New York’s First Black Bass Tournament Report Logs More Than 51,000 Fish

New York’s first full report from its black bass tournament permit and reporting system gives fisheries managers something better than guesswork. In 2025, permitted tournaments reported more than 51,000 largemouth and smallmouth bass caught across the state.

DEC issued 802 tournament permits covering 98 waterbodies, and organizers submitted reports for 83 percent of those events. That is useful data. It shows where tournament pressure is concentrated, what anglers are catching, when the strongest bites are happening, and how fish are faring after weigh-in.

The report logged 51,105 black bass, including 29,093 largemouth and 22,012 smallmouth. Reported tournament mortality was 2.4 percent, which DEC described as relatively low. Lake Champlain led the state with 72 permitted tournaments, followed by Onondaga Lake, Oneida Lake, Cayuga Lake, Conesus Lake, and the Erie Canal.

The system also turned up some heavyweight fish. Cayuga Lake produced an 8.5-pound largemouth and a 22.2-inch largemouth, while the St. Lawrence River produced an 8-pound smallmouth. That is good information for anglers, but it is also good information for biologists trying to manage heavily used waters without running blind.

Tournament fishing catches plenty of heat from people who do not understand it. A reporting system like this gives managers actual numbers instead of rumors. If anglers want strong bass fisheries and continued tournament opportunity, clean data, good fish care, and honest reporting are part of the deal.