Hudson Valley Anglers Beware: New Fishing Regulations for 2015

Brand new fishing regulations go into effect on April 1 with important changes that will affect everyone who fishes in the Hudson Valley.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has modified the regulations, as they normally do every couple of years, to keep up with the current status of fish populations.

An Associated Press article published by the Daily Journal shows that the biggest changes have been made to baitfish rules, the regulation of ice fishing and the establishment of some year-round trout fishing zones.

For ice fishers, it looks like regulations in some areas will now be focused more on ice crushing devices instead of the amount of lines or tip-ups used.

Rules aimed at reestablishing sauger, a rare fish found in NY waters, call for a closed statewide season. New York Outdoor News quoted DEC fisheries bureau chief Phil Hulbert last summer saying that the state "would like to make them less rare and we’re thinking we would probably need to jumpstart them with a stocking program in the Allegheny River watershed."

Musky hunters will also want to make note that the minimum size limit for muskellunge will now be limited to 40 inches in all areas.  Currently there are 33 muskie waters in New York, 18 of them already had the 40 inch regulation in place.

You can view all of the new regulations right now at the DEC's NY Freshwater Fishing website. Hard copies of the new guidebooks will also be available wherever fishing licenses are purchased.