New York
Fishing

New York fishing is bigger than most people outside the state realize. Lake Ontario tributaries — the Salmon River near Pulaski, the Oak Orchard, the Genesee — produce Chinook salmon runs in October that rival Pacific Northwest rivers in intensity. Steelhead follow through fall and spring. The Finger Lakes hold lake trout, landlocked salmon, brown trout, and walleye. Lake Erie on the western border is a walleye factory.

The Adirondack region holds thousands of lakes and ponds with native brook trout. The Delaware River headwaters in the Catskills — the Beaverkill, Willowemoc, upper Delaware — are where American dry-fly fishing began and where it is still practiced at the highest level.

Resident licenses cost $25. The Salmon River in October is a specific experience: thousands of Chinook pushing up a relatively small river, with anglers lining the banks in what becomes a social event as much as a fishing trip. The Catskill rivers are quieter and demand more skill. The Long Island Sound and Montauk Point produce world-class striped bass surfcasting. You can fish seriously in New York for a lifetime without exhausting what is available.

New York has 7,600 lakes and ponds plus 70,000 miles of rivers. Lake Ontario's tributaries produce exceptional steelhead and Chinook salmon in fall. The Finger Lakes region offers walleye, trout, and landlocked salmon. The Hudson River is a nationally important striped bass nursery.

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