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FISHING CALENDAR · NEW YORK
New York Fishing Calendar
New York has two fishing worlds: saltwater off Long Island, Montauk and New York City, and freshwater from the Great Lakes salmon and steelhead runs to inland trout, bass and walleye. Seasons below are from NYSDEC's 2026 rules; best-month notes come from DEC and New York Sea Grant.
Government fish & wildlife updates
- NYSDEC Central New York Fishing Hotline — Official DEC fishing report for central NY
- NYSDEC saltwater fishing regulations — Current marine limits
- NYSDEC fish stocking — Trout stocking lists
- NOAA Fisheries — bluefin tuna actions — Federal openings, closures, limits
- Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — Coastwide striped bass, fluke, sea bass, scup, tautog, bluefish decisions
Month by month
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater | |||||||||||||
| Chinook & coho salmon (Lake Ontario tributaries) | DEC: fish stage off river mouths mid-to-late August; tributary fishing early September to early November, peak often the first two weeks of October.[4][2] | ||||||||||||
| Steelhead (Lake Ontario tributaries) | DEC: late October through November is one of the best times; new fish in January-February warm spells; spawning mid-March to late April; drop-backs give excellent fishing into mid-May.[3] | ||||||||||||
| Trout in inland streams (brook, brown, rainbow) | Harvest April 1 - Oct 15 (5/day, only 2 over 12 in); Oct 16 - Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only. No official best months found.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Lake trout | Statewide season April 1 - Oct 15, 21 in min, 3/day. Finger Lakes and Great Lakes special rules may differ. No official best months found.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Smallmouth bass | Harvest June 15 - Nov 30 (12 in, 5/day); Dec 1 - June 14 catch-and-release, artificial lures only. DEC: best Lake Erie smallmouth fishing is April through late June.[2][6] | ||||||||||||
| Largemouth bass | Harvest June 15 - Nov 30 (12 in, 5/day); Dec 1 - June 14 catch-and-release, artificial lures only. No official best months found.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Walleye (Lake Erie) | Season May 1 - Mar 15, 15 in. DEC: nearshore night fishing May-early June, offshore trolling in summer, late September-October worth the trip.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Northern pike | Season May 1 - Mar 15, 18 in, 5/day. No official best months found.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Muskellunge | Season June 1 - Nov 30, 40 in min, 1/day. No official best months found.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Striped bass (Hudson River above the GW Bridge) | April 1 - Nov 30, slot 23-28 in, 1/day; inline circle hooks with bait. No official best months found.[1][2] | ||||||||||||
| Inshore saltwater | |||||||||||||
| Striped bass (marine waters) | Open April 15 - Dec 15, slot 28-31 in, 1/day, inline circle hooks with bait. Sea Grant: peak June; fall run best October or November.[1][7][16] | ||||||||||||
| Bluefish | Open all year, no size limit, 5/day (7 on licensed party/charter boats). Sea Grant: best August-September; bigger fish October-November.[1][8] | ||||||||||||
| Summer flounder (fluke) | 2026: May 4 - Aug 1 (19 in) and Aug 2 - Oct 15 (19.5 in), 3/day. Sea Grant: peak action in August.[1][9] | ||||||||||||
| Black sea bass | 2026: May 16 - Aug 31 (3/day) and Sept 1 - Dec 31 (6/day), 16 in min. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Scup (porgy) | May 1 - Dec 31, 30/day; 9.5 in shore, 11 in vessel. Sea Grant: June is the best month, good into September.[1][10] | ||||||||||||
| Tautog (blackfish) | 16 in min. Long Island Sound: Apr 1-30 (2/day) and Oct 11 - Dec 9 (3/day). NY Bight: Apr 1-30 (2/day) and Oct 15 - Dec 22 (4/day). Sea Grant: best in the fall run until November.[1][11] | ||||||||||||
| Weakfish | Open all year, 16 in, 1/day. Sea Grant: best May-July.[1][12] | ||||||||||||
| Winter flounder | Open only April 1 - May 30, 12 in, 2/day. Sea Grant: spring run February-May.[1][13] | ||||||||||||
| American lobster (Long Island Sound, LMA 6) | Recreational permit required; 3 3/8 to 5 1/4 in carapace, 6/day. LMA 6 closed Sept 8 - Nov 28.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Offshore | |||||||||||||
| Atlantic bluefin tuna (federal) | HMS permit required. From June 1, 2026: 2 fish/vessel/day 27 to <73 in (private), 3 charter, 6 headboat. Southern New England trophy (73 in+) closed July 3 - Dec 31, 2026. No official best months found.[14][15] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic cod | Open Sept 1 - May 31, 23 in, 5/day. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Sharks (blue, common thresher) | 54 in fork length (hammerheads 78 in), 1 per vessel per trip; non-stainless circle hooks with bait; HMS permit required. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
Never keep: Never keep: shortfin mako, white, sand tiger, dusky, sandbar and other prohibited sharks; Atlantic sturgeon; American shad; river herring south of the George Washington Bridge.[1]
Bait & rig for each fish
Chinook & coho salmon (Lake Ontario tributaries)
Bait: Whole or cut-plug herring and anchovies.
Lures: Hoochies and spoons behind a flasher, spinners and plugs in the rivers.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 4–6 ft behind a flasher.
Steelhead (Lake Ontario tributaries)
Bait: Salmon roe and nightcrawlers where bait is legal.
Lures: Beads that look like salmon eggs, flesh flies, sculpin and leech streamers, small spinners and spoons.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Trout in inland streams (brook, brown, rainbow)
Bait: Worms and minnows where legal.
Lures: Streamers, nymphs, dry flies, spinners, spoons and stickbaits.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Lake trout
Bait: Cut cisco or smelt on the bottom, or a minnow on a jig.
Lures: Spoons, white tube jigs, big swimbaits and blade baits.
Leader: 10–15 lb fluorocarbon.
Smallmouth bass
Bait: Live crayfish, leeches and minnows.
Lures: Tubes, drop-shot plastics, ned rigs, jerkbaits, crankbaits and small topwaters.
Leader: 6–10 lb fluorocarbon.
Largemouth bass
Bait: Live wild shiners.
Lures: Plastic worms, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater frogs and crankbaits.
Rig: Float rig, Carolina/bottom rig, jig head or simple lure setup depending on depth and species.
Leader: Often 6–15 lb mono/fluoro; heavier leader is useful around abrasive cover or toothy fish.
Walleye (Lake Erie)
Bait: Live minnows, leeches and nightcrawlers.
Lures: Jigs tipped with a minnow, spinner rigs ('crawler harnesses'), crankbaits and blade baits.
Leader: 6–10 lb fluorocarbon.
Northern pike
Bait: Whole dead herring, smelt or cisco under a float or on the bottom where bait is legal.
Lures: Red-and-white spoons, big inline spinners, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits and topwater baits.
Leader: Wire or 60–80 lb fluorocarbon leader, 12–18 in — pike teeth cut regular line.
Muskellunge
Bait: Large suckers under a float where legal.
Lures: Big bucktails, jerkbaits, glide baits, rubber baits and topwaters, often 8–12 in long.
Leader: Wire or 60–80 lb fluorocarbon leader, 12–18 in — pike teeth cut regular line.
Striped bass (Hudson River above the GW Bridge)
Bait: Live shad and shiners.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, swimbaits and topwater plugs.
Leader: Usually none; add a short fluorocarbon leader with braid.
Bluefish
Bait: Cut mullet and live finger mullet.
Lures: Metal spoons, Gotcha plugs and topwater poppers.
Leader: 30–40 lb fluorocarbon (add light wire for mackerel and bluefish).
Summer flounder (fluke)
Bait: Live minnows (killies), squid strips, fresh fluke-belly or sea-robin strips, and live spot or snapper blues for big fish.
Lures: White or pink bucktails tipped with a soft-plastic grub or squid strip, and a teaser hook above the bucktail.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Black sea bass
Bait: Squid, cut fish and shrimp.
Lures: Small vertical jigs and bucktails.
Leader: 50–80 lb fluorocarbon.
Scup (porgy)
Bait: Clam strips, squid strips and sandworms on small hooks.
Lures: Small jigs or a hi-lo rig with a strip of squid.
Leader: 30–50 lb fluorocarbon, short.
Tautog (blackfish)
Bait: Green crabs, Asian crabs, fiddler crabs and clams; cut crabs in half for big fish.
Lures: Tautog jigs (1–2 oz) tipped with a piece of crab.
Leader: 30–50 lb fluorocarbon, short.
Weakfish
Bait: Live shrimp, peeler crab and strip baits.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, soft plastics and small metal spoons.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Winter flounder
Bait: Sandworms, bloodworms, clams and mussels on small long-shank hooks, with a chum pot of crushed mussels on the bottom.
Lures: Not usually caught on lures.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Atlantic bluefin tuna (federal)
Bait: Live or dead mackerel, herring and squid.
Lures: Large spreader bars and big topwater plugs.
Leader: 40–100 lb mono or fluorocarbon.
Atlantic cod
Bait: Fresh clams, herring and squid.
Lures: Diamond and butterfly jigs (8–16 oz) with a red or green teaser fly above.
Leader: 50–60 lb mono.
Sharks (blue, common thresher)
Bait: Fish or squid baits attract sharks, but baiting should only be used where legal and where the exact shark fishery rules are understood.
Lures: Large plugs, jigs or trolled lures can produce incidental shark strikes; use tackle heavy enough to shorten the fight.
Rig: Simple heavy rig with minimal hardware and immediate-access dehooking/cutting tools.
Leader: Use a heavy abrasion/bite leader and a setup that can be cut quickly near the hook if removal is unsafe.
Local fishing reports — what’s biting now
- On The Water — Long Island & NYC fishing report — Weekly report with tackle shop and charter input
- On The Water — Upstate & Western New York report — Weekly report: Great Lakes tributaries, Finger Lakes
- The Fisherman — Long Island fishing forecast — Weekly Long Island / Metro forecast
- Viking Fleet fishing report (Montauk) — Daily party boat reports from Montauk
Sources
- NYSDEC Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations (last changed May 12, 2026)
- NYSDEC Statewide Freshwater Seasons, Sizes and Catch Limits (effective April 1, 2026)
- NYSDEC Steelhead Fishing in Lake Ontario Tributaries
- NYSDEC Pacific Salmon Fishing (Lake Ontario tributaries)
- NYSDEC Lake Erie Walleye Fishing
- NYSDEC Lake Erie Smallmouth Bass Fishing
- New York Sea Grant fish profile: Striped Bass
- New York Sea Grant fish profile: Bluefish
- New York Sea Grant fish profile: Summer Flounder
- New York Sea Grant fish profile: Porgy (Scup)
- New York Sea Grant fish profile: Blackfish (Tautog)
- New York Sea Grant fish profile: Weakfish
- New York Sea Grant fish profile: Winter Flounder
- NOAA Fisheries / Federal Register 2026-10816: Bluefin tuna Angling category retention limits (eff. June 1, 2026)
- NOAA Fisheries / Federal Register 2026-13630: Closure of Southern New England trophy bluefin fishery for 2026
- NY Sea Grant / NYSDEC saltwater sportfish guide: Striped bass
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every month on this calendar comes from the sources above. Empty boxes mean no official source gives those months. Rules change — check the agency page before you keep a fish.
On the bay, in the mangroves or on the ocean, the everyday struggles get left at the dock — for those few hours it’s just you, the water and peace.