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New York

Fishing

Fishing

New York › Fishing › Methods of Taking Fish

Methods of Taking Fish

Angling

Angling means taking fish by hook and line. This includes bait and fly fishing, casting, trolling, and the use of landing nets to complete the catch.

  • Anglers must be in immediate attendance when their lines are in the water.
    • The use of set lines where the angler is not in immediate attendance is prohibited.
  • An angler may operate no more than 3 lines with or without a rod.
    • Each line is limited to not more than 5 lures or baits or a combination of both.
    • Each line shall not exceed 15 hook points in any combination of single, double or treble hooks.
  • Snatching, lifting, hooking, and the use of tip-ups are not angling.

Ice Fishing

Ice fishing is permitted unless specifically prohibited in New York, except for Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties where ice fishing is prohibited in waters inhabited by trout, unless specifically permitted.

Ice-Fishing Line Regulations

  • No more than 7 ice-fishing lines in any combination of devices may be used, unless otherwise noted in Special Regulations.
  • No person shall operate an ice fishing line that has more than 5 lures or baits in total or has more than 15 hook points in total.
  • The operator must be in immediate attendance when ice-fishing lines are in the water.
  • Between May 1 and November 14, only hand lines (including rod and reels) may be used while ice fishing.

Ice Shanties

Ice shanties must be marked on the outside with the owner’s name and address in letters at least 3 inches high. Shanties must be removed from all waters by Mar 15 to prevent them from falling through the ice and becoming hazards to navigation.

For the purposes of this regulation, portable shelters used and removed from the ice on a daily basis are not considered ice shanties.

    Bowfishing

    • Carp may be taken by a longbow (recurve or compound) in any number or size from May 15-September 30 from any water where fishing and the discharge of a bow is permitted.
    • A person must have either a fishing license, a hunting license, or is entitled to fish without a fishing license to take carp with a longbow.
    • No other fish may be taken with a bow.
    • Taking fish by a crossbow is prohibited at all times.
    • The Fish Carcass Disposal Law must be followed.

    Snatching

    • The taking of fish by snatching or blind snatching is prohibited at all times.

    Spearing

    • The taking of fish by spear or spear guns is prohibited at all times.
    • Use of spearguns is prohibited in the freshwaters of New York.
    • Spears may not be possessed on any water in the Adirondack Park or Lake George or within 200 feet of the high water mark of these waters.

    Taking Baitfish

    See Baitfish Regulations

    Use of Fish Traps

    Fish (minnow) traps may only be used to take baitfish. See Baitfish Regulations for minnow trap specifications.

    Use of Nets

    Nets may only be used to take fish as follows:

    • The use of a landing net to complete the catch while angling is permitted.
    • Personally harvested baitfish may be collected with the various nets as described.
    • Smelt, suckers, alewives, and blueback herring may be collected by dip nets as described below.
    • No other use of nets to collect fish is permitted.

    Dip Nets

    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.

    See regulations specific to dip net use for alewife and blueback herring on the Hudson River.

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

    SUCKERS MAY BE TAKEN IN A DIP NET NOT EXCEEDING 14 INCHES IN DIAMETER, OR 13 X 13 INCHES IF SQUARE, AS FOLLOWS:

    Water

    Open Season

    Daily Limit

    Tributaries

    Cayuga Lake

    All year

    Any number

    All tributaries from the lake upstream to the 1st impassable barrier by fish

    Seneca Lake

    All year

    Any number

    All except Catharine Creek

    Canandaigua Lake

    All year

    Any number

    All except Naples Creek, where netting is prohibited upstream of the old Lehigh Valley Railroad bridge

    Hudson River upstream to Troy Dam

    All year

    Any number

    All from the river upstream to the 1st barrier impassable by fish

    SMELT MAY BE TAKEN IN ANY SIZE DIP NET AS FOLLOWS:

    Water

    Open Season

    Daily Limit

    Tributaries

    Lake Erie Lake Ontario Niagara River

    All year

    8 quarts

    All from the lake upstream to the 1st barrier impassable by fish

    SMELT MAY BE TAKEN IN A DIP NET NOT EXCEEDING 14 INCHES IN DIAMETER, OR 13 X 13 INCHES IF SQUARE, AS FOLLOWS:

    Water

    Open Season

    Daily Hours & Limit

    Tributaries

    Tupper Lake

    All year

    Anytime/8 quarts

    Lake and Bog River upstream to Rte. 421

    Canandaigua Lake Canadice Lake Hemlock Lake Keuka Lake Seneca Lake Cayuga Lake Owasco Lake

    All year

    Anytime/8 quarts

    All from lake upstream to the 1st barrier impassable by fish

    Exceptions: no dipping in Catharine Creek and L’HommedieuDiversion 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–May 15

    5 AM to 10 PM

    8 quarts

    All from the lake upstream to the 1st barrier impassable by fish. No

    dipping in Mead Creek from the mouth upstream to State Rte. 29A

    Hudson River from Mario M. Cuomo Bridge upstream to the Troy Dam

    All year

    Anytime/Anynumber

    All from the river upstream to the 1st barrier impassable by fish

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