Trout Hold Center Stage

April and May see trout take center stage when it comes to Long Island’s freshwater fishing. No doubt you can catch some hefty carp, C&R bass, plus a selection of panfish if you put your mind to it right now, but for flat out fun and early season consistency it makes sense to take full advantage of the over 27,000 rainbow and brown trout New York State DEC will distribute between more than 20 locations in Nassau and Suffolk counites this spring and fall.

Looking at the NYS-DEC 2026 Trout Stocking List, Massapequa Reservoir and Upper Twin Pond in Wantagh get the lion’s share of spring stockies in Nassau County while Belmont Lake, West Lake in Patchogue and Upper Lake in Yaphank are among the more heavily stocked waters in Suffolk. The Town of Southampton also stocks ten of its own waters with trout including Wildwood Lake in Northampton, Big Fresh Pond in North Sea, and Trout Pond in Noyack. To fish any Southampton freshwaters, however, you’ll need to be a town resident or be accompanied by a licensed Southampton Town guide and possess a valid NYS freshwater fishing license. These are fall stockings, so check the Southampton Town Trustees webpage for updated information as autumn approaches.

From a spring trout perspective, Belmont Lake is one place that’s really worth visiting for a few hours. This is especially the case during the annual Belmont Spring Fishing Festival, scheduled for April 18 this year. The largest freshwater fishing event on Long Island sees the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation load the lake with approximately 1,000 rainbow and brown trout in addition to the regularly scheduled NYS DEC spring stockings, bringing the total at this location to about 2,500 fish.

Small jerkbaits are great for spring trout fishing in stillwater lakes and ponds.

The trout, along with the large yellow perch population at Belmont Lake, provide a perfect opportunity to introduce families and friends to the wonderful sport of freshwater fishing. The festival is appropriate for people of all ages and activities include open fishing, fishing instruction, fly-casting demonstrations, and a fish cleaning station. Children’s activities will include hands-on educational displays and a “Spring Fling” casting contest. You do not need a fishing license to wet a line at the festival – and if you can’t make the date keep in mind there should still be plenty of trout left to tempt here for weeks to come. 

Surprisingly, one trout option for many  anglers overlook during April and May is river fishing in the parks. Connetquot River State Park Preserve (631-581-1005), Caleb Smith State Park (631-265-1054) and Southaven County Park (631-854-1414) in Brookhaven are all open for business, stocked, and ready to go. Both the Conny and Caleb Smith offer fly-fishing with anglers assigned specific beats and charged a $25 fee for each 4-hour session.

You can also target trout at Southaven County Park, where both Hards Lake and Carman’s River offer ample opportunities to connect. Most of the river within the park boundaries is reserved for fly-fishing only but spinning gear is allowed in the lowermost portions and throughout Hards Lake. It costs to fish here, too, but the daily permit is only $4 and allows anglers to cast from shore, rented rowboats or their own canoes. Note that the rowboat option requires a $10 deposit and runs $10 for the first hour, plus $8 for each additional hour. You’ll need both your Suffolk County Green Key Card and a freshwater fishing license if wetting a line here. 

In terms of trout pointers, you’ll want to get out early or late in the day to catch the most reliable trout feeding binges but realize that cloudy skies can bring on the bite at almost any time of day as long as it isn’t terribly sunny or overly cold.  Light spinning gear works best as a general rule, which makes sense since most of the stockies you’ll encounter measure 8 to 15 inches and weigh less than a pound. Something along the lines of a 6-foot St. Croix Premiere Series ultralight rod matched to a size 1000 Shimano Ultegra spinning reel filled with 4- or 5-pound-test Berkley Trilene XL Monofilament, or 5- to 8-pound-test braid, is ideal and can double for fun with panfish and an occasional bass.

Trout Magnets have certainly earned their name. These micro soft plastics are deadly on trout and panfish.

Spin fishermen will find small spinners the top offering in terms of artificial lures on most Long Island trout waters. Panther Martin’s Sonic Streamers have been red hot for trout, bass and pickerel since their introduction two years ago. The Mepps Aglia and Blue Fox Super Vibrax are other solid choices. When tossing in-line spinners, silver-colored blades tend to work well for the rainbows while the sometimes larger browns favor gold. Small Rapala Original Floating Minnows and Countdown Minnows will also work in waters that aren’t too weedy. With the former a slow and steady straight retrieve works best. For the latter, let your lure sink a foot or more below the surface – if the weeds will allow - before cranking it back with a steady retrieve. Leland's Lures Trout Magnets can also generate good results.

If you want to give the trout a go with the long wand consider a size 10 bead-head stonefly nymph in black or tan, or an olive Woolly Bugger when fishing at Connetquot or Caleb Smith State Park. For pond trout, a Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear nymph or Prince Nymph in size 12 makes a terrific early-season choice. As April advances and a few hatches begin to appear on the surface, experiment with a small Blue-winged Olive Parachute, black Elk Hair Caddis or the drab-looking but ever productive Adams in size 12 or 14. Any of these can be presented with an affordable and efficient 5wt TFO Pro Signature Series II fly rod. The 4-piece Redington Wrangler Trout Kit – 590-4 is another super option and it travels really well.

Note that many lakes receive their initial deposits of hatchery fish in mid-March, so the season is already in full swing by this point. Most waters receive additional stockings in April and May. Double-check the DEC’s 2026 Trout Stocking List to ensure you are headed to a location that has recently been refreshed – and be sure to check the New York State 2026 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide for the latest regulations before heading out.

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