Background

New York

51 species
🐟
Freshwater Fish
Brook Trout
🦅
State Bird
Eastern Bluebird
🌸
State Flower
Rose
🦌
State Mammal
Beaver

Largemouth Bass

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun
Secondary: Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, ponds, rivers
Statewide warmwater lakes

Smallmouth Bass

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun
Secondary: Sep
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lakes, great-lakes
Rivers, Finger Lakes, Great Lakes

Walleye

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May
Secondary: Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-68°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers, great-lakes
Great Lakes and large lakes statewide

Northern Pike

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Mar, Apr
Secondary: Oct
🌡️ Temp: 40-65°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers, great-lakes
Statewide in suitable waters

Muskellunge

Regulated
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers, great-lakes
Trophy fish - catch and release encouraged

Yellow Perch

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers, great-lakes
Excellent eating - Great Lakes & inland lakes

Channel Catfish

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 70-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lakes
Southern tier and major rivers

Flathead Catfish

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug
🌡️ Temp: 70-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers
Lower Hudson, Delaware River systems

Brook Trout

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 45-65°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, mountain-lakes
State fish - native to Adirondacks

Brown Trout

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-70°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Statewide - rivers & lakes

Rainbow Trout

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-68°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Heavily stocked statewide

Lake Trout

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
🌡️ Temp: 40-55°F
🏞️ Habitat: deep-lakes, great-lakes
Great Lakes & deep Finger Lakes - deep summer

Atlantic Salmon

Regulated
Peak: Apr, May, Jun
Secondary: Sep, Oct, Nov
🌡️ Temp: 45-65°F
🏞️ Habitat: great-lakes, rivers
Lake Ontario - restoration species

Pumpkinseed

Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug
🌡️ Temp: 65-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: ponds, lakes
Common panfish

Bluegill

✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug
🌡️ Temp: 65-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: ponds, lakes
Popular panfish

Black Crappie

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May
Secondary: Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers
Spring spawn peak

White Crappie

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May
Secondary: Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers
Less common than black crappie

Freshwater Drum

Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers
Often caught in Great Lakes

White Perch

✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lakes, estuaries
Hudson River & tidal areas

Bowfin

Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: swamps, backwaters
Native predator - prehistoric

American Eel

Regulated
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, estuaries
Catadromous - Hudson River

Common Carp

Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lakes
Widespread invasive

Grass Carp

⚠️ Invasive
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, reservoirs
Aquatic vegetation control - sterile only

Goldfish

Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: ponds, lakes
Aquarium release - remove if caught

Round Goby

⚠️ Invasive
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: great-lakes, rivers
Great Lakes invasive - do not release

Sea Lamprey

⚠️ Invasive
Peak: May, Jun, Jul
🌡️ Temp: 55-70°F
🏞️ Habitat: great-lakes, rivers
Great Lakes parasite - control programs active

Striped Bass

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May, Jun
Secondary: Sep, Oct, Nov
🌡️ Temp: 55-70°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, estuaries, rivers
Iconic species - Hudson River & Atlantic coast

Bluefish

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 60-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, surf
Aggressive predator - excellent fighter

Summer Flounder (Fluke)

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, bays
Popular target - excellent table fare

Weakfish

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 60-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: bays, estuaries
Delicate mouth - handle carefully

Scup (Porgy)

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, reefs
Schooling fish - good eating

Black Sea Bass

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: reefs, wrecks
Bottom structure specialist

Atlantic Mackerel

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-70°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, offshore
Schooling pelagic - excellent bait

Atlantic Bonito

✓ Harvestable
Peak: Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 65-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, offshore
Fall pelagic migration

False Albacore

Peak: Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 65-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, surf
Catch and release - powerful fighter

Tautog (Blackfish)

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Oct, Nov, Dec
Secondary: Apr, May
🌡️ Temp: 45-65°F
🏞️ Habitat: reefs, structure
Cool water specialist - excellent eating

Sandbar Shark

Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 65-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, bays
Protected species - release carefully

Blacktip Shark

Regulated
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 70-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal
Warm water visitor

Brown Shark (Sandbar)

Regulated
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 65-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, bays
Common coastal shark

Cownose Ray

Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 65-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: bays, estuaries
Schooling rays - release carefully

Smooth Dogfish

Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, bays
Small coastal shark

Minnows (group)

Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Essential forage base

Shiners (group)

Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Popular live bait

Darters (group)

Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-70°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers
Benthic forage - indicator species

Suckers (group)

Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Spring spawning runs

Alewife

Peak: Apr, May, Jun
Secondary: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 50-70°F
🏞️ Habitat: great-lakes, rivers
Key Great Lakes forage - invasive

Rainbow Smelt

Regulated
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Mar, Apr, May
Secondary: Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 40-60°F
🏞️ Habitat: great-lakes, streams
Spring spawning runs - Great Lakes

Atlantic Herring

Regulated
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 45-65°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, offshore
Critical forage for striped bass & bluefish

Atlantic Menhaden (Bunker)

Regulated
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, bays
Essential forage - indicator species

Bay Anchovy

Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: bays, estuaries
Abundant forage

Silversides (group)

Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: coastal, bays
Common baitfish

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