THE fishing season is never really over on Long Island, and next weekend is one of the highlights of the fall season.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Office of Parks and Recreation will hold the annual Fall Fishing and Children’s Festival on Saturday at Hempstead Lake State Park.
The Fall Fishing and Children’s Festival is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and learn something about freshwater fishing.
The requirement for a fishing license for anglers 16 and older is suspended for the event. Admission is $5 for those 12 and over.
Festival activities begin at 10 a.m. and include fly-fishing instruction, fishing instruction, loaner rods and free bait. Additionally, a display area will be set up by I FISH NY and local fishing clubs.
Children’s activities also will begin at 10 a.m. and will include a kids’ inflatable slide, pumpkin decorating, a magic show, pony rides and face painting. A casting contest in which kids can catch a pumpkin or “hook” a prize will be held by the Knights of Columbus of Seaford.
The festival is the highlight of the DEC’s special fall trout stocking program in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Prior to the festival, South and McDonald Ponds in Hempstead Lake State Park will be stocked by OPRHP. Upper Twin Pond, Oyster Bay Mill Pond, Massapequa Reservoir and Massapequa Creek and 12 Suffolk County lakes will be stocked with trout by the DEC by Friday, providing excellent prospects for fall fishing in Nassau and Suffolk. A second DEC stocking will occur by Veterans Day.
In the event of rainy weather, call I FISH NY at (631) 444-0283 or Hempstead Lake State Park (516) 766-1029 for event status. There is no rain date for this event.
For more information about the festival, or the fall trout stocking program in Nassau and Suffolk, call the DEC Bureau of Fisheries at (631) 444-0280. You can find information on the festival at the http://www.ifishnewyork.org. General information on freshwater fishing on Long Island can be found at http://www.dec.state.ny.us.
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Partnering with the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth & Tourism Commission, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has launched the Passport to Adventure – a free guide to New Jersey’s state parks, forests and historic sites.
Featuring 36 parks, forests and historic sites across the state, the 80-page, passport-style guide is filled with beautiful images, fast facts and unique activities and events. As visitors travel to the featured sites, they can pick up a passport and also collect a vibrant, full-color sticker to place in their guide.
The Passport is available at New Jersey’s state parks, forests and historic sites. For a copy by mail, call (800) 843-6420, or visit http://www.njparksandforests.org.
