You need a fishing license if you are 16 years and older and fishing for:
• Freshwater fish species by angling, spearing, hooking, longbow, and tip-ups.
• Frog species by spearing, catching with the hands or by use of a club or hook.
• Freshwater baitfish for personal use.
You do not need a fishing license if you are:
• Fishing on a licensed fishing preserve
• Fishing during designated Free Fishing Days
• Fishing at a free learn to fish clinic
• A resident landowner primarily engaged in farming (including lessees and members of their immediate families) when fishing on farmlands they are occupying and cultivating.
• A farm fish pond license holder (including members of their immediate families) fishing on waters covered by the license.
• A Native American living and fishing on reservation land.
• A patient residing at a qualifying U.S. Veterans Administration hospital or facility in New York.
