I probably should have done this sooner but you'll see the beginnings of a photo gallery on the main menu to the left. We all love to share and showoff our accomplishments on the water. Tackle shops are lined with photos of the fish we catch or the moments when we go out trying to catch something. anything.

Sometimes the photo will be a reflection of a report in our forums. If you'd like to contribute any photos you can email me through the forums. Vinny

Here's the link to the New York Freshwater Fishing 2009-10 Official Regulations Guide (PDF, 3.7 mb) - The Complete Guide

(Clicking the link will open a pdf file that you can save)

Here is recent notice that one of our regular forum members pulled off of the DEP site.  Thanks Tom.

Fishing and Fishing by Boat
Public Access Notice:

Effective January, 11th 2010, West Branch and Boyd’s Corners Reservoirs in Putnam County, will be temporarily closed to all recreational access for fishing and boating until further notice.

Effective January 19th, Three additional reservoirs will be temporarily closed to recreational access until further notice. These reservoirs are the Bog Brook, East Branch (Sodom), and the Diverting Reservoirs all in Putnam County.

DEP will be conducting maintenance and repair operations at these Reservoirs.

UPDATE:

Effective February 9th 2010 The Bogs Brook and East Branch, (Sodom) reservoirs Have been re-opened for recreational access.
The West Branch, Boyd’s Corners, and Diverting reservoirs will remain closed for recreational access until further notice.
DEP will be conducting maintenance and repair operations at these Reservoirs. An update will be posted on this site as the remaining reservoirs are re-opened for recreation.

• West Branch Reservoir
• Boyd Corners Reservoir
• East Branch Reservoir
• Lake Gilead
• Lake Glenida
• Croton Falls Reservoir
• Amawalk Reservoir
• Bog Brook Reservoir
• Cross River Reservoir
• Diverting Reservoir
• Middle Branch Reservoir
• Muscoot Reservoir
• Titcus Reservoir

Just saw that our buddy John just posted a big "End of the Season" sale on tackle in his shop. Check the forums for details or stop by Bob's Sport & Tackle. The address and info is on the right. They are always helpful and are always easy to deal with.

   Well the rain may have dampened the spirits of some people but not the kids and families who came to fish at the DEP "Take a Child Fishing Day" at Kensico Reservoir on Saturday Sept. 12th. It was a fun crowd with many of the kids fishing for their first time. With help from members of KEEP, the DEP, and the DEC and DEP Police, everyone had a fun time and left with fish stories as well as prizes and gift bags. Here are a few pictures...

   The annual "Take a Child Fishing Day" is all set for Saturday September 12th this year. Sponsored by the DEP with help from the KEEP organization, it's a day to share fishing with our families, especially the children. There will be prizes and giveaways for the children. There will be experienced anglers on hand to help get everyone started with tips and tricks to catch fish.

   The DEP waves the need for a license or access permit for this one day. They would appreciate letting them know if you are coming so they can be ready for any size crowd. That and more info is on the flyer.

Here's a shot of a winner from the 2008 event.

   Finally had the time to get away and fish an upstate reservoir that I had heard great things about. Pepacton Reservoir is about 2 1/2 hours from Westchester and well worth the drive. My forum buddy, Howie (phishahn), was an excellent host. Howie has fished Pepacton for many years with his dad and knew how to find the brown trout there.

   We were beat to the big fish by Howie's buddy "TP". As we were getting our boat into the water, TP had a 9lb brown trout on his line and into the boat. Howie and I managed to get a bunch of brown trout the next 2 days but never came close to TP. Our best fish was just over 4lbs and a giant for me.The 1-2lb browns fought harder than some smallmouth bass I've caught. I had a blast and learned a lot from Howie and TP that will help me hit Cross River and Kensico soon with hopes of more reservoir browns.

   Check the forums for more photos and comments about the Pepacton trip.

Got out with my buddy Michael for a short ride on a local reservoir on Saturday. We had a great time trying to catch fish, this was the best. My big lesson of the day was to remember to check for deer ticks after going through the woods and being around the lake. I reached back later that evening and found a live deer tick sitting in my hairline at the back of my neck. Luckily it came right off but if I hadn't noticed it, it may have made a home in my head. Please check yourself for deer ticks after being out there.