Norwalk Youth Wins Fishing Charter in Sweepstakes

Written by Liz Young

One Norwalk youth recently won a unique sweepstakes prize – a fishing charter with Captain Bruce Sportfishing on The Otter.

Austin Getner won the Youth Fishing Passport Sweepstakes, a contest put on by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Berkley and Shakespeare Fishing and J.F. Griffin Publishing, which published the CT Angler's Guide and the CT Hunting and Trapping Guide, according to a press release.

Fishing gear packs were given to three second place winners, Brandon Barde of Pittsfield, Mass., Aleia Atherton of Wilkes Barre, Penn., and Eva Solarsk of Guilford, Conn.

Six third place winners – Brandon Sulkazi of Bristol, Conn., Nash Knowlton of Meriden, Conn., Eric Hagglund of Middletown, Conn., Julia Florek of Waterford, Conn., Ethan Torrens of Bethany, Conn., and Monique Cyr of Litchfield, Conn. – received Shakespeare rod and reel combinations.

Youth fishing passports are free through the online sportsmen licensing system website for those under the age of 16, but in Connecticut, neither a passport or license are required for those under 16 to fish.

The purpose of the passports is more education oriented, Peter Aarrestad, Director of DEEP's Inland Fisheries Division, said.

“The ultimate goal of the Youth Fishing Passport Program is to get kids and their families excited about fishing,” Peter Aarrestad said in a released statement. “To keep kids and their families engaged, the Youth Fishing Passport program focuses on activities, incentives from the fishing industry, and a support network to build confidence in fishing skills."

For more information about the program, visit its website.