I'll Fish Manhattan: Fresh and Saltwater Fishing Opportunities in New York City

Often one can easily forget that Manhattan is an island surrounded by saltwater with over 500 miles of shoreline and that New York City's 29,000 acres of parkland contain freshwater lakes. Depending on one's interest, one can find piers, beaches, lakes and rivers to cast one's line.

In Central Park, check out the Harlem Meer (East Side from 106^th to 110^th Street), a spot where one can find a wide variety of fish including golden shiners, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill sunfish, carp, and chain pickerel. Freshwater anglers can also check out the boathouse lake located at W. 72^nd Street and the 59^th Street pond. Fishing is prohibited at the Central Park Reservoir and Turtle Pond.

In the Bronx, Van Cortland Lake (Bailey Ave & Van Cortlandt Park South) provide opportunities to land a trophy bass. Another fishing option would be Indian Lake located in Crotona Park (Crotona Park East & Charlotte Street).

Brooklynites can try their luck at Prospect Park Lake, located at the South Side of the Park between Prospect Park SW and St. Paul's Place.

Over at Staten Island, scenic Clove Lake (Clove Lakes Park) and Wolfes Pond (Wolfes Pond Park) offer anglers the chance to cast their lines in a suburban oasis that's well away from the sights and sounds of the city.

While most freshwater lakes tend to get hot and algae ridden as the summer heats up, Alley Pond in Queens remains cool thanks to a cold water spring that feeds this lake located at Alley Park. Other Queens hot spots include Baisley Pond (Baisley Pond Park), Kissena Lake (Kissena Parka), and Meadow Lake (Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Fishing in city parks is supervised by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and fishing licenses are required to fish in any of the city's warmwater lakes. Anglers should familiarize themselves with the regulations which are posted on signs throughout the park or on their website (http://bit.ly/9qWgv4). As the parks can get crowded and hot during the weekends the optimal time to go fishing tends to be in the early morning during the weekdays.

For saltwater anglers, Hudson River Park offers miles of waterfront where one can try to catch a striped bass bluefish or false albacore. Children aged 15 and under Can participate in the Big City Fish program offered from June through Labor Day. (http://bit.ly/adXuKN). Complete information about places where one can fish in NYC and fishing regulations can be found at the New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation's website (http://bit.ly/adXuKN).