Catskill Region Fish Advisories
The Catskill Region has many cold water and warm water fishing opporunities. Anglers can access miles of trout streams and excellent fishing opportunities in the NYC reservoir system. However, all waters within the Catskill Region (which extends beyond the Catskill Park, see map) have been more affected by methyl mercury. Everyone should follow the advice below when fishing from waters without specific advisories in the Catskill Region (specific advisories are listed in the table below). Choose from the “best choice” and “good choice” categories for the whole family because these fish have lower levels of mercury.
Advisory Tables
Catskill Region Specific Advice
Don't see your waterbody listed in the table?
If there is no specific advice for a particular waterbody in the Catskill Region, follow the regional advice below. The specific health advisories for the waters listed above also apply to tributaries and connected waters if there are no dams, falls, or barriers to stop the fish from moving upstream.
 Waterbody (County) |
 Fish |
 General Population |
 Sensitive Population |
 Chemicals of Concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashokan Reservoir (Ulster) |
Largemouth bass | Up to 1 meal/month | Greater than 15", DON'T EAT; Less than 15", up to 1 meal/month |
Mercury |
| All other fish | Follow Catskill Regional Advisory | Mercury | ||
| Cannonsville Reservoir (Delaware) |
Yellow perch | Up to 1 meal/month | DON'T EAT | Mercury |
| All other fish | Follow Catskill Regional Advisory | Mercury | ||
| Chodikee Lake (Ulster) |
See Ulster County Specific Advisories | |||
| Herrick Hollow Creek (Delaware) |
Brook trout | Up to 1 meal/month | DON'T EAT | PCBs, mercury |
| All other fish | Follow Catskill Regional Advisory | PCBs, mercury | ||
| Hudson River | See Hudson River & Tributaries | |||
| Loch Sheldrake (Sullivan) |
See Sullivan County Specific Advisories | |||
| Neversink Reservoir (Sullivan) |
Brown trout | Up to 1 meal/month | Up to 1 meal/month | Mercury |
| All other fish | Follow Catskill Regional Advisory | Mercury | ||
| North-South Lake (Greene) |
Largemouth bass | Up to 1 meal/month | Greater than 15", DON'T EAT; Less than 15", up to 1 meal/month |
Mercury |
| All other fish | Follow Catskill Regional Advisory | Mercury | ||
| Pepacton Reservoir (Delaware) |
Brown trout | Up to 1 meal/month | Up to 1 meal/month | Mercury |
| All other fish | Follow Catskill Regional Advisory | Mercury | ||
| Rio Reservoir (Sullivan, Orange) |
See Orange County or Sullivan County Specific Advisories | |||
| Schoharie Reservoir (Delaware, Greene, Schoharie) |
Yellow perch, Black crappie | Up to 1 meal/month | Up to 1 meal/month | Mercury |
| All other fish | Follow Catskill Regional Advisory | Mercury | ||
| Swinging Bridge Reservoir (Sullivan) |
See Sullivan County Specific Advisories | |||
The sensitive population refers to people who can become pregnant (under age 50) and children under 15. The general population refers to everyone else.
Catskill Regional Advice
Click to access the Catskill Regional Advice in table format
| Category | Fish | General Population Advice | Sensitive Population Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Choice Fish | Bluegill | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 4 meals/month |
| Brook trout | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 4 meals/month | |
| Pumpkinseed/sunfish | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 4 meals/month | |
| Rainbow trout | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 4 meals/month | |
| Good Choice Fish | Black crappie | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month |
| Brown trout | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Bullhead | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Carp | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Chain pickerel less than 20 inches | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Lake trout | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| White sucker | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Yellow perch less than 10 inches | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Any other fish not listed in this table | Up to 4 meals/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Eat less | Chain pickerel greater than 20 inches | Up to 1 meal/month | Up to 1 meal/month |
| Largemouth bass | Up to 1 meal/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Rock bass | Up to 1 meal/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| White perch | Up to 1 meal/month | Up to 1 meal/month | |
| Avoid | Smallmouth bass | Up to 1 meal/month | DON'T EAT |
| Walleye less than 19 inches | Up to 1 meal/month | DON'T EAT | |
| Yellow perch greater than 10 inches | Up to 1 meal/month | DON'T EAT | |
| Walleye greater than 19 inches | DON'T EAT | DON'T EAT |
Regional Brochure
Advisory Waters Map
The map below highlights waterbodies with specific health advice for eating fish you catch. For more detailed maps that show health advice for public access waters, visit our maps page.
