[LancerReiNi]

Freshwater Fishing in 5 Boroughs of NY

Greetings fellow anglers,
I am new to the sport of fishing, and I'd be very grateful for any info anyone can provide on locations, techniques, etc... Please feel free to post any info on this thread or PM me.

Below is a list of locations I've visited to spare you guys from wasting precious time.

This website, is where I found these locations:http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/index.html

1.) Kissena Park - This park is still under restoration, very few fish if any.
2.) Flushing Meadows - This is two lakes jointed together, I have spent several hours at this location and have yet to catch anything or even see anything. To me this place is a complete waste of time.
3.) Prospect Park - Although a lot of local fishing events are held here, I would not feel comfortable fishing here at all, I've gone there and there's just too much gang violence to really feel safe there. I guess it's a FISH at Your own RISK type of location.
4.) Oakland Lake - Of the 4 places I've listed, this location is the only place I've actually had any luck with. I've caught 5 Brown Bullheads in one evening there and 1 Largemouth Bass, quite a lot of turtles and sunfish which pose as annoyances most of the time. There's nothing more annoying than having to unhook a turtle. Have a set of pliers handy.

On another note, I visited Hempstead Lake today and I feel it has quite a lot of potential!

Some of you may be wondering why I would still consider fishing as the winter season is nearing. Well my interested in fishing started this year and I feel like I have yet to catch anything worthwhile, I hope to bow out of this fishing season gracefully by nabbing myself a big one!

 

[LancerReiNi]

The only bass I ever caught :-(

 

[Lpbassman]

Welcome to the board Lancer. I am not far away from you in Forest Hills. I too have fished the lakes you mention and would agree that Oakland seems to be the most consistent. Kissena used be a good lake years ago but the fishery has been severely depleated by the local residents who take what ever they catch. The two lakes in Flushing Meadow might as well be called the dead sea"!
There is another lake called Baisley Pond which is off of the Van Wyck Expressway, exit left on Jamaica Ave. I have caught a few nice bass in there over the past few years.
You may find that fishing is gonig to get kind of tough this time of year, so you may have to wait until spring to get the nice one you are hoping for.

PS: Nice OAKLAND Lake bass!

 

[Gregg]

Don't know much about Queens or Bklyn, but the lake in Central Park in manhattan has nice bass and is safe for daylight fishing. Van Cortland Park in the bronx can be reached by train and also has catchable bass.

Have to tell you it not going to be easy to catch bass in this weather. You might want to stay home, stay warm, and read up for next season.

 

[joe p]

nice bass, Lancer. THere are a few ponds out there in Queens where you can hook up a few bass. But if you really like to fish some quality lakes, try heading out east in LI. You can rent jon boats at Blydenburgh , the Fishermans Deli in Riverhead.

Or better yet, hang around and talk with us here at NYBASS and Im pretty sure you'll get a ride from a couple of boaters next season.

This time of year, its going to be tough catching em, but hey, a couple of months, before you know it, it'll be spring.

Welcome aboard!

Joe

 

[LancerReiNi]

Thanks for the hearty welcome guys. I'm glad this board is still fairly active even as the season is coming to an end. I was considering Baisley Park for while now, and I may actually go some time this week. Thank you Lpbassman ,very much for the suggestion! I also considered Van Cortland, Gregg but I figured if I have to venture that far out into the Bronx I might as well just drive to L.I to fish. Is it alright to fish in Central Park? I heard it was okay, but I haven't ever seen anyone do this?joe p I visited Hempstead lake today and it looks very promising, hopefully there is still some trout left over from the recent re-stocking. I have one very important question though,

Being a native Queens angler, most places don't really require or enforce the freshwater license. And for the most part I fish for the fun not to keep. So it's usually a catch and release thing for me. I only keep fish from my Saltwater adventures. I was curious where would I be able to obtain a Freshwater fishing license? I noticed a bunch of posters in Hempstead that says they don't carry them in the Park but local tackle & bait shops have them.

Since I live in Queens, I've visited Models, Sports Authority and a local Bait shop on Northern Blvd. but none of them carried the license. Can someone share some info on whether I need one? I mean I only catch and release in freshwater, and plus this is kind of towards the end of the season is it really that heavily enforced?

Thanks again guys for the kind words and hearty welcome!

 

[Gregg]

Yes you need a license even to catch and release! It's not a license to keep it's a license <b>to</b> fish. Yes you could probably go 50 times without getting checked but on the 51st if they check you it's a $200 fine, the license is $19 do the math.

Yep fishing Central Park is legal, note ALL city parks are catch and release ONLY. And bass season ended Nov.30th and doesn't open till the 3rd Sat in June. But if your willing to travel you can find much better place then the city parks.

 

[LancerReiNi]

Wow, thanks Gregg for the insight. I guess, I've been lucky so far. You've saved me $181, now the only concern is where would I be able to obtain a license? I'd really like to pick one up before the weekend so that I can do some fishing at Hempstead Lake. I'm interested in catching some trout.(Hopefully) I've never caught trout before. As for the Bass I caught it was a while ago, I wasn't even really aiming to catch it, I was actually going for Carp. Regardless, I only catch & release.

Update: Most of the fish in Oakland Lake is either in hibernation or stealth mode. Didn't see any on Sunday when I went to fish. Caught nothing and saw nothing. Some theorists/passerbys' think they are in the center of the lake, probably laughing at me.

December 03, 2003
Noticed that a thin layer of ice has formed on the edges of Oakland Lake. Guess it's all over now. :-(

 

[Wild Bill]

Lancer,
First off, welcome to the NYBass site...
There are a huge number of really great folks here that will certainly help you to become a much better and more informed angler, through reading the countless entries here at the site. It is a real fun and sharing group, and I have fished with several from here. The 'get-togethers' are a real hoot , too, and should NOT be missed if you can make them

While I have NO experience on any of the Queens waters that you mentioned, I do live just minutes from Hempstead Lake in Nassau Cty. Hempstead Lake State Park does indeed have people checking for licenses, though not too often, but enough to warrant getting a license. The NY fishing licenses run from Oct 1-Sept 31 each year, so buy one now, and it will be good for the WHOLE upcoming season once the waters warm too. They are slightly less than 20 bucks. There is a place on the south side of Sunrise Highway in Rockville Center that sells them[but I forget the name] which is JUST east of the Volvo dealer on the southside of Sunrise on the eastern edge of RVC.

In the summer drought of 2002, Hempstead Lake [the one visible from Southern State Hgwy] went TOTALLY dry, wiping out the great LM bass fishery there. However, McDonald's Pond [the small bulkheaded Oval] and South Pond[the one south of McDonald] still have LMs in them. NY State also stocks trout in those ponds too, but they do NOT survive the warmer temps come late Spring. The bigger Lms also eat them too...
South Pond also has many Pickerel, and also can be waded too[McDonald cannot be waded, nor does it have Pickerel]. If you venture into the park Headqauters in Hempstead State Park, one can veiw some pics I have submitted to the manager there of some of the resident LMs I have returned to the waters there. In Nassua Cty, ALL WATERS are 'catch and realease' for ANY LMS, all season long.

There is even another pond south of these which is east of Ocean Ave, south of Pennisula, and North of Merrick Rd, which again has LMs in it, too, but is very weedy, and it is NOT part of the NY State Park system.



I have fished these four waters since 1987 [I started fishing Bass with artificials in 1960], so I do have considerable info and advice about them, so e-mail me anytime at [email protected].....I think I MAY have even seen you there this year. Me, 49, 6 feet tall,dark hair and moustaiche, good sized gut, often carrying a black bag with a strap over my shoulder, frequently sporting either a SnagProof or a Gary Yamamoto hat. I am a 'regular' there....

Good luck with your fishing....and again, welcome.

 

[Jighead61]

Lancer,
As far as fishing in Queens is concerned...stick to Oakland Lake.

As Gregg suggested, Central Park is also a good choice for bass.

If you want to catch quality bass, you will have to look outside of Queens. The NYC Reservoirs offer some of the best fishing and are approximately 1 hour away (by car) from Fresh Meadows.

You are required to obtain an access permit from DEP to fish the reservoirs and you must purchase a fishing license. By the way, you can purchase a license from Sports Authority.....go to the one on Northern Blvd, in Woodside.

Best of luck....


Ronnie

 

[LancerReiNi]

Wow, I've gotta say that was very informative. Thank you very much Wild Bill! I know it's not the right time to go fishing as the unpredictable snow as begun to already drop. As I walked around Hempstead Lake today, I noticed that McDonald's Pond was slightly frozen over.

I don't think we've met as I am asian,21, and forming a gut. I'm usually dressed in black as most of my warmer outdoors clothes are black. I have never been to Hempstead Lake before today.

Am I the only asian member of nybass? Just curious.

Anyway, I am definitely willing to drive further out to fish if that means I have a great chance of catching something. I don't mind the catch & release because I usually only keep Saltwater fish.

The way I figure, This weekend either Sat. or Sun. I will drive to Captree State Park for some crabbing and fishing. I don't usually do well fishing there so I have crab cages to pass time. I figured once that's done, I'll head over to Belmont Lake for some freshwater fishing and maybe even Hempstead Lake. This is of course granted that the weather doesn't go bizserk.

Bass Stalker: Thanks for the info on where to obtain a license. I will definitely pick one up for this weekend. I didn't realize the Reservoir was only 1hr away, I figured it was further out there. Are you refering to Croton Res.?
This IS it! It's only Wed. and I'm already pumped to go fishing! I will make all you guys proud! First by picking up the necessary licenses and permits, than I'm going to catch a BIG one and post the pic! I just hope that the weather allows for some good fishin'

Btw, I'm sorry that most of the posts in this thread got averted to Locations other than Queens, but I'm sure fellow Queens residents will find these info very helpful. Thanks again everything.

 

[earthworm77]

No you are not.

 

[LancerReiNi]

No you are not.

I'm not sure what your referring to?
I hope you believe me, I am genuinely sorry that I strayed the conversation in another direction. It's just that after reading about Bass Stalker's last trip to Croton Res. really got me wishing I was about to end my fishing season gracefully.

 

[earthworm77]

Am I the only asian member of nybass? Just curious.

Um....no you are not the only Asian on this site. Just answering your question, that's all.

 

[joe p]

Am I the only asian member of nybass? Just curious.

you rang?....

 

[JOHN G]

welcome to the board...yes, we have several asian members in good standing.....and one of them frequently fishes Central Park......


when you get the license check the regs.....Long Island has a special no kill open bass season that is different from the rest of the state, but for most of NYstate right now fishing for bass is illegal.....ended end of November......I only mention this, because if they nail you in your current state, they will surely throw the book at you, fishing out of season, and without a license! LOL.....

 

[LancerReiNi]

John G,
Thank you very much for alerting me of this. But is it illegal to fish for trout in this time? You've got me really worried now. I didn't even realize you can't fish out of season.

 

[earthworm77]

you can fish in tidal water for trout w/o a license.....but not in ponds....go get a license....you are going to need it any way for the upcoming bass season.

 

[LancerReiNi]

most of NYstate right now fishing for bass is illegal.....ended end of November......I only mention this, because if they nail you in your current state, they will surely throw the book at you, fishing out of season, and without a license! LOL.....

Some LI locations have fishing all year round, so is it just the rest of NY that outlaws bass fishing? If this is the case, what if you accidentally catch one? I mean what if your going for trout and catch a bass by mistake?

Also do you mean fishing for Bass is out of season? Or fishing in general is out of season, and is it illegal to fish even if your not aiming for Bass?

Thank you for spending the time to explain to a newbie like me. I am very grateful and I look forward to becoming a better angler!

 

[bass 64]

There is no closed season on fishing in general. There are seasons for most game fish and some fish such as perch and crappie and sunfish you can fish year round. If you catch a bass while fishing for trout that is okay, but if your throwing 7" worms and big spinnerbaits for trout a DEC officer is going to know what's up. When you get your license, you should get a booklet with all the state regulations inside. There is a list of general regulations and many pages of exceptions based on bodies of water and areas in the state.