Cast your lines in the Lake George Area. If you remembered to pack your fishing pole and tackle box on vacation, here are some freshwater fishing hotspots for you to check during the season or on Free Fishing Days.
Free Fishing Days
Gone fishing! During Free Fishing Days anyone can fish the fresh waters of New York State – no fishing license required. The upcoming Free Fishing Days of the 2024 freshwater season are June 29 & 30.
Lake George
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
Lake George is 32-miles of premier freshwater fishing, and ranks among the top five bass fishing destinations in New York State. Family-friendly and wheelchair accessible fishing can be done on the public docks and along the sidewalk on Beach Rd. (pictured above) right in the Village of Lake George. Bass (Largemouth and Smallmouth) hotspots include any of the bays on the east side of the Southern Basin, around Long Island, and in The Narrows. Brook Trout can be found at the mouth of the lake’s many tributaries. Lake George also has an abundant and naturally reproducing population of Lake Trout, while Landlocked Salmon is stocked annually. Other species within the lake include Northern Pike, Chain Pickerel, Yellow Perch, Brown Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Smelt, and Black Crappie. For more focused information about bass fishing in the Lake George Area, click here.
Our Fishing & Boating Map of Lake George is locally distributed. Check your hotel, local marina, or give us a call to get yours!
Lake Luzerne
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
The calm waters of Lake Luzerne are where you can catch Brown Bullhead, Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, and Yellow Perch. Your access point to fishing the lake is Wayside Beach, a public beach with a boat launch for small motorized boats, canoes, kayaks, and the like. Fishing from the shores can be done on the grassy side of the park.
Crandall Pond & Hovey Pond
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
Crandall Pond in Crandall Park (pictured above) and Hovey Pond in Hovey Pond Park are the perfect spots for a family-friendly day of fishing. Docks at both ponds are wheelchair accessible. On the opening day of Trout season, the Warren County Fish Hatchery stocks each pond with Rainbow and Brook Trout. You’re sure to get a catch here!
Glen Lake
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
Glen Lake, a hotspot for ice fishing, is also very popular with anglers and inhabited by species like Brown Bullhead, Chain Pickerel, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, and Yellow Perch. With no public beaches on this residential lake, the only way to access these waters is with a nonmotorized boat from the Glen Lake Canoe/Kayak Launch. Consider casting your first line right there in the northwest bay.
Thirteenth Lake
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
Thirteenth Lake in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness is a more remote fishing spot located in Johnsburg. Waves lap the shore while Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Brown Bullhead swim out in deeper parts.
Before you go fishing, make yourself familiar with all the trophy waters in the area; the use or possession of baitfish is prohibited at Thirteenth Lake.
Brant Lake
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
Although there is little shoreline for fishing from the Brant Lake Public Boat Launch, serene Brant Lake is teeming with healthy populations of fish. Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass are the most common, while the lake is also stocked annually with both Brown and Rainbow Trout. A popular panfishing destination, Yellow Perch and Black Crappie have been caught at Brant Lake. Other species known to inhabit the waters include Chain Pickerel, Brown Bullhead, Rock Bass, and Pumpkinseed.
Loon Lake
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
A wishbone-shaped body of water, and the one hotspot to use your luckiest lure. The public access spot off Route 8 at the lake's southern end (pictured above), and a grassy patch around the small inlet at the Loon Lake Public Beach, is where you can cast your lines from the shore to catch Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth Bass, and Yellow Perch. Head out farther into the lake for larger Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth Bass, and Yellow Perch.
Schroon River
Photo Credit: Jaynie Ellis
The Schroon River is a popular locale for trout fishing with a frequented access area for anglers near the Starbuckville Dam of Route 30 (pictured above) in the Town of Chester. The stretch at Tumblehead Falls off Schroon River Road is also a clear spot to cast. Besides trout (Rainbow, Brook, and Brown) there are also Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Perch, and Atlantic Salmon. For more focused information on trout fishing in the Schroon River, click here.
**The undertow is strong at the Starbuckville Dam; be cautious if wading in the water here.
Hudson River
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
The Town of Warrensburg has several spots to access the Hudson River for some tranquil fishing. Here in the Upper Hudson River the water is clearer, cleaner, and you can easily see across to the opposite bank. Reeling in some impressive bass and trout is more than likely at the Hudson River Recreation Area (pictured above), right down the road from Cronin’s Golf Resort. The rocky shore is about a ¼-mile walk from the parking lot and trailhead.
Anglers have also caught Northern Pike in the section of river near the Town of Lake Luzerne. The Upper Hudson Boat Launch on East River Dr. in Luzerne is a quiet spot to fish from the bank or launch your boat in the Hudson.
The Lake George Area also has many other ponds and streams that can be fished, so long as you’re not trespassing on private property or the area is closed for hunting season. Please check with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for all freshwater fishing regulations. Head over to our Lake George Area fishing page for other fishing spots, fishing charters, and more – then get out there and go fish!