New York Fishing Guides

Freshwater Fishing In New York

New York isn’t all about skyscrapers and big cities. In fact, there are numerous wilderness areas in the state, including the Adirondack Mountains, the Catskills, and the Hudson River Valley. New York has a plethora of venues for outdoor sports, including some great fishing. Freshwater fishing is done in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Hudson River, the Allegheny River, and the Niagara River, along with additional rivers, streams, and numerous large lakes and reservoirs.

A wide variety of fish can be found in New York waters. These include both largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, crappie, walleye, trout, musky, northern pike, and tiger musky. Salmon fishing is great in the state, and the world record Coho, at 33 pounds 7 ounces, was caught by a New Yorker fishing in Lake Ontario. The state record pink salmon was caught in Lake Erie, and the record Chinook was taken from the Salmon River. The largest kokanee ever recorded in the state came from Twin Lakes.

Walleye fishing is productive in numerous lakes and rivers across the state. The record fish came from Kinzua Reservoir and weighed in at 16 pounds, 9 ounces.

New York Trout Streams And Rivers

The state of New York has literally hundreds of trout streams, especially in the northeastern part of the state. Many are designated as wild trout streams. Some of the most popular are Mill Creek, the Salmon River, Otter Creek, Bog River, Cold Brook, Little Trout River, Heath Creek, and English Brook.

To make the most of trout fishing in New York, seek the services of a trout fishing guide.

Fishing Guides In New York

Popular fishing places in New York

Lake Erie – New York borders this Great Lake at the state’s southwestern corner. Lake Erie provides some awesome fishing, especially for northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, and steelhead trout. Perhaps the biggest draw is the lake trout. In Lake Erie, some real monsters lurk, with some weighing near the 40-pound mark. Lake Erie is huge, so you’ll need help from a Lake Erie charter boat with a professional fishing guide.

Lake Champlain – In northeastern New York is this sprawling 271,000-acre lake. It covers parts of New York, Vermont, and Quebec. The lake provides world-class fishing for lake trout and Atlantic salmon. Other species in the lake include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, rainbow trout, channel catfish, northern pike, and bluegill.

Niagara River – Both the upper and lower sections of this river hold lots of smallmouth bass, with many in the 2-4 pound range, with the occasional larger fish. In the lower sections of the river, largemouth bass can also be caught. Anglers should look for pools where the water is moving slowly. If you’re not familiar with the river, hire a bass fishing guide.

Cayuga Lake – This 43,000-acre lake is located in central New York. The lake contains shoals, shallow areas, drop-offs, and some very deep water. The fishing here is great for rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, pickerel, rock bass, and perch. Fishing guides are available.