Anglers who fish Hinckley Reservoir, Old Forge Pond and other Adirondack waters have until Dec. 28, 2026, to comment on a state proposal regarding the Adirondack brook trout proposal that would change where live baitfish can be used and simplify brook trout harvest rules.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced the proposal Oct. 28. It is not an adopted regulation. DEC says the changes, if adopted, would take effect April 1, 2027. The agency has posted the documents and comment instructions on its fish and wildlife regulatory revisions page.

The Adirondack brook trout proposal aims to enhance the management of local fisheries.

What would change

DEC proposes making live baitfish generally prohibited within the Adirondack Park boundary, with exceptions for 137 lakes and ponds and designated portions of nine rivers. That would reverse the present approach, which generally allows baitfish but prohibits possession in 1,211 waters, according to DEC’s announcement.

The proposed legal text addresses possession as well as use. It also includes exceptions for licensed bait businesses and certain transportation and storage of baitfish accompanied by valid retail receipts. Commercially packaged preserved baitfish meeting the state’s standards could be used where bait is permitted. Anglers should read the full language rather than treating the proposal as a ban on every kind of fishing bait.

Oneida and Herkimer waters on the proposed exception list

The proposal has a direct Mohawk Valley connection. DEC’s waterbody list and map identify several Oneida and Herkimer county waters where live baitfish would be allowed under the proposed exceptions:

• Hinckley Reservoir, in Oneida and Herkimer counties.
• Long Lake and Otter Lake, listed in Oneida County.
• North Lake and Old Forge Pond, in Herkimer County.
• First, Second and Third lakes of the Fulton Chain, listed in Herkimer County.
• Fourth Lake and Limekiln Lake, which the list places in both Hamilton and Herkimer counties.

These are selected local examples, not the complete list. A waterbody’s inclusion concerns the proposed baitfish exception. It does not remove separate seasons, harvest limits or other fishing restrictions.

Why DEC wants a different approach

DEC says introduced fish can compete with brook trout for food and prey on them. Once incompatible fish become established, restoring a pond can be costly or impossible because of its size, wetlands or groundwater connections, according to the agency’s regulatory impact statement.

For the exception list, DEC says it considered publicly accessible lakes and ponds larger than 50 acres with established warmwater fisheries. It also considered risks to nearby brook trout ponds and trail connections. The agency says the existing mix of individual waterbody bans and land-management-area rules is difficult for anglers to follow.

Brook trout harvest rules also would change

The proposal would remove special harvest rules on 24 lakes and ponds and use the statewide limit of five brook trout a day, of any size. DEC says the special limits have not shown a clear benefit over that standard. Its summary of proposed changes identifies affected waters and calls for eliminating special regional brook trout harvest regulations in Region 6, which includes Oneida and Herkimer counties.

The proposed statewide entry for brook trout in lakes and ponds lists an April 1 through Oct. 15 season. That entry should not be confused with the separate rules for trout streams or other species.

How to comment

Comments are due Dec. 28, 2026. Readers can use the email contact listed under the Adirondack brook trout proposal on DEC’s regulatory page, with the subject line “Adirondack Brook Trout Regulations.” Written comments may also be mailed to:

NYSDEC
c/o Inland Fisheries Section
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-4753

Until any changes are adopted and take effect, anglers should consult DEC’s current freshwater fishing regulations and the rules for the specific water they plan to fish.