OCTOBER
Largemouth Bass
Hudson River
The Hudson is renowned as an excellent warmwater fishery. Fish for largemouth and smallmouth bass around tributaries and near submerged logs and pilings. The fishing is also good for northern pike.

Special regulations apply on this big river, so be sure to check this year’s rulebook before heading out.

For access sites, check DeLorme’s Gazetteer, Map 36.

Pollock
Lower New York Bay
Pollock may be taken year-round with no bag limit, but there is a 19-inch minimum-length limit.

There are several points of access to Lower New York Bay, including a sandy beach area with a hand launch at Coney Island Creek Park on Bay View Avenue, or Kaiser Park on Neptune Avenue, where anglers have access to a pier, as well as shoreline fishing at sandy and rocky beach areas.

Exploring all the honeyholes in Lake Erie or Lake Ontario could take a lifetime!

Muskellunge
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River is the main outlet of Lake Ontario, offering 1,200 miles of excellent warmwater fisheries before making its way to the Atlantic. Muskies, northern pike, walleyes, bass and panfish are plentiful.

Several access points to the American channel of the river may be found along Route 12 in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties.

NOVEMBER
Tautog
East Bay
Tautogs are in season from Oct. 1 through May 31. The length limit is 14 inches, and the daily creel limit is 10 fish.

Tempt hungry tautogs with bottom rigs baited with crabs or clams.

Access to miles of rocky shoreline and Jones Beach State Park may be had off the Meadowbrook State Parkway.

Black Crappies
Peconic River
The Peconic River provides 15 miles of warmwater fishing in Suffolk County.

Crappies, largemouth bass, pickerel, bullheads, white perch and sunfish are plentiful here.

From the Long Island Expressway (Route 495), take Exit 71. Access for hand-carried boats may be had on South River Road, one-half mile east of Route 24.

Muskellunge
Niagara River
The upper Niagara River offers great fall fishing for muskellunge. Enjoy it now, because the season closes Nov. 30. The minimum length limit is 30 inches, with a daily bag limit of one fish.

The upper Niagara also offers excellent fishing for walleyes, northern pike and bass.

Access is off Route 384.

DECEMBER
Black Sea Bass
Smithtown BayMarine fisheries slow down in December, but good numbers of black sea bass are still available. These fish school around wrecks, reefs and jetties, making the Long Beach area of Long Island an ideal destination.

Just a few miles offshore is the Smithtown Bay Artificial Reef. Try fishing on the bottom, using squid or clams for bait.

Lake Whitefish
Eagle Lake
Eagle Lake, in the towns of Crown Point and Ticonderoga, offers ice-anglers an opportunity to pull lake whitefish up through their auger holes.

Eagle Lake is also home to largemouth and smallmouth bass, and pike. Access is off Route 74.

Yellow Perch
Carry Falls Reservoir
Yellow perch are fun to catch and provide fast fishing action on those days when other species are not biting. Blake (Carry Falls) Reservoir in St. Lawrence County offers 6,458 acres of prime warmwater fishing.

In addition to perch, the reservoir is home to smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleyes. For access, take Stark Road off Route 56, and then turn right onto Carry Falls Road.

Find more about New York fishing and hunting at NewYorkGameandFish.com