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Dip Nets

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Any person who has a fishing license, or is entitled to fish without a license, may operate one dip net as specified in the tables below; these are the only circumstances where dip-netting is permitted unless a commercial license has been obtained.

Note: Smelt, suckers, alewives and blueback herring are the only fish that may be taken with a dip net.

Smelt may be taken in a dip net not exceeding 14 inches in diameter, or 13 x 13 inches if square, as follows:

Waters	Open Season	Daily Hours & Limit	Tributaries
Raquette Lake	Anytime	Anytime/8 quarts	All from lake upstream ½ mile
Tupper Lake	Anytime	Anytime/8 quarts	Lake and Bog River upstream to Rt 421
Canandaigua Lake, Canadice Lake, Hemlock Lake, Keuka Lake, Seneca Lake	Anytime	Anytime/8 quarts	All from lake upstream to first barrier impassable by fish
	Exceptions: no dipping in Catharine Creek and L’Hommedieu Diversion channel (Seneca Lake) and upstream of old Lehigh Valley Railroad bridge at Naples Creek (Canandaigua Lake)
Indian Lake, Fulton Chain (except Seventh Lake), East Caroga Lake, West Caroga Lake	April 1 through May 15	5 am to 10 pm (prevailing time)/8 quarts	All from lake upstream to first barrier impassable by fish. No dipping in Mead Creek from mouth upstream to State Route 29A
Cayuga Lake, Owasco Lake no smelt dipping permitted in Willow Creek	March 1 through May 21	7 pm to 2 am (prevailing time)/8 quarts	All from lake upstream to first barrier impassable by fish.
Hudson River from Tappan Zee Bridge upstream to the Troy Dam1	Anytime	Anytime/Any number	All from river upstream to first barrier impassable by fish
Marine District1	Contact (631) 444-0435 or www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7894.html

Smelt may be taken in any size dip net as follows:

Waters	Open Season	Daily Hours & Limit	Tributaries
Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Niagara River	Anytime	8 quarts	All from lake upstream to first barrier impassable by fish

Suckers may be taken in a dip net not exceeding 14 inches in diameter, or 13 x 13 inches if square, as follows:

Waters	Open Season	Daily Limit	Tributaries
Cayuga Lake	Anytime	Any number	All except Willow Creek
Seneca Lake	Anytime	Any number	All except Catharine Creek
Canandaigua Lake	Anytime	Any number	All except Naples Creek where netting is prohibited upstream of old Lehigh Valley Railroad bridge
Hudson River upstream to Troy Dam	Anytime	Any number	All from river upstream to first barrier impassable by fish

Alewives and blueback herring may be taken in a dip net not exceeding 14 inches in diameter, or 13 x 13 inches if square, as follows:

Waters	Open Season	Daily Hours & Limit	Tributaries
Hudson River upstream to Troy Dam and Mohawk River from Crescent Dam upstream to dam at junction of Barge Canal and Mohawk River in City of Rome, except between Lock 2 and Guard Gate 2 (Waterford Flight).1	Anytime	Any number	All from river upstream to first barrier impassable by fish
Mohawk River between Lock 2 and Guard Gate 2 (Waterford Flight)	Taking and possession of alewife and blueback herring prohibited.
Marine District1	Contact (631) 444-0435 or www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7894.html
1 Anglers must enroll in the Recreational Marine Fishing Registry in order to collect alewife and blueback herring from the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, and smelt from the Hudson River. See Recreational Marine Fishing Registry in License Information .

Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.

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