The annual Fall Family Fishing and Children's Festival at Hempstead Lake State Park will be held Saturday, October 17. Sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) I FISH NY program and Freshwater Fisheries Unit, as well as the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks), the festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“DEC is thrilled to welcome the public back to the Hempstead Lake Annual Family Fishing Festival," said DEC Regional Director Cathy Haas. "Whether fishing for pumpkins, pumpkinseed sunfish, or one of the freshly stocked brown or rainbow trout, this event offers families and friends the opportunity to get outside and experience the best of Long Island fishing.”
“New Yorkers of all ages are invited to join us for the Fall Family Freshwater Fishing Festival and experience the joy of fishing,” said State Parks Long Island Regional Director George Gorman. “We encourage everyone attending the festival to take some time to explore the natural beauty of Hempstead Lake State Park and enjoy all that this wonderful park has to offer.”
Festival activities include fishing with free loaner rods and bait, fishing instruction, casting instruction, and fish-cleaning services. In addition to fishing opportunities, the festival features a children's casting for pumpkins contest, DEC and State Parks displays, and additional children’s entertainment.
The fishing license requirement for all anglers over the age of 16 is suspended for this festival, and admission and parking are free. Children can also cast to “catch” a pumpkin and “hook” a prize while the pumpkin supply lasts. Casting contest prizes are provided by I FISH NY and State Parks.
Prior to the festival, State Parks will stock South and McDonald ponds in Hempstead Lake State Park with brook and rainbow trout. DEC stocks brown trout in several other waterbodies in Nassau and Suffolk counties, including Upper Twin Pond, Oyster Bay Mill Pond, Massapequa Reservoir, and 12 additional Suffolk County lakes. These additional stockings will occur by November 1 and provide excellent prospects for fall fishing.
For more information about the festival, call DEC's I FISH NY program at (631) 444-0283 or Hempstead Lake State Park (516) 766-1029. There is no rain date for this event. For more information about the fall trout stocking program in Nassau and Suffolk counties, call the DEC Bureau of Fisheries at (631) 444-0280. General information on freshwater fishing on Long Island can be found at DEC's Long Island/NYC Fishing webpage and at DEC's Fishing webpage.
