News  Young angler shines on 2026 guide cover

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.

But the story of the cover photo gets even better. When Gipps contacted Kyler’s parents, Michael and Tina Leslie, to secure permission to use the image on the cover, they all agreed to keep it a secret until the Guide was published—even Kyler’s little brother kept the secret for nearly two months!

When the Guides arrived, Gipps connected with the family to arrange a special delivery. A group of family and friends planned to gather on the afternoon of Sunday, November 16 at the Petersham Country Store to surprise Kyler with the news.

When he arrived, Gipps was greeted by Kyler’s mother and nearly 20 other people—family, friends, and other notable people from the community including a member of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board and the Petersham Town Clerk, both family friends—all of whom had come to the store to participate in the big surprise.

Everyone was sitting quietly at the back of the store when Kyler and his father arrived. Kyler immediately noticed a friend and ran to see him, but in mid-sprint he realized that a lot of people he knew were there. Then someone from the group said hello and stepped forward holding up a copy of the Guide. Kyler looked at the cover and was stunned. “That’s crazy… what in the world!” he said, wide-eyed.

His family and friends erupted in applause and congratulated him. Kyler wiped away some happy tears and thanked everyone. He remarked that the hat he was wearing was his lucky fishing hat—it was the same hat he’d been wearing when he caught the trophy northern pike. Many hugs and handshakes followed as Kyler made his way from table to table, autographing copies of everyone’s Guide.

“MassWildlife is a lot of things,” said Gipps. “But I think what lies at its core is what I saw that afternoon at the Petersham Country Store. Family and friends gathering to celebrate the enthusiasm and accomplishments of a young sportsman, whose interest in the outdoors was fostered and wholeheartedly supported by his parents, encouraged by the sporting culture in his community, and served by the state’s well-managed fish and wildlife resources.”