Among the outstanding catches of the 2024 New York fishing season were three new state record freshwater fish.
On June 21, 2024, Chuck Zimmerman of Hilton, Monroe County, set a New York state record with a 15-pound, 14-ounce longnose gar from Butterfield Lake in Jefferson County.
The record-breaking fish outweighed the previous state record longnose gar, caught from Lake Champlain in 2018, by one pound and four ounces.
Longnose gar prefer shallow weedy areas of larger lakes and can be found swimming near the water’s surface. In New York, longnose gar are primarily found in the St. Lawrence River, Niagara River, Lake Camplain, eastern Lake Ontario, and larger tributaries to these waters.
Longnose gar have a long needle-like snout with rows of teeth, making them unmistakable from other fish species. This ancient family of fish are considered living dinosaurs.
On July 11, 2024. James Britenbaugh of Pennsylvania landed a record-breaking 12-pound, 6-ounce largemouth bass from Cayuga Lake, Cayuga County while fishing in preparation for an upcoming bass tournament.
The catch surpasses the previous 37-year-old State record largemouth bass, caught from Buckhorn Lake, Otsego County, in 1987 by one pound and two ounces.
In 2024, New York State landed five lakes on Bassmaster Magazine’s Top 100 Best Bass Lakes in the country. Among the New York waters included are the St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), ranked as the best bass water in the nation, and Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, ranked as the seventh-best water.
Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake, and Oneida Lake made the list as well and are in Bassmaster Magazine’s Top 25 Northeastern Best Bass Lakes of 2024.
Other waters across the state also offer exceptional bass opportunities and New York continues to be a destination for world class fishing.
A new state record for smallmouth bass was set in September, 2024, according to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
New York resident angler Dante Piraino reeled in a nine-pound smallmouth bass from the St. Lawrence River while fishing in a bass tournament hosted in the city of Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County.
Caught in 30 feet of water, the record-breaking smallmouth surpassed the previous state record caught from Cayuga Lake in 2022 by eight ounces.
Pound for pound, smallmouth bass are considered one of the hardest-fighting freshwater fish in New York. When hooked, they will often take acrobatic leaps out of the water, making them a highly desirable sportfish for anglers.
Smallmouth bass can be found in the state’s cooler lakes, rivers, and creeks in rocky or gravelly areas. In addition to the St. Lawrence River, some of the best smallmouth bass waters in New York include Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake, Oneida Lake, and Chautauqua Lake. Lake George, Mohawk River, Susquehanna River, Lower Niagara River, and Keuka Lake.
The new record-holders submitted details of their winning catches as part of DEC’s revamped Angler Achievement Awards Program, which tracks state record fish.
Through this program, anglers can enter freshwater fish that meet specific qualifying criteria and receive official recognition of their catch along with a species-specific sticker commemorating their achievement.
The program’s three categories are: Angler Award, Youth Angler Award, and State Record. As part of the program revamp, anglers can now submit entries for qualifying catches from the convenience of their smart phones through an online entry form.
For official program rules, eligible species and associated minimum qualifying lengths, visit the Angler Achievement Awards webpage.
For more information on where to find smallmouth bass, visit DEC’s Places to Fish and Warmwater Fishing webpages.
Anglers are also encouraged to check out ‘Tackle Box’ feature in DEC’s HuntFishNY App, which provides anglers waterbody-specific information on fishing regulations, stocking, and fishing/boating access sites.
source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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