Lower Yaphank Lake is part of the Carmans River system. It lies off of Exit 67 of the Long Island Expressway (LIE), just north of Long Island Avenue.
Physical Features
Area: 25 acres
Maximum depth: 7 feet
County and Town: Suffolk County, Town of Yaphank
Access
Access to the lake is via a concrete DEC boat ramp located on Long Island Avenue, just west of Yaphank Avenue (Route 21).
Directions: From Route 21 take the first left north of the LIE onto Long Island Avenue. The boat ramp entrance will be your first right.
Restrictions: Boats are permitted but the use of gas motors is prohibited. Shoreline access is available, but limited.
For more information on this launch including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Suffolk County page.
Fish Species
Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, Brown Bullhead.
Fishing
The lake supports a good population of largemouth bass, sunfish, and several other warmwater fish species. Largemouth ranging up to 6 pounds are often reported by anglers, but catching them will be a challenge due to the dense aquatic vegetation that covers the lake in warm summer months. Lower Lake is scheduled to be dredged in 2018. This process should remove some of the overabundant vegetation, and leave the lake slightly deeper after completion. The DEC Fisheries Unit will survey the lake after the dredging operation is complete and determine any fisheries management actions needed.
Regulations
Statewide Fishing Regulations Apply
Visit NYS Department of Health website for health advice on eating fish you catch.
Sweetwater Angler Profile of Lower Yaphank Lake (Spring 2001)
Lower Lake is a shallow (> 7 feet) 25 acre dammed lake located just upstream of Southaven County Park. Its origins predates the United States. In 1762, John Homan was given the right to build a sawmill in Lower Yaphank for the cost of 40 shillings. He was also given the rite to build a "fulling mill," a mill that assisted in making cloth. In 1771, he was permitted to build a grist mill (a mill that grinds grain) at the site. In payment for grinding the local farmer's grain, Mr. Homan collected 3 quarts of grain for every bushel (32 quarts) grinded. While the history is unclear, it appears that a mill of some sort stood at the Lower Lake dam until it burned down during World War 1. At the time the milled burned down, it was called Gerald's Mill.
Lower Lake has a long history of fishing. Nick Karas, in his book titled Brook Trout, quoted Frank Forester from 1848. Forester described the brook trout in Lower Lake "of very large and very uniform size, running from one and a half to two pounds weight." These days, both brown and rainbow trout are stocked into Lower Lake each spring. Recently, two year old brown trout have begun to be stocked into the lake, providing fishing action for larger sized trout. There have also been reports of occasional holdover trout up to 17 or 18 inches. In addition to the trout, there is good bluegill population in the lake. While the largemouth bass population is relatively low density, six pound bass have been reported in an average year.
In order to provide better fishing access to anglers, the DEC in cooperation with Suffolk County and the NYSDOT constructed a fishing access site in 1997. This site allows trailer launching of boats and has a six car parking lot. While the site is not very busy most of the year, expect crowds the first few weekends of the stocking season. Have fun giving this historic water a try.
