2026 regulation year
New York Fishing Regulations 2026 — License Fees, Seasons, Bag Limits
Last updated
New York runs a freshwater licence (DEC) and a separate Marine Registry for saltwater anglers (free but required). Freshwater annual licences run for 365 days from purchase. Hudson River striped bass and Lake Ontario salmon both carry their own special-regs booklets.
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License fees
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resident annual freshwater | $25.00 | |
| Resident 1-day | $5.00 | |
| Resident 7-day | $12.00 | |
| Resident senior (70+) | $5.00 | |
| Resident lifetime fishing (ages 0–69) | $460.00 | |
| Resident lifetime fishing (age 70+) | $65.00 | |
| Marine Recreational Registry | Free | Free — required for saltwater |
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident annual freshwater | $50.00 | |
| Non-resident 7-day | $28.00 | |
| Non-resident 1-day | $10.00 |
Buy directly from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Fees may include processing surcharges at point of sale.
Top species — season, bag, size
| Species | Season | Daily bag | Size / slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Striped bassCompare across states → | Hudson River: Apr 1 – Nov 30; Marine District: Apr 15 – Dec 15 | 1 / day | Hudson River slot 23–28 in; Marine slot 28–31 in |
| Brook troutCompare across states → | Apr 1 – Oct 15 (most waters); year-round on listed waters | 5 / day (combined with other trout, only 2 over 12 in) | No statewide minimum size on stream trout; heritage-strain ponds carry their own rules |
| Smallmouth bassCompare across states → | June 15 – Nov 30 harvest; catch-and-release Dec 1 – June 14 | 5 / day (combined with largemouth) | 12 in minimum statewide |
| Largemouth bassCompare across states → | June 15 – Nov 30 harvest; catch-and-release Dec 1 – June 14 | 5 / day (combined with smallmouth) | 12 in minimum statewide |
| WalleyeCompare across states → | May 1 – Mar 15 (most inland waters) | 5 / day (most waters); special-reg lakes reduced | 15 in minimum statewide |
| MuskellungeCompare across states → | June 1 – Nov 30 (June 15 on Great Lakes / St. Lawrence) | 1 / day | 40 in statewide; 54 in on St. Lawrence + Great Lakes |
| Northern pikeCompare across states → | May 1 – Mar 15 | 5 / day | 18 in minimum statewide |
| Yellow perchCompare across states → | Open year-round | 50 / day | No minimum size |
Notable water-body special regulations
Striped bass slot 23–28 in; 1 / day Apr 1 – Nov 30, north of the George Washington Bridge; striped bass fishing (incl. catch-and-release) closed Dec 1 – Mar 31 above the Mario M. Cuomo (Tappan Zee) Bridge
Salmon + trout under separate Great Lakes regs: 3 trout/salmon in combination per day (no more than 2 rainbow trout/steelhead), chinook included in the aggregate; lake trout 2 / day
Brook trout: artificial-only / barbless on listed ponds
Walleye 6 / day, 15 in min; black bass 12 in / 5 per day (Jun 15 – Nov 30) plus a Dec 1 – Jun 14 season allowing 1 bass ≥ 20 in; a NY licence does NOT cover the Pennsylvania or Ontario portions
Premier Lake Ontario tributary; fall chinook + spring steelhead run; snagging prohibited; designated fly-fishing / no-kill stretches — verify zones at NY DEC
Salmon + lake trout + smallmouth + steelhead; international boundary with Ontario — a New York licence does NOT cover the Canadian (Ontario) waters; a separate Ontario licence is required to fish the Canadian side
Walleye + muskie + smallmouth; international boundary with Ontario — a New York licence does NOT cover the Canadian (Ontario) waters (no NY/Ontario reciprocity); designated walleye-management area near Akwesasne tribal waters
Shared waters; bass + lake trout + landlocked salmon; a NY or VT licence is honoured on the main lake — but NOT on the Inland Sea / 'The Gut', Mallett's Bay, Missisquoi Bay, or the tributary rivers, which need the matching state's licence
Beaverkill / Willowemoc River (Catskills)
The Catskills' most-storied trout water — the birthplace of American fly fishing at Junction Pool in Roscoe. Under NYSDEC special regulations the Beaver Kill carries all-year Catch-and-Release, artificial-lures-only no-kill reaches (around the Iron Bridge at Horton — with a July 1 – Aug 31 angling closure on the warm reach below it for thermal refuge — and a 2.5-mi reach below Roscoe to the old railroad trestle); the Willowemoc Creek carries an all-year Catch-and-Release artificial-only reach from the second Route 17 Quickway bridge east of Roscoe upstream 3.5 mi; flanking reaches are Stocked-Extended (3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in). Wild + holdover brown, brook, and rainbow trout.
Trophy walleye + yellow perch water; statewide rules apply; ice-fishing season heavily regulated
Long Island Sound (NY marine zone)
NYSDEC marine zone — striped bass slot 28–31 in, 1 / day, Apr 15 – Dec 15; weakfish 16 in min, 1 / day; bluefish no size limit, 5 / day (7 for-hire); fluke (summer flounder) 19 in min (19.5 in Aug 2 – Oct 15), 3 / day, May 4 – Oct 15; trolling restrictions in Western Sound near power-plant outflows; NYSDOH consumption advisory on PCB-listed species
Peconic Bays (Shinnecock to Plum Island)
NYSDEC Peconic Estuary marine zone (Suffolk County) — striped bass marine slot applies, summer flounder + weakfish + scup zone-managed; designated nursery for winter flounder; Plum Island + Gardiners Bay seal / wildlife protections overlap fishing access; commercial baymen + recreational angler use co-managed
East River and NYC Harbor (Lower Hudson estuary)
NYSDEC marine zone covering East River + Upper New York Bay + Verrazzano Narrows — striped bass marine-zone slot applies south of George Washington Bridge (28–31 in, 1 / day); marine licence required; NYSDOH consumption advisory on striped bass + bluefish + eel due to PCBs; commercial-net exclusion zones in much of NYC waters
Block Island Sound (NY waters — Montauk approaches)
Marine zone south of Long Island — fluke + black sea bass + scup + striped bass migration corridor; NYSDEC marine slot + season rules apply within state waters (≤3 mi), federal NOAA HMS rules layered for pelagic species (tuna, shark, mahi) beyond; Montauk Point lighthouse area is the fall striper-blitz convergence; commercial-recreational boundary defined by NYSDEC
Adirondack blue-ribbon trout river (Essex County) under NYSDEC special regulations — two all-year Catch-and-Release, artificial-lures-only no-kill reaches (the Rt 86 bridge at The Flume → Whiteface Ski Center bridge; the DEC sign 2.2 mi below Monument Falls → Holcomb Pond Outlet) plus two Stocked-Extended reaches (3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in, April 1 – Oct 15; Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only) — a wild + holdover brook, brown, and rainbow trout fly fishery.
Cold tailwater below Cannonsville Reservoir (Delaware County) — NYSDEC Wild-Premier: 1 trout / day any size, April 1 – Oct 15 (Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only) from the NY/PA border up to Stilesville Weir, plus a 2-mile all-year Catch-and-Release artificial-only reach below the Route 17 bridge at Deposit — one of the East's premier wild-rainbow + wild-brown tailwater trout fisheries.
Cold tailwater below Pepacton Reservoir (Delaware County) — NYSDEC Wild-Premier: 1 trout / day any size, April 1 – Oct 15 (Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only), from the confluence with the West Branch Delaware up to the Route 206/30 bridge in Downsville — a wild + holdover brown and rainbow trout tailwater.
Main-stem Delaware along the NY/PA boundary (Delaware County) — NYSDEC Wild-Premier: 1 trout / day any size, April 1 – Oct 15 (Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only), from the Lordville bridge upstream to the confluence of the West and East Branches — a big-water wild-trout + smallmouth bass + American shad fishery.
Catskills freestone trout stream (Ulster County) — NYSDEC Wild-Quality: 3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in, April 1 – Oct 15 (Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only), from the Ashokan Reservoir upstream to the Lost Clove Creek confluence — fed by the Shandaken Tunnel portal, a wild rainbow + brown trout fishery.
Catskills river where American dry-fly fishing was pioneered (Sullivan/Orange County) — the Neversink River Unique Area reach is all-year Catch-and-Release, artificial-lures-only (no-kill) on state land from the Sullivan/Orange Co. line up to the Mercer Brook confluence; two additional reaches are Stocked-Extended (3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in) — wild brown + brook trout.
Famed wild-brown-trout river (Washington County) — NYSDEC all-year Catch-and-Release, artificial-lures-only from the covered bridge at Eagleville up to the Vermont state line; a Wild-Quality reach (3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in) downstream to the CR-64 bridge, plus two Stocked-Extended reaches — a self-sustaining wild brown + brook trout fishery shared with Vermont.
Adirondack-foothills tailwater below Hinckley Reservoir (Herkimer County) — NYSDEC all-year Catch-and-Release, artificial-lures-only from the first bridge below the Cincinnati Creek mouth up to Trenton Falls Dam, plus a Stocked-Extended reach (3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in) — a big-water wild + holdover brown and rainbow trout fishery.
Western NY wild-brown-trout stream (Wyoming/Allegany County) — NYSDEC Wild-Premier: 1 trout / day any size, April 1 – Oct 15 (Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only), from the Genesee River confluence upstream to Flynn Road — a self-sustaining wild brown trout fishery.
Limestone-influenced wild-trout stream (Genesee/Monroe County) — NYSDEC all-year Catch-and-Release, artificial-lures-only from Union Street upstream 1.7 mi to Wheatland Center Rd; two Wild-Quality reaches and one Stocked-Extended reach flank it (3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in) — wild brown trout.
Spring Creek (Caledonia, Livingston County)
Historic Caledonia spring creek (Livingston County) — site of the nation's first trout hatchery and a cradle of American fly fishing; NYSDEC lists it as Spring Creek, Wild-Quality: 3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in, April 1 – Oct 15 (Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only), with angling prohibited 3:30 PM – 8:00 AM on posted Caledonia State Fish Hatchery property — a spring-fed wild brown + brook trout stream.
Catskills wild-trout stream (Sullivan County) — NYSDEC Wild-Quality: 3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in, April 1 – Oct 15 (Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only), with the use or possession of baitfish prohibited, from the Willowemoc Creek confluence up to the tributary just south of the Catskill Fish Hatchery — wild brook + brown trout.
Premier western-NY Lake Erie steelhead tributary (Erie/Cattaraugus County) — NYSDEC rainbow trout / steelhead 3 / day in any combination, 12 in minimum, all year; the Aldrich Street Extension bridge in Gowanda → Springville Dam reach is restricted Sept 1 – Mar 31 to a half hour before sunrise – half hour after sunset (no night fishing) under single-hook anti-snagging gear rules; the upper creek is a Stocked-Extended inland trout reach (3 / day, no more than 1 over 12 in).
Two-faced trout + steelhead river — the upper Genesee (Allegany County) carries a NYSDEC all-year Catch-and-Release, artificial-lures-only reach from 1.0 mi above CR-29 near York's Corners up to the NY Route 19 bridge in Shongo plus two Stocked-Extended reaches (3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in); the lower Rochester gorge (Monroe County) is a Lake Ontario steelhead tributary (21 in minimum, 3 in combination, Sept 1 – Mar 31 daylight only).
Eastern NY stocked-trout stream (Rensselaer/Columbia County) — NYSDEC Stocked-Extended: 3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in, April 1 – Oct 15 (Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only), from I-90 upstream to the East Creek confluence south of Route 43 in Stephentown — brown + rainbow trout.
Catskills-fringe wild + stocked trout stream (Sullivan County) — NYSDEC special reaches on the North Branch Callicoon Creek: a Stocked-Extended reach from the Callicoon Creek confluence up to Gossweyler Pond and a Wild-Quality reach above it to the first Lower Weissman Rd bridge (both 3 trout / day, no more than 1 over 12 in; Oct 16 – Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only) — wild brown trout (the main-stem Callicoon Creek follows statewide rules).
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a fishing license to fish in New York?
- Yes. New York requires residents and non-residents alike to hold a valid fishing license, with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. Buy directly from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; resident and non-resident fees are listed in the tables above.
- How much is a fishing license in New York?
- Resident fees range from $5.00 (resident 1-day) to $460.00 (resident lifetime fishing (ages 0–69)); Non-resident fees range from $10.00 (non-resident 1-day) to $50.00 (non-resident annual freshwater). The full breakdown — annual, multi-day, senior, and lifetime options — is in the license-fee tables above, and you can compare New York against every other state on the license-fee comparator.
- What fish can you catch in New York?
- New York anglers most commonly target Striped bass, Brook trout, Smallmouth bass, Largemouth bass, Walleye, Muskellunge, and others. Each species sets its own season, daily bag, and size or slot limit — compare them in the species table above, or open a species page for the full 2026 rule.
- When does fishing season open in New York?
- It depends on the species — New York sets a separate season for each. Warmwater fish like bass, catfish, and panfish are open year-round in most of the state, while trout, walleye, salmon, and other cold-water or migratory species have dated seasons. The season column in the table above shows each one, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation can shift dates by emergency order.
- Are there special fishing rules on specific New York waters?
- Yes. 30 named New York waters carry regulations that differ from the statewide rule, including Hudson River (estuary), Lake Ontario, Adirondack heritage waters, and 27 more. See the notable water-body special regulations above for the exact rule on each.
Official source
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is the authoritative source for New York fishing regulations. Always verify rules before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override published booklets.
Visit official New York fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's emergency-order feed — check it before any New York trip during the active season.