Your Top New York Fishing License Options

By Andy Whitcomb

May 08, 2017

New York has a wide range of fishing opportunities. The first step is learning
your New York fishing license options.

It may surprise some anglers, but there are some fantastic opportunities for taking New York fishing trips. The New York government website boasts that the state has “more than 7500 lakes and ponds, 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, and hundreds of miles of coastline.” Your first step for fishing in New York is to obtain is a New York fishing license. 

For those worried about how to get a fishing license, one NY fishing license option is to purchase an “Empire Pass.”  This gets you yearly access to all 180 New York State Parks. Once you narrow down which park to visit, additional permits may be required depending on what the park has to offer. For example, on the Robert Moses State Park on Long Island you have the saltwater opportunity for using your four wheel drive vehicle to gain access to fish on the beach for bluefish, or there are places for docking your boat.

To keep your options open, purchase a standard New York fishing license. This can be done online as long as you have a driver’s license and a computer printer ready to print immediately. For residents, ages 16-69 the cost of a NY fishing license is $25, while non-residents can fish all year for $50. If you are only there for a short time, temporary New York fishing licenses start at $10/day. However, after you start casting in New York, you may just want to commit with a Lifetime New York fishing license. 

Whether you want to fly-fish for salmon or trout, load a cooler of crappie and bluegill fillets, or chase striped bass up the coast, New York has a great fishing selection. Once you check fishing season dates and plan your adventure, “land” your New York fishing license so you can start landing some fish!   
 
 
Andy Whitcomb
Andy Whitcomb
Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.