Places to Fish
With more than 7,500 lakes and ponds and 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, there are plenty of places to try freshwater fishing in New York! There is world class fishing for a wide variety of coldwater and warmwater species. Whether it is smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Erie, brook trout fishing on a crystal clear Adirondack lake, Pacific salmon fishing on Lake Ontario, fishing for stripers on the Hudson River, brown trout fishing on the Beaver Kill or fishing for panfish on a local pond, there is something special here for everyone.
I FISH NY Guide To Freshwater Fishing In New York State
This recently updated guide/map provides in-depth fishing, boating and local information for 158 streams and rivers and 320 lakes, ponds and reservoirs from Montauk to Buffalo. The waters included in the publication were selected by DEC staff as the best fishing locations in New York State. Order your free copy by email. Be sure to include your name and address.
Statewide Fishing Opportunities
New York is a big state with a lot of waters to fish. The statewide fishing opportunities pages give a good overview of some of the places to consider fishing, including the coldwater and warmwater fishing forecasts.
Download DEC's free app for species and regulation information, locate a fishing
spot near you using advanced GPS mapping features
Great Lakes Fishing Opportunities
Great Lakes! Great Fish! New York's Great Lakes waters include Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the Niagara River and the St. Lawrence River. Fourteen of New York's state record fish come from these waters or their tributaries, including a 41 lb. 8 oz. lake trout from Lake Erie, a 33 lb. 7 oz. Coho Salmon from Lake Ontario, a 47 lb. 13 oz. Chinook Salmon from the Salmon River and a monster 69 lb. 15 oz. musky from the St. Lawrence River.
Finger Lake Fishing Opportunities
The 11 glacially formed Finger Lakes of central and western New York are some of the most beautiful and unique lakes found in the state. Most of the Finger Lakes are considered two-story fisheries, containing both coldwater (trout and Atlantic salmon) and warmwater (bass, pike, walleye, and perch) fisheries.
Public Fishing Rights Streams
New York has purchased fishing rights on over 1,300 miles of streams in addition to streams on public land. Maps of the Public Fishing Rights are available in PDF format.
Lake Contour Maps
There are approximately 400 lake contour maps available in PDF format. Maps are to be used as a fishing aid only and are not intended for navigation.
More about Places to Fish:
- Public Fishing Rights Maps - Maps for Public Fishing Rights on selected waters in the state (DEC Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9).
- Lake Contour Maps - Contour maps of selected lakes in New York State; arranged by county.
- Statewide Fishing Opportunities - New York statewide fishing opportunities.
- Great Lakes/Niagara River/St. Lawrence River Fishing - Fishing opportunities in the New York portions of the Great Lakes, Niagara River, and St. Lawrence River.
- Finger Lakes Fishing - Information on fishing in the Finger Lakes.
- Long Island/NYC Fishing - Freshwater Fishing on Long Island and in New York City
- Southeastern NY Fishing - Information on fishing locations in the Hudson Valley and Catskills region of New York
- East-Central NY Fishing - Fishing opportunities in East-Central New York (Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Schoharie Counties).
- Adirondack/Lake Champlain Fishing - Maps and fishing information for the Adirondack Region and Lake Champlain of New York State.
- North Central NY Fishing - Fishing opportunities in North Central New York (Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and St. Lawrence Counties).
- Central NY Fishing - Information on fishing locations in central New York
- West Central NY Fishing - Fishing opportunities in West Central New York (Chemung, Genessee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates Counties).
- Western NY Fishing - Fisheries information from western New York.
