New York State Archives |

Fishing in New York State

New York has 7,500 lakes and ponds, 70,000 miles of rivers and streams and 127 miles of coastline. Here we feature fishing from many angles: business, leisure and conservation efforts in support of both of those activities.
The Records

Most of the slideshow images are from the NYS Conservation Dept. Photographic Prints & Negatives. They are a visual record of the agency's effort to preserve and administer NYS' natural resources and environment, and to publicize them through exhibits and publications.
Fly Fishing

According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York is often referred to as the birthplace of fly fishing in the U.S. Learn more about NYS fishing opportunities on the DEC website.
Bath State Fish Hatchery

NYS operates 12 fish hatcheries throughout the state that support healthy, self-sustaining fish populations. The Bath fish hatchery rears lake trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. Check them out on Facebook!
Shad fishing on the Hudson River

American shad was an important recreational and commercial fishery throughout the 20th century. In 2010, however, the decline of stock in the Hudson River resulted in the closing of all commercial and recreational shad fisheries.
Fish Eggs About to Hatch

Oneida Fish Hatchery in Constantia, Oswego County, specializes in raising walleye and produces roughly 200 million walleye fry and 300,000 walleye fingerlings per year.
The Adirondacks

There are fantastic fishing spots throughout the Adirondack region. Eagle Lake alone offers up smallmouth bass, northern pike, brown bullhead, pickerel, pumpkinseed, brown trout, largemouth bass, black crappie, rock bass, yellow perch, and lake whitefish.
Fishing in the Kinderhook Creek

The Kinderhook Creek, which runs through Rensselaer and Columbia counties, is stocked annually with over 10,000 brown trout.
Oysters growing on a rack

The Bayville Bridge facility on Long Island was established in 1922 with the goal of perfecting a technique for the large scale propagation of oysters.
Learn More

You can learn more about NYS Conservation Dept. Photographic Prints & Negatives in the finding aid for series 14297. You can also browse more images from the series in our Digital Collections.