must be submitted using our online entry form by January 15, 2025
Opening day for Atlantic salmon harvest is December 16
Catch and keep starts on December 16, 2024. Anglers are allowed 1 (one) salmon per day. There is no minimum size. Gear must be a fly or an artificial lure with a single free-swinging hook. A trout and salmon stamp is required to fish (even catch and release) in an Atlantic salmon management area (video below) and to keep an Atlantic salmon.
Atlantic salmon catch and movement study continues
"Tag - You're It!" (watch the Fox61 news coverage) This fall, the Fisheries Division is conducting an expansive tagging study to better understand the Atlantic Salmon Management Area fishery and we need your help 🙋. Prior to being stocked in rivers, 1,300 salmon will be tagged under the dorsal fin with external T-Bar anchor tags that each have a unique ID # (see picture below).
We ask anglers 🎣 to report their catches of tagged Atlantic salmon including the tag number, date, and specific location, using one of three available reporting methods: online survey, phone, or email.
This project seeks to integrate angler tag-return information with standard fisheries sampling methods to understand the movements, behavior, catchability, and fate of Connecticut hatchery-raised Atlantic salmon stocked in the Naugatuck and Shetucket Rivers 🐟. This unique collaboration between the Fisheries Division and the angling public will help to fill critical data gaps and inform management decisions such as the density, timing, frequency, and location of stocking events.
- Report it via our online survey
- Email Matthew.Devine@ct.gov
- Call Matthew Devine 203-500-2513
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 Northern Kingfish (Menticirrhus saxatilis).
A interesting fish easily identified by the large dorsal ray and distinctive brown markings. The Northern Kingfish is found along the Atlantic coast where it frequents the surf zone in areas with a sandy bottom. These fish can reach about 18 inches and around 2-3 pounds. Anglers often catch the Northern Kingfish with bait like sandworms, squid, and chopped clams.
Nice Catch!
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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