Western New York

Public Fishing Rights Maps

Public Fishing Rights (PFR's) are permanent easements purchased by the NYSDEC from willing landowners, giving anglers the right to fish and walk along the bank (usually a 33' strip on one or both banks of the stream). For more information on PFR and legally permissible activities on those easements, please see our Public Fishing Rights page.

Most PFR easements are on trout streams. While keeping and eating the fish you catch is part of the fishing experience, many people choose to release their catch. If you release the fish you catch, please review our Catching and Releasing Trout page for tips on reducing the mortality of released trout. Want to know how much that fish you released weighed? Our Use a Ruler to Weigh Your Fish page will help you estimate the weight of your catch.

Below are links to pdf files of the generalized location maps that are intended to aid anglers in finding PFR segments and are not survey quality. Width of displayed PFR is displayed wider than reality to make it more visible on the maps. Please look for official PFR signs to ensure that you are in the right location and have legal access to the stream bank.

Prevent the Spread of didymo! - Didymo is an invasive algae that can negatively impact trout populations. It has been found in several of New York's blue ribbon trout streams and could spread to other waters without proper precautions. Wading anglers are a primary means of spreading didymo. For more information on didymo and how you can avoid spreading it, please see the "Didymo Alert" link to the right!