Yes, the days of lounging on the beach building sandcastles and frolicking in the warm water are behind us, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had outdoors during fall. Consider fishing, where you can stay near nature, watch the sunset, and take in the vibrant colors of fall foliage.
Long Island offers so many options for recreational fishing during the fall, from saltwater fishing to freshwater fishing. You can expect great catches, like bass, trout, flounder, yellow perch, sunfish, crappie and others.
During this time of year when the weather is cooler, bass are particularly more active and will feed more. Also with several bodies of water in Nassau and Suffolk counties getting restocked in October, making a catch shouldn’t be hard.
Before heading out for a day of fishing on Long Island, anyone 16 years of age and older will need to obtain a fishing license ($5 for 1-day, $12 for 7-day and $5 or $25 for annual) for freshwater fishing and register (no fee) for saltwater fishing. It can all be done online or over the phone. Another option is heading out with one of the many great fishing charters where you don’t need to register or have a license.
For more information on fishing regulations like minimum length and daily limits on what you can catch, review information from the Department of Environmental Conservation here.
Next, all you need to do is pick one of the many great spots available on Long Island for a fun day of fall fishing!
Nassau County
- Camaans Pond, Merrick
- Forest City Park Pond, Wantagh
- Freeport Reservoir, Freeport/Merrick
- Grant Park Pond, Hewlett
- Hempstead Lake, Hempstead Lake State Park
- Lower Twin Pond, Wantagh
- Massapequa Lake
- Massapequa Reservoir
- McDonald Pond, Hempstead Lake State Park
- Mullener Pond, North Merrick
- Oyster Bay Mill Pond
- Ridders Pond, New Hyde Park
- Smith Pond, Rockville Centre
- Smith Pond, Roosevelt
- South Pond
- Upper Twin Pond, Wantagh
- Large Map of Upper Twin Pond
- Wantagh Mill Pond
Western Suffolk County
- Argyle Lake, Babylon
- Artist Lake, Middle Island
- Avon Manor Pond, Amityville
- Belmont Lake, North Babylon
- Blydenburgh Lake, Smithtown
- Canaan Lake, North Patchogue
- Deep Pond, Wading River
- Forge Pond, Calverton
- Hards Lake, Shirley
- Kahlers Pond, East Moriches
- Knapps Lake, Islip
- Lake Ronkonkoma
- Lower Yaphank Lake
- Millers Pond, Smithtown
- Mill Pond, Sayville
- Otis Pike Ponds, Calverton
- Patchogue Lake
- Randall Pond, Ridge
- Southards Pond, Babylon
- Swan Lake, Patchogue
- Swan Pond, Calverton
- Twin Ponds, Centerport
- Upper Mills Pond, Calverton
- Upper Yaphank Lake
- West Lake, Patchogue
Eastern Suffolk County
- Agawam Lake
- Big Fresh Pond
- Big Reed Pond
- Fort Pond
- Fresh Pond, Montauk
- Fresh Pond, Shelter Island
- Great Pond
- Hook Pond
- Kellis Pond
- Laurel Lake
- Little Fresh Pond
- Long Pond
- Marratooka Pond
- Penny Pond
- Poxabogue Pond
- Trout Pond
- Watermill Pond
- Wildwood Lake
[Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation]
Photo by Aurimas Cekanavicius, via Free Images.