Arthur Miller III can fish. No bull.
On Jan. 9, 2011 the Durham resident pulled a lunker out of the water while ice fishing at Lake Beseck.
This weekend, Miller will join nearly sixty other anglers being honored by the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) at the Fourth Annual Trophy Fish Award Ceremony in Hartford.
Miller's 16-inch brown bullhead was the largest of its species caught and released last year, according to DEEP.
The Annual Trophy Fish Award Ceremony is a recent addition to the Department’s Trophy Fish Award program which recognizes anglers for catching freshwater and saltwater fish of qualifying size. Anglers complete and submit an affidavit with an attached photo of their catch.
“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, will be 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 will also again be recognizing several anglers as “Angler of the Year”, a recognition that went to Middlefield's Harry Barber last year.
“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.
