Next year’s fishing and hunting licenses are now on sale. That means the 2026 Massachusetts Guide to Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Laws is also available online, at MassWildlife offices, and license vendors. This year’s cover features Kyler Leslie, 14, of Petersham with his gold pin-winning northern pike, caught on the Connecticut River on March 6, 2024. The fish was 39 inches long and weighed 15 pounds.
In 2024, Kyler and his 11-year-old brother Ryker tied as winners of the Angler of the Year award in the youth catch-and-release category of MassWildlife’s Freshwater Sportfishing Awards Program. Each brother caught 23 of the 24 eligible species. The Guide cover photo was selected by the editor of Massachusetts Wildlife magazine, Troy Gipps, who also works with fisheries and wildlife staff each year to update the Guide.
Continue reading at mass.gov.
