Thursday, October 1, 2026
The annual Fall Fishing and Children’s Festival is coming to Hempstead Lake State Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 13.
“The festival is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and learn valuable information about the great sport of freshwater fishing,” said Peter A. Scully, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s regional director. “[It] combines the opportunity to fish with a variety of children’s activities to provide a rewarding family experience.”
No fishing license is required for this event. Admission is $6 for anyone over the age of 12. Festival activities include fly-fishing instruction, casting practice, loaner rods, free bait and fish cleaning services. Additionally, a display area will be set up by Trout Unlimited, DEC Environmental Education, New York State Parks as well as other fishing and environmental organizations.
Children’s activities will include pumpkin decorating, a magic show, pony rides and face painting. A casting contest where participants can catch a pumpkin or “hook” a prize will be held by the Knights of Columbus of Seaford. Casting contest prizes are provided by “The Fisherman” magazine and Shakespeare.
Prior to the festival, the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and New York State Parks will stock South and MacDonald ponds in the park. With weather concerns or for more information about the event, which is co-sponsored by DEC’s I FISH NY Program and Freshwater Fisheries Unit, along with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), call (631) 444-0283 or Hempstead Lake State Park (516) 766-1029. There is no rain date for this event. Information about the festival is also available at www.ifishnewyork.org.
For more information about the fall trout stocking program in Nassau and Suffolk counties, call the DEC Bureau of Fisheries at (631) 444-0280. And general information on freshwater fishing on Long Island can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7752.html.
