New York’s 2011 Fishing Calendar

Planning your upcoming fishing year? Here are three recommended trips for every month of the year.

 

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As another year with only 365 days of fishing rolls around, New York anglers’ biggest problem is going to be “so many waters, so little time.” Here’s a roundup of some best-bet places to wet a line in 2011.

 

JANUARY
Tiger Muskellunge – Bear Lake
This 141-acre lake north of Stockton gives up trophy tigers more than 40 inches long. The season on muskies is open from the first Saturday in May through March 15 with a daily limit of one fish and a minimum length of 30 inches. Public access is available on Bear Lake Road.

 

Lake Trout – Piseco Lake
This Hamilton County lake is open for the taking of lake trout year round with a minimum length of 21 inches and a daily limit of two fish. There are multiple access points along Old Piseco Road.

 

Landlocked Salmon – Schroon Lake
This Warren County water is open for the taking of landlocked salmon year round with a minimum length of 15 inches and a daily limit of three fish. Access can be had in Horicon off Route 9 just north of Pottersville on County Road 62, and on Dock Street in the Town of Schroon Lake.

 

FEBRUARY
Crappies – Whitney Point Reservoir
This 1,200-acre reservoir on the Otselic River in the Broome County Town of Triangle is an excellent hardwater destination for crappies, provided safe ice forms. Anglers may keep 25 fish per day with a minimum length of nine inches. Access is available at Dorchester Park at the southeast end and Upper Lisle Park on the northwest shore.

 

Brown Trout – Eagle Lake
This Essex County water, full of fat brown trout, lays in the towns of Crown Point and Ticonderoga. Public access can be had on Route 74 one mile west of the Hamlet of Eagle Lake.

 

Northern Pike – Saratoga Lake
This Saratoga Springs fishery offers anglers plentiful pike action. Statewide regulations allow taking pike from the first Saturday in May through March 15 with a minimum length of 18 inches and a daily limit of five fish. Ice fishing season begins November 15. Access is available at the northern end of the lake adjacent to Route 9P.

 

MARCH
Lake Trout – Lake George
This big lake has shoreline in Essex, Warren and Washington counties. Lake George is open for the taking of lake trout year round with a minimum length of 23 inches and a daily limit of two fish. Access on the eastern shore is available on Black Point Road 2 miles south of Ticonderoga, within the state-owned Rogers Rock Campground on Route 9N three miles north of Hague, and at Million Dollar Beach in the Village of Lake George.

 

Walleyes – Lake Chautauqua
This 13,156-acre lake is an exceptional walleyes destination for hardwater anglers. The lake has been stocked annually with fingerlings since 2003. Fish ranging from 5 to 8 pounds are not uncommon.

 

Yellow Perch – Lake Champlain
This 120-mile-long lake offers hardwater anglers plenty of bays and shallows to fish for feisty yellow perch. It’s wise to keep near shore, as safe ice doesn’t always form out deep on this big lake.

 

APRIL
American Shad – Delaware River
Shad generally move up into the Delaware by mid-March and inland past the tidal section below Trenton to their primary spawning grounds from the Water Gap at the I-80 crossing up to the state border by early April.

 

Striped Bass – Hudson River
The Hudson provides good striper action each spring from below the Troy Dam to the New York City area. The Hudson north of the George Washington Bridge is open for stripers from March 16 to November 30 with a length limit of 18 inches and a daily limit of one fish. South of the bridge, striper fishing is open April 15 to December 15 and anglers may keep one fish between 28 and 40 inches and one fish over 40 inches in length.

 

Rainbow Trout – Moreau Lake
This Saratoga County water is considered one of the best in the region for rainbows. Trout may be taken April 1 to October 15 with no minimum length and a daily limit of five fish. Access can be had via Moreau Lake State Park.

 

MAY
Lake Whitefish – Indian Lake
This Hamilton County water in the Town of Indian Lake offers anglers a shot at lake whitefish year round with no minimum length and a daily limit of five fish.

 

Northern Pike – Lake Ontario
This Great Lake offers prime pike fishing, especially along inlets like Braddock Bay, Cranberry Pond, Buck Pond and Round Pond. Fishing is also good in Irondequoit Bay in Irondequoit and Webster. State parks and other public access opportunities dot the shores of Ontario.

 

Walleyes – Mohawk River
Walleyes can be found everywhere along 140-mile river. The season runs from the first Saturday in May through March 15 with a minimum length of 15 inches and a daily limit of five fish. There are multiple access areas off I-90.