March 30, 2021

DEP offers many resources to help anglers find good locations for fishing

To mark the start of trout-fishing season on April 1, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection encourages anglers to enjoy world-class fishing on its upstate reservoirs and dozens of properties through the Catskills and Hudson Valley that include access along creeks and streams. Twenty-two reservoirs and lakes, covering more than 35,000 acres, will be open for fishing from shore or boats that have a valid DEP boat tag. Most of these reservoirs and lakes include habitat for coldwater species such as trout and warmwater species such as smallmouth and largemouth bass.

New York’s trout season generally runs from April 1 until Oct. 15. However, the trout-fishing season on certain New York City reservoir is open year-round or closes later in the year. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) outlines statewide fishing regulations, including information on licenses, catch limits, and stocking, on its website.

“Anglers have been fishing on the New York City water supply system for more than a century, and we are proud to welcome them back each spring to enjoy some of the best trout fishing anywhere in the world,” DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said. “In recent years, DEP has developed additional tools that anglers can use to find fishing areas, hosted events that introduce fishing to children for the first time, and improved access at our reservoirs and streamside access points. We hope anglers use these resources and enjoy another great fishing season.”

The following resources and reminders will help anglers get access to DEP reservoirs, locate certain fish species across the reservoir system, and local new areas for fishing.

• Anglers are reminded that rowboats may not be used on DEP reservoirs until each reservoir is free of ice. DEP will post updates to its NYC Watershed Facebook page as the ice melts from each reservoir.
• Those looking to register a rowboat for use at one of New York City’s reservoirs must make a steam-cleaning appointment in advance at one of DEP’s five boat offices in the watershed. Boats are being cleaned in accordance with health and safety protocols to keep our employees safe during the pandemic, and boats will not be cleaned unless an appointment is made ahead of time. Anglers can call the boat offices at the following numbers.
  • Ashokan Reservoir: (845) 657-5073
  • Schoharie Reservoir: (607) 588-6231
  • Rondout and Neversink Reservoirs: (845) 334-7152
  • Cannonsville and Pepacton Reservoirs: (607) 363-7009
  • East of Hudson Reservoirs: (914) 232-1309
• Anglers can find fishing areas by using the DEP RecMapper, an interactive map created by DEP to help watershed residents and visitors pinpoint access at more than 400 recreation units across the watershed. Anglers can use the digital map to zoom in to each property, find fishing access points, identify restricted areas, and print driving directions. Shore fishing and boat-launch areas at each reservoir are clearly labeled on the interactive map, which is also good for finding small lakes, ponds or stream frontage on DEP lands.
• Anglers can also find information about the species of fish in each reservoir by downloading the DEP Fishing Brochure. This helpful guide includes a table that lists each reservoir and the 11 species of warmwater and coldwater fishing that can be found at each one. The table also indicates whether the fishing for each type of fish is fair, good or excellent at each reservoir. That information is obtained through regular fish surveys conducted by state and city biologists.
• DEP also maintains a full set of Angler Maps that show the depths and subsurface contours at 20 of our reservoirs and lakes. This information helps anglers navigate the reservoirs to find fish that live and feed at specific depths and temperatures.

Fishing on all city-owned reservoirs and lakes, along with some recreation units along streams and creeks, requires a free DEP Access Permit. An access permit can be obtained through DEP’s Online Permitting System. Those with questions about permitting may also email recreation@dep.nyc.gov or call (800) 575-LAND. Those fishing on streams that run across water supply lands should carefully check signs in those recreation units to determine whether a permit is required.

The breadth of fishing opportunities on City reservoirs and land underscores DEP’s effort to support the recreation and tourism economies in the watershed by opening more properties to recreation. There are currently more than 140,000 acres of City property open for recreation in the watersheds, including the reservoirs.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $168.9 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with $20.1 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.