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E-Tackle Box
(links to fishing info)
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Mystery Fish
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Do you recognize this fish?
Email your guess to DEEP.inland.fisheries@ct.gov
The November mystery fish was the White Sucker (
Catostomus commersonii).
The White Sucker is common throughout Connecticut. They can grow to over 18 inches, but generally average about 8-12 inches. The White Sucker is one of our most important native fish, as they often make up the greatest biomass (lots of large fish) in our waters.
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hey are easily identified by the large-fleshy lips surrounding the mouth.
White Suckers are bottom-feeders and feed opportunistically on invertebrates, decaying plant material, and just about anything they come across. Occasionally, an angler who is fishing with worms or other bait on the bottom will catch a White Sucker.
During the early spring (April - May) suckers will migrate into streams and rivers to spawn. During these spawning runs, thousands of suckers can be seen gathering together (often mistaken for schools of trout).
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Have a Tip or Photo You Would Like to See in CT Fishin' Tips?
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Email your tip to DEEP.Inland.Fisheries@ct.gov
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Budding Angler in Your Family?
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Wondering what's new in fisheries?
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Get the latest in fisheries through our quarterly reports.
or
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Connecticut Wildlife Magazine
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Every issue of this bi-monthly publication includes great wildlife photography, in-depth feature articles written by DEEP biologists, information about hunting and fishing, and natural history articles.
Connecticut Wildlife Magazine is published six times each year.
Subscriptions are $8 for one year, $15 for two, or $20 for three years.
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License Fees Fund Fishing and Hunting Programs
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100% of the fees collected from the sale of fishing and hunting licenses, tags, permits, and stamps goes to support fish and wildlife conservation, preservation, and recreation programs administered by the Bureau of Natural Resources.
Each time you purchase a license your contribution goes to support fishing, hunting, and open space right here in CT.
So the next time you catch a Walleye, Brown Trout, or Striped Bass, see a Bald Eagle, harvest a white-tail, pheasant, or turkey, give yourself and your fellow sportsmen a pat on the back!
You are making a difference and we t
hank you for your support!
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Report a Violation
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Help to protect our natural resources for future outdoor sports enthusiasts. Report suspected violations by calling DEEP Environmental Conservation Police at 1-800-842-HELP
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Are you 16-17 years old?
Get 50% off fishing and hunting licenses
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All 16 and 17 year old Connecticut residents can purchase 2015 fishing and hunting licenses, tags, permits, and/or stamps at 50% of the full resident cost. Get your license now!.
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Need a Permit?
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P
lanning a fishing tournament or derby? Would you like to stock some fish in your pond? You can now take advantage of our new on-line permit application system, ezFile. To get started, download Google Chrome, create your user account, and submit an application. If you have questions, give us a call at 860-424-FISH (3474).
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Missed an Issue of CT Fishin' Tips?
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What is up with this weather? With December 2015 entering the record books as the warmest on record, it seems that winter sports in Connecticut like skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing are on hold for a bit.
Get out and take advantage of these mild temperatures! We encourage everyone to enjoy the bountiful natural resources Connecticut has to offer - take a stroll along the beach, hike one of the Blue-Blazed trails, and cast a line into a nearby lake, pond, river or stream. Great fishing is waiting for you. Our fall trout stocking has loaded many waters and with these unseasonably warm temperatures, excellent fishing continues! Check our website for recently stocked waters.
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Learn to fish ON the water
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Ice fishing is a great way to spend quality time outdoors during a beautiful winter day. Attend a
FREE CARE (Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education) Learn to Ice Fish class. Check out our
class schedule (new classes are frequently added) and sign up today!
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2016 Save the Dates!
Fishing events you and your family will not want to miss. Stay tuned for details as we approach each of the dates.
January 30, 2016: Coventry Lake and CARE Ice Fishing Event, Patriots Park, Coventry (Ice permitting). Make up date is February 13, 2016.
February 6, 2016: No Child Left Inside - Winterfest and CARE Ice Fishing Event, Burr Pond State Park, Torrington. (NOTE: the location has changed since the issuance of the November Fishing Tips)
February 13, 2016: DEEP Angler Recognition and Trophy Fish Awards Ceremony, CT Convention Center, Hartford (held during the CT Fishing and Hunting Show).
April 9, 2016: Trout season opens at 6:00 am.
May 7, 2016: Statewide Free Fishing Day (no license needed). No Child Left Inside Great Park Pursuit and CARE Family Fishing Day, Stratton Brook State Park, Simsbury.
June 19, 2016: First Free Fishing License Day (free 1-day license is needed).
August 13, 2016: Second Free Fishing License Day (free 1-day license is needed). The CARE saltwater fishing event and No Child Left Inside Great Park Pursuit, Fort Trumbull State Park, New London.
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Trout Mangement Areas are catchy! Connecticut has great year-round fishing opportunities in our many trout management areas (sections of river or stream with specific regulations). Several Trout Management Areas are open to seasonal catch and release fishing, which creates year-round angling opportunities with plenty of trout to be caught!
Check out the Angler's Guide for specific details and follow instructions on any posted signs (stream-side).
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| Wild Atlantic Salmon Spawn! |
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During 2015, five adult Atlantic Salmon passed upstream through the Rainbow Dam fishway on the Farmington River in Windsor. This November, Inland Fisheries Staff surveyed areas on the river and its tributaries that they considered highly likely to support spawning. A redd (or nest- the lighter colored gravel in the photo above) was discovered at one of the locations. This is the first time since the early 1800's that Wild Atlantic Salmon have been able to return from the sea and swim upstream (past several dams) to ancestral spawning grounds.
Other spawning has been documented including a pair of wild fish on the Salmon River below the Leesville Dam (1991) and occasionally within the designated surplus broodstock stocking areas on the Naugatuck and Shetucket Rivers (not true wild fish as these are stocked from the hatchery with some potential to spawn, meaning they may contain or produce eggs).
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The next several editions of CT Fishin' tips will spotlight a fishing regulation commonly used to manage our fisheries.
A minimum size regulation is often used to make sure that a fish will be able to reproduce at least one time before becoming legal to keep or to protect juvenile fish from being harvested. Minimum sizes are most commonly used for fish that take several years to become reproducing adults (and are popular to harvest). Without a minimum size regulation, some fish populations could decrease or even be eliminated over a short period of time.
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An effort to learn about the migratory range of the Blackfish (Tautog) was initiated with cooperation from 17 volunteer anglers. A total of 322 Blackfish were captured. The volunteers recorded key data, tagged the fish, and then released it. To date a handful of tags have been returned with most of the fish being caught within a few hundred yards of their release point. One however, traveled 3 miles.
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Monitoring Marine Fisheries
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The
Long Island Sound Trawl Survey has been collecting data on marine fishes since 1984. This year (2015) 2 new species were found; the Atlantic thread herring and the Mahogany Snapper. Visit the
survey web page for more info.
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By purchasing a fishing license, you help to support conservation and improvement of Connecticut's fisheries. Thank you!
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