Captain Mark Dysinger of Flyosophy Charters will explain sight fishing, including techniques that can be used in the Long Island Sound, during a Zoom talk Tuesday, April 19, at 7 p.m., hosted by the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

The  talk, offered free of charge, will include information that will help all anglers, whether spin or fly, whether wading or boat.

Click here to register for the Zoom talk.

Mark has fished the New England salt most of his life. Although he is skilled in many angling methods, he is most accomplished with the fly rod. He specializes in the northeast slam of striped bass, bluefish, and false albacore.

Although he guides in Long Island Sound and its surrounding waters, he is also passionate about freshwater fishing and is a recognized authority on flyfishing for northern pike.

Mark has fished extensively across North America, and his works have appeared in numerous print and online publications.  He has been a featured innovative fly tyer for Eastern Flyfishing Magazine, and his Bunny split fly (aka Musky Bunny Twin Tail) is included in the “deadly dozen” musky patterns in Rob Tomes’ Musky on the Fly.  In 2018, he was recruited as an ambassador to the American Museum of Fly Fishing, whose mission is to provide stewardship of the history, traditions, and practices of the sport while promoting conservation of its waters. Mark is a regular fixture at the northeast winter fly fishing shows, where he demonstrates fly tying techniques and shares angling insights and strategies.

Mark is an experienced teacher both on and off the water, and takes great joy in seeing others succeed.  His enthusiasm and attention to detail make him a popular instructor, and his topical presentations are both informative and entertaining.  Mark’s patience and enthusiasm have positively affected many fellow anglers.

Mark is licensed by the United States Coast Guard and fully insured.  He resides on the Connecticut coast with his wife Anne and daughter Lucy.

The mouth of the Housatonic River at Stratford’s Short Beach is one of the best places to fish for stripers in the early season! In the spring, wintering stripers begin to drop out of the Housatonic into Long Island Sound. At the same time, crucial forage species like river herring begin their upstream spawning migration. This clash of fish, combined with fresh schoolies arriving daily, makes for some awesome fishing! 

Come learn this amazing fishery! No experience necessary. These trips are designed for anglers of all ages, and skill levels. If you need to borrow gear, no problem! Just let us know. We have several 9wt saltwater outfits for you. Feel free to bring surf/spin gear, We recommend bringing one as a backup in case of wind. Waders are a must!  

We’ll get started at Short Beach around 2 PM to fish the entirety of the outgoing tide and wade out on the sandbar. There is a large parking lot, and no need to worry about beach passes this time of year.

Click here to register.

Due to the weather forecast, Nutmeg TU has canceled the fishing trip to the Mianus River scheduled for Saturday, March 19.

Those interested may attend a trip to the Mianus River sponsored by Mianus TU Saturday, March 26. To register visit Mianus River Early Stonefly Hatch Outing: Sat, Mar 26, 2022

DEEP’s Fisheries Division is proposing to amend inland regulations concerning angler access in easement areas; fishing methods, creel and possession limits (culling, catch-and-release) and gear types (cast nets); closed fishing seasons, harvest regulations for certain species (trout, Kokanee Salmon), and Trout Management Lakes (one new waterbody added to list. Several minor and technical changes, corrections and updates are also made.

Proposed Changes to Inland Fishing Regulations

The primary goal of these proposed changes is to comply with PA 21-12, while simplifying the fishing regulations, allowing anglers to fish for any species in any water, year-round, by removing of all closed seasons from the regulations.

Many of these proposals are intended to bring inland sport fishing regulations into compliance with, or to facilitate, provisions of Public Act 21-12 that prohibited closed fishing seasons for trout, while also maintaining and enhancing fishing opportunities throughout the state. These proposed regulations include provisions eliminating both the closed fishing season for trout and all closed seasons specific to lakes, ponds, rivers and streams with the exception of several limited closures intended to protect fish health.

Some of the other provisions of these proposed regulations would:

• Establish definitions and restrictions for “culling” and “cast nets”; and clarify that an angler in the inland district may continue to fish (catch-and-release) once they reach their creel/possession limits.
• Revise statewide trout and kokanee creel limits (establishing a five fish limit for trout and a five fish limit for kokanee); and establish a catch-and-release only requirement for trout and Kokanee during the proposed open season from March 1 to 6 a.m. on the second Saturday in April.
• Amend trout regulations at East Twin Lake to reflect increases in alewife populations; add Long Pond to the list of Trout Management Lakes.
• Establish a prohibition on ice fishing at several lakes and ponds (Factory Pond, Lake Chamberlain, Lake Saltonstall, Maltby Lakes).

The full proposed regulations, along with a stand-alone statement of purpose document, a small business impact statement and fiscal note are posted and available for download (MS Word for the regulation text, PDF for other documents) on the eRegulations system (https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/) found on the Secretary of State’s website. They can also be found on DEEP’s Fisheries Division webpage (https://portal.ct.gov/DEEPFishing). Copies of these documents are also available by contacting DEEP’s Fisheries Division by phone (860-424-3474) or by email (deep.inland.fisheries@ct.gov). When reading the formal regulations text, remember that text in between brackets is being deleted and underlined text is new text being inserted.

Public Hearing and Feedback 

One public hearing has been scheduled to obtain public comment to determine whether to adopt the proposed regulations as is or to adjust the proposals. This hearing will be held through Zoom, a remote online public hearing platform. All interested persons are invited to express their views on the proposed regulations at the following public hearing (pre-registration required):

Date:    March 16, 2022.

Time:   6:30 p.m.

Zoom Link:  https://ctdeep.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtc-GsqTsoH9RzNXr7B9fJsfUV_tqfBX-k

Interested persons may also present their views regarding the proposed regulations in writing during the public comment period. Written comments should be submitted no later than 11:59 PM on April 1, 2022. Based on these comments, the proposed regulations may be adjusted. Comments may be submitted using one of the following methods:

• Online via the eRegulations system (https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/) on the Secretary of State’s website. Go to “Open for Public comment”, select this regulation and follow instructions for submitting comments.
• By email to william.foreman@ct.gov.
• By mail or delivery service to Bill Foreman at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Fisheries Division, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT, 06106-5127.

Public Reminder on Current Regulations 

DEEP reminds anglers that all current freshwater (inland) fishing regulations, including daily creel limits, methods and size limits remain in effect until new regulations are adopted, likely sometime in early summer, 2022. All closed seasons also remain in effect, except for fishing for trout (due to Public Act 21-12’s prohibition on closed seasons for trout). This means that one can continue to fish for trout at any waterbodies typically closed to fishing in late winter and early spring but cannot fish for any other fish species.

DEEP acknowledges the fact that we are currently in a confusing time as the current regulations and the recently passed public act are not in sync. The primary intent of these proposed changes are to comply with PA 21-12, which will simplify the fishing regulations, allowing anglers to fish for any species in any water year round (removal of all closed seasons from the regulations).

The current regulations can be found on DEEP’s web site at: www.ct.gov/deep/fishing and additional fishing and fisheries related information can be found on this website and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CTFishandWildlife .

World Water Day is nearly here, with two major events this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act.

Connecticut’s annual World Water Day event is a collaborative celebration, “Groundwater—Making the Invisible Visible.”

Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere. Out of sight, under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that enriches our lives. Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater. As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical. We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource. Groundwater may be out of sight, but it must not be out of mind. We’ll also be recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, how far we’ve come, and how we can all do our part to protect clean water.

Join us on Monday, March 21 from noon to 1 p.m.

This free online event includes:

• Remarks from Gov. Lamont;
• A “Groundwater 101” presentation; and
• A panel discussion that will explore threats to groundwater and steps we can all take to ensure every Connecticut resident has access to clean water, now and in the future.

Click here to register for the event.

Then join us the following day, World Water Day, March 22, for a press conference on current legislation in Connecticut affecting the quality of our water. Stay tuned for details.

Save the Sound, The Nature Conservancy, Rivers Alliance, Clean Water Action, CT River Conservancy, CT Land Conservation Council, CT League of Conservation Voters, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Trout Unlimited and other partners are coming together for these celebrations.

See all hosting and supporting organizations, and learn about groundwater threats and action in Connecticut, at www.ourwaterct.org.

Learn where to fish in the Empire State from the angler who literally wrote the book on it.

Eric Newman, author of Flyfisher’s Guide to New York, will speak on Zoom Tuesday, March 22, at 7 p.m. The talk, open to all free of charge, is hosted by the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Click here to register and get the Zoom link.

Newman will discuss areas in New York that are not far from southern Connecticut, but that may be unknown to local anglers.

• North of New York City, primarily the Croton Watershed; and
• The three spring creeks on Long Island (Connetquot, Nissequogue and Carmans)

Eric Newman has been an avid flyfisher for 30 years and has fished widely in the waters of New York, including during the almost two years he worked on Flyfishers Guide to New York. A lawyer and writer, he lives in Manhattan and is a past president of the New York City Chapter of Trout Unlimited, where he also participated in the New York State council and National Leadership Council.