Enjoy Casting for Spring Fish at These Fishing Spots Near Cortlandt, NY

Are you on the lookout for fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities? If you are, Cortlandt and the surrounding areas offer ample access. This part of New York State is rife with river towns, ponds, and reservoirs with ample stock for anglers to enjoy. Here are our top picks for fishing around Cortlandt.

Croton Gorge Park

Croton Gorge Park offers shore fishing along the Croton River just below the New Croton Dam. This area has a liberal stock of brown and rainbow trout. From here, the Croton River flows 3.1 miles to the Hudson River. The best season for fishing this part of the river is from April 1 through Oct. 15. Remember that there’s a daily limit of five fish of any size. Also, the New Croton Reservoir Outlet is the only part of the Croton River where you’re not required to have a Public Access Permit.

You’ll find plenty of large fish in the New Croton Reservoir. The reservoir spans 2,182 acres, with a maximum depth of 120 feet. The bass there often weigh 7 pounds or more, and you can expect to catch 3-pound crappies. The New Croton Reservoir also features chain pickerel, common carp, brown bullhead, sunfish, and yellow and white perch. You must have a free New York City Department of Environmental Protection watershed access permit to fish the reservoir.

Croton Gorge Park is open from sunrise to sunset. There’s a seasonal parking fee of $5 with a park pass or $10 without a pass from May through Labor Day.

Location: 35 Yorktown Road, Croton-on-Hudson.

Croton Point Park

Spanning 508 acres, Croton Point Park offers ample fishing opportunities along the Hudson River’s eastern shore. The park also offers camping, hiking, and swimming if you want to diversify your adventures over a weekend of angling. This spot is popular for striped bass, river herring, and American shad. You can cast your line from the dock, shore, or boat. The Croton Point Park boat access can accommodate canoes, kayaks, and car-top carried boats.

The striped bass season is from April 1 through Nov. 30. There’s a daily limit of one bass, which must measure between 18 and 28 inches. Open season for Hudson River anadromous river herring is from March 15 through June 15. You may possess 10 per angler or 50 per group of boat anglers, whichever is lower.

The park is open from 8 a.m. to dusk year-round. Parking is $5 with a park pass or $10 without a park pass on weekends only in May and September and daily from late May through Labor Day.

Location: 1A Croton Point Ave., Croton-on-Hudson.

Bronx River Reservation

The Bronx River Reservation offers prime fishing opportunities on Bronxville and Crestwood Lakes. You can park for free on the street for convenient access to these spots. The Bronx River Reservation features bass, perch, and sunfish. You’ll only need a state fishing license to fish here.

Location: Bronx River Parkway from Yonkers to Valhalla.

George’s Island Park

George’s Island Park offers ample waterfront along the Hudson River and a freshwater pond. Pull your eyes away from the water and you’ll likely see stunning sights like eagles soaring above. Fishing from George’s Island Park, you’ll typically find American shad, striped bass, and river herring. You must have a recreational marine fishing license for migratory marine species and a freshwater fishing license for freshwater species.

You may fish for river herring from March 15 through June 15, taking no more than 10 per angler or 50 per boat group, whichever is lower. The season for striped bass is from April 1 through Nov. 30, and all bass must measure at least 18 inches long and be no more than 28 inches long. The George’s Island Park ramp accommodates boat lengths of up to 21 feet. This ramp is open from April through October. You must pay a boat fee of $25 with a park pass or $40 without a pass.

There is a parking fee of $5 with a park pass or $10 without a park pass from late May through Labor Day and on weekends only in May and September. George’s Island Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk.

Location: Dutch Street, Montrose.

Pocantico Lake

Pocantico Lake spans 69 acres within Pocantico Lake County Park. Situated between Pleasantville and Sleepy Hollow, this park is largely undeveloped, with opportunities for rustic hiking, undisturbed nature study, and peaceful fishing excursions. An abandoned stretch of Pocantico Lake Road runs around the lake’s eastern shore from the dam at the lake’s southern end to Briarcliff Manor to the north. There are no marked trails within the park, so you should adventure carefully if you head off the road.

Pocantico Lake has smallmouth bass, brown trout, pickerel, bluegill, crappie, and sunfish. The Pocantico River tributary is well-stocked with brown trout just south of the park. You must have a New York fishing license to catch fish in these waters.

Location: Old Sleepy Hollow Road, Pleasantville.

Wampus Pond

Wampus Pond, also known as Wampus Lake Reservoir, covers 38 acres in Westchester County, New York. The easiest access point is Wampus Pond Park. The park has a boathouse with restrooms open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from the summer through early fall. Boat rentals with a park pass are $10 an hour or $50 daily. Boat rentals are $12 an hour or $60 a day without a park pass. The fee to bring in a car-top boat is $5 with a park pass or $10 without.

Wampus Lake’s waters teem with brown trout, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, crappie, and carp. You may find some parts of the lake have dense floating leaves and submerged vegetation, so remember to navigate carefully.

Location: Route 128, Armonk.

Do you know other great fishing spots in and around Cortlandt, New York? Contact our team at Bill Volz Westchester and let us know. We love having the best recommendations in the area for our customers when they’re off looking for adventure. We’d also like to help you get to your adventures safely with your selection from our impressive inventory of new and used vehicles.

Photo Credit: Image by Tim Foster is licensed with Unsplash License

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