Belmont Lake is located within Belmont Lake State Park in Babylon. It is shallow and relatively uniform in depth.
Physical Features:
Elevation: 35 feet
Area: 19 acres
Shoreline Length: 2.05 miles
Maximum depth: 4 feet
County and Town: Suffolk County, Town of Babylon
Access:
The lake is located in a New York State Park. Complete shoreline access is available and row boats may be rented (on weekends only from Memorial Day to Columbus Day and daily from June 20 - September 3). Private boats are allowed when boat house is manned. Seasonal parking fees may apply. For more information call the park at (631) 667-5055 or visit the New York State Parks website.
Directions: Exit 38 from the Southern State Parkway leads to the parking lot next to the lake. Follow signs for Belmont Lake State Park.
Restrictions: Private boats are prohibited. Park is closed from dusk to dawn.
For more information on this launch including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Suffolk County page.
Fish Species:
Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Carp, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout.
Fishing:
Belmont Lake is well known for its large carp. It also has some great largemouth bass fishing. During the most recent fisheries survey conducted in 2012, the catch rate of bass over 15 inches long was one of the highest of any Long Island waterbodies. The lake also has plenty of sunfish and yellow perch, but they tend to be on the smaller side, less than 6 inches long.
While Belmont Lake cannot sustain trout through the heat of summer, trout are stocked in the spring to provide a seasonal fishing opportunity. Each April, DEC and Belmont Lake State Park host a Family Fishing Festival at the lake. For more information about the Fishing Festival and current schedule see: Region 1 Calendar of Events.
Regulations:
Special Fishing Regulations Apply
Health Advice on Eating Fish You Catch:
Visit NYS Department of Health website for health advice on eating fish you catch.
Sweetwater Angler Profile of Belmont Lake (Spring 2000):
Belmont Lake is a shallow 29 acre lake that reaches a maximum depth of 4 feet. It resides, surprisingly enough, in Belmont Lake State Park. The park has it's origins dating back to 1864 when August Belmont selected 1,100 acres of land in Babylon to use as a horse breeding farm. He chose this area because of the "fields, fresh water brooks and pond [Belmont Lake] and it's easy access by way of excellent dry sandy roads." In 1926, one hundred fifty eight acres of this land, including 29 acre Belmont Lake, were sold to the State of New York for $97,000.
Belmont Lake has a mixed bag fishery. It has a good naturally reproducing warmwater fish community, consisting of largemouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed and brown bullhead. Back in the 1960s, Belmont Lake developed a reputation for producing large fish: a reputation that still stands today. In addition to the warmwater fish community, Belmont Lake began to be stocked with trout in 1997.
During the 1990's, Belmont Lake was surveyed with electrofishing gear in 1994 and 1997. In both years, the catch rate for largemouth bass greater than 15 inches was one of the greatest catch rates of ponds surveyed on Long Island during the 1990's. Chain Pickerel up to 21 inches were also caught. Bluegill and Pumpkinseed were caught in the lake; however, both species were present in lower densities than is typical in other ponds on Long Island. Yellow perch catch rates were higher than the typical Long Island pond, but there were no perch larger than 10 inches captured.
There has been a lot of lake management work done on Belmont Lake over the years. During the mid 1980's, the lake was dredged to remove silt and limit aquatic plant growth. Unfortunately, the dredging did not solve the overabundant aquatic plant growth. During the summer, the lake becomes so covered with aquatic vegetation that it is difficult to fish (one of the reasons the bass population has larger fish) or paddle a boat. In order to limit the growth of aquatic vegetation, Belmont Lake State Park stocked grass carp into the lake in 1997.
Belmont Lake State Park rents out boats for fishing from July 5 to September 1.
