East Haddam Woman Wins Fishing Award

The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) hosted the "Fourth Annual Trophy Fish Award Ceremony" at the Northeast Fishing and Hunting Show in the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford at 5 p.m. on Feb. 18. In all, 57 anglers will be presented certificates recognizing their achievement of having caught or landed the largest fish in one of several species categories during 2011.

The Annual Trophy Fish Award Ceremony is a recent addition to the Department’s Trophy Fish Award program. This program recognizes anglers for catching freshwater and saltwater fish of qualifying size. Anglers complete and submit an affidavit with an attached photo of their catch. The program has evolved in the years since its inception. There are now youth (anglers under the age of 16) and adult categories for both catch-and-release fishing and for those who harvest their catch. Among the anglers being recognized for their 2011 achievements are a number of new state record holders.

“Fishing in Connecticut in 2011 was truly exceptional, as new state records were set for a total of six species, in three cases breaking records that had stood for twenty-five years or more,” said DEEP Commissioner Daniel C. Esty. “Most notably, these new records include a striped bass that has been confirmed by the International Game Fish Association as a new world record. We are hoping that anglers from around the country will take notice and make Connecticut their fishing vacation destination.”

Attending the ceremony to help recognize Greg Meyerson, the angler who caught the new world record striped bass, was Jack Vitek from the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). The IGFA, a nonprofit organization committed to game fish conservation, maintains definitive worldwide game fishing records and has certified Myerson’s catch as a new world angling record.

In addition to the six new state record fish (four inland and two marine), there were also ten records set in the marine off-shore, youth, catch-and-release and exotic species categories. “These many awards demonstrate the excellent fishing opportunities that we have right here in Connecticut,” said Bill Hyatt, chief of DEEP’s Bureau of Natural Resources. “Fishing is a great outdoor activity that can be enjoyed by the entire family and it can be done close to home.”

DEEP also recognized several anglers as “Angler of the Year”. Special recognition will be awarded to one freshwater and three saltwater anglers who received Trophy Fish Awards in the widest array of categories in 2011. “This award is intended to promote the diversity of fishing opportunities found in Connecticut waters and to make anglers aware of some of Connecticut’s less familiar species,” explained Dave Simpson, Director of DEEP’s Marine Fisheries Division.

More information about the Trophy Fish Award Program is available in the 2012 Connecticut Angler’s Guide, on the DEEP website (HUwww.ct.gov/deep/fishingUH), or by contacting the Inland Fisheries Division (860-424-FISH) or the Marine Fisheries Division (860-434-6043).

Fishing opportunities now abound year round in our inland and marine waters, and anglers are reminded that fishing licenses can be purchased 24/7 on-line at: www.ct.gov/deep/fishinglicense.

The new state records set in 2011 were:

Species

Angler name

Location

tiger trout (7 lb 14 oz)

Gerald J. Barth Jr.

 Lake Quassapaug

common carp (41 lb 8 oz)

Nigel Griffin

 Connecticut River

striped bass (81 lb 14 oz)

Greg Meyerson

 Long Island Sound

tautog (23 lb 9 oz)

Kendall Owens

 Long Island Sound

kokanee salmon (2 lb 14 oz)

Thomas Pasko

 East Twin Lake

brown trout (18 lb 5 oz)

Anthony Urbanowicz

 Saugatuck Reservoir

The fishermen being honored are:

John C. Allgood

Redding

Jared Macha

Baltic

Ron Barbour

Bloomfield

Sean Marek

Killingworth

Jeffrey Barstis

Manchester

Brian Martel

Coventry

Gerald J. Barth Jr.

Torrington

Phil Medeiros

Glastonbury

Jerry Benoit Jr.

Lisbon

Greg Meyerson

North Branford

Bryan Bottone

North Haven

John K. Mikita

Oxford

Jamie Brignolo

Winsted

Alfred J. Miller III

Durham

John H. Brycki Sr.

Oakdale

William M. Miller

New Rochelle(NY)

Bonnie Carr

Winsted

David Murawski

Wallingford

Tina Credit

East Haddam

Judy Muszynski

Middlefield

Seth Davis

Thompson

Rollin Nye

Lisbon

Joseph Deledda

North Stonington

Kendall Owens

Enfield

Vincent Deledda

North Stonington

Thomas Pasko

Collinsville

Justin Dudley

Plymouth

Fred Plouffe

Bristol

Jacques Dulac

Coventry

Jeff Puglise

Granby

Paul Faucher

Brooklyn

Valinn Ranelli

Old Lyme

Marc Fontaine

Voluntown

Michael Reischerl

North Franklin

Jesse Frederick

New Haven

Heather Romagna-Hock

Old Lyme

Nigel Griffin

Milford

Stephen Ruggia

Terryville

Roland J. Groleau

North Grosvenordale

Joseph Santiago

East Haven

Justin Harrison

Greenwich

Jonathan Schmedlin

Stratford

Michael Holdridge Jr.

Madison

Bob Silva Jr.

Waterford

Kyle Joseph

Broad Brook

Andrew Smith

South Windsor

Stephen Kaufmann

North Salem (NY)

Carlina Spadaccini

Old Saybrook

Danny Keeler

Stratford

Chase Tessman

New Britain

Daniel E. S. Kornegay III

East Hampton

Anthony Urbanowicz

Easton

Shawn LaLond

Milford

Dean Vogel

Milford

Andrew Lautenberger

Griswold

Michael R. Wolod

West Haven

Ryan Lynch

New Milford