As far as NY goes with knife laws, you’re always taking the biggest risks when it comes to NYC. If there’s one city that’s eager to enforce its knife ordinances to the letter on the book, it’s that city.
If you have have a fishing/hunting/trapping license with the state, you can own auto knives and use them while engaged in those activities. Saw a video where a guy mentioned he’s carried his Benchmade Mel Pardue auto while fishing. He said cops and park officers have stopped him and asked about it and he always had his license and fishing gear with him so he’s never had any trouble. It really depends on your location and how well the officer knows the laws and how you’re behaving.
As far as legally obtaining an auto while being a licensed fisherman in NYS, that’s where it can get a little tricky. You could probably try the flea markets or gun shows, though legally they can only be sold to law enforcement in the state, so those wouldn’t be legal sales (wouldn’t really matter once you had legal ownership of the knife, it’s the seller taking the risk). You could always travel to a neighboring state like Vermont to purchase one and transport it back by car with your fishing license and gear with you. Most online knife dealers won’t ship them to NY (the Federal Switchblade Act is also an issue with selling them over state lines).