If you want to go ice fishing in Connecticut, make sure you familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations that govern fishing, as outlined by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Whether you’re a veteran of Connecticut ice fishing or taking it up for the first time, not knowing some of these laws could cost you a pretty penny. Wherever you purchase your fishing license, you can also grab a free Connecticut Angler’s Guide, which is full of the information you need to not only make fishing in Connecticut recreational, but also legal.
First things first. If you want to go ice fishing in Connecticut this winter, you must have a valid Connecticut fishing license. Licenses expire on the last day of the year in this state, meaning that if you want to go ice fishing in Connecticut in December of this year, you will need a 2006 license. That same license is no good as of January 1, 2007; I actually needed an ice fishing license in Connecticut that day in 2007. When you reach the age of sixteen, you need to buy a license in Connecticut, which costs twenty dollars for residents and members of the armed forces. /a>, which hail e. Non-residents who wish to ice fish in Connecticut must pay forty dollars in advance for a fishing license. If these people plan to ice fish be on Connecticut lakes and ponds, they should consider booking their state to see if their state license allows them on the Connecticut side. A three-day fishing license for non-residents goes for $16 for those of you who are ice fishing in Connecticut with relatives visiting or taking a mini-vacation there to do some fishing.
Fishing licenses are available at bait shops, town halls, and even at most Wal-Marts if you know one. Anyone planning to go ice fishing in Connecticut may be overwhelmed at Christmas with the 2007 fishing license giveaway. Call one of these places locally to find out more about how to do this. DeP lots for ice fishing in Connecticut are open cut and steep. Ice fishing in Connecticut without a license is a $77 infraction, just like fishing without your license; so it will be in your possession while you are on the ice. I’ve been ice fishing in Connecticut in the past, and I have a laminated license and put it in my bag, which then goes into a secure bag in the bag plastic in my capture box If you’re ice fishing in Connecticut while your fishing license is revoked or suspended for any reason, and you get caught, expect to write a $150 check to the DEP!
Ice fishing regulations in Connecticut limit anglers to no more than six-point, hand-held lines or attachments at any one time. This means that if you have six similar holes in your holes that you cut, if you sit and “fig” for fish with a rod, one of those runs goes out first. If you’re under sixteen and ice fishing in Connecticut, you’re only likely to have a couple in the holes at one time, or one hook while you’re jogging. For example, if you are eighteen, and you are fishing with two licensed friends, fifteen and seventeen, you should have a total of fourteen tips each time; six for you, six for seventeen years and two for fifteen years old. With these hoops, you can have no more than three hooks, ice flies, or artificial lures. Again, any combo of these three cannot exceed ice fishing in Connecticut. There are considerations to keep in mind while ice fishing in Connecticut, meaning you can’t simply set up your tips and head home, planning to check them out later. Your name and address are clearly written, visible or engraved on all tip-ups. I write mine down in my magic journal before each ice fishing season begins.
Know your daily creel limits and minimum lengths before you go ice fishing in Connecticut, because there are some important time limits for which fish are illegal to have in your possession. Largemouth and smallmouth-bass must be at least a foot long, and you may not have more than six of these mixed. Northern Pike, a species that made ice fishing in Connecticut much more exciting in recent years when the DEP restocked them. in select lakes throughout the state, they must be at least 26 inches in length and only two may be taken daily. There are walleye in a few lakes around the Nutmeg State, and they’d better be a half-foot long if you keep them. Only two can be taken in a day. All daily creel limits and minimum lengths are listed in the Angler’s Guide, so make sure you know them if any ice fishing in Connecticut is in your future. The state imposes a $154 fine for each illegal fish on your property, which can add up quickly.
There is one more thing with ice fishing in Connecticut. There are a large number of lakes and ponds in the state that close their seasons for several weeks before March 1 to allow the DEP to restock these bodies of water for the proper fishing season. In my area, for example, Alexander Lake in Killingly is open from the third Saturday in April of 2006 until February 28, 2007. On the road from there, the Quaddick Conservatory is open for a year. Ice fishing in Connecticut on a lake or pond, when the season is closed, falls under “violation of game fishing regulations”; This gets you $44 fine! The Connecticut Angler’s Guide lists all lakes and ponds that are available to fish in the state, the open times for each species available there and any other info related to that site, such as slot limits or boating regulations. Come to think of it, the Angler’s Guide would make a nice book for all the folks who are planning ice fishing in Connecticut this winter!
