Goin' Fishin'? Catch Up on Some of the Rules of the Water

Ah, the pleasures of summer — casting out the hook, line and sinker to catch a fat striped bass or bluefish on Long Island Sound or one of the crystal clear lakes around Connecticut.

Recreational fishermen — and women, should know that there are some Connecticut regulations that state environmental officials will be enforcing. Regardless of where you're fishing, you're going to need a license and should be aware of creel limits.

For a quick reference of Connecticut regs, here's what the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection wants you to know.

And if there's any doubt that officials won't be out on the water enforcing the rules, here's the story of a guy from Bristol who officials from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection say was pretty blatant in ignoring the regulations.

On Friday, En Con Police charged Jose Medina, 22, of Bristol for marine fisheries and motor vehicle violations.

The arrest stemmed from a complaint concerning illegal fishing activity in Long Island Sound off of Waterford. Medina's fishing privileges are under suspension until Sept. 30, 2014, due to previous convictions for marine fisheries violations.

On Friday, EnCon Officers discovered a striped bass, scup and several bluefish contained in a cooler on the boat’s deck along with fishing equipment. They also found that the vessel was not legally registered, his motor vehicle operator’s license was suspended and the pickup truck he was operating had an expired registration.

The vessel and its contents were seized as evidence. During an inventory of the seized vessel, officers discovered an additional 20 bluefish, 6 tautog (blackfish) and a striped bass in a hidden compartment under the deck. In addition, the outboard motor did not have any factory engine (serial) number.

Medina was charged with fishing under a suspended license, Purchasing a license while existing license was under suspension, Illegal operation of an unregistered vessel, Operating an unregistered motor vehicle, Operating a vehicle while under suspension, Possession of over the creel limit of bluefish (20 counts), Possession of tautog during closed season (6 counts), Possession of tautog less than legal size limit (6 counts), Possession of striped bass less than legal size limit (1 count), and Possession of an outboard motor having a defaced factory or engine number.

Medina was released on a promise to appear July 8 in New London Superior Court.