New York bass season is the clearest example in the country of a rule people read backwards. The season is June 15 to November 30 — but the water is open to bass fishing eleven and a half months of the year.
The dates
Open today by the rules below, worked out for 2026 rather than copied from a chart.
Statewide
From December 1 to June 14 black bass are catch-and-release with artificial lures across most of the state, so the water is open eleven and a half months and the cooler is open five and a half. Some waters carry their own dates on top of this.
- Size
- 12 inches.
- Limit
- 5 per day.
Read on 2026-09-14 from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Legal dates were read on the agency’s own page on the date shown beside each entry. Seasons change: the agency link is always the last word.
Why New York is different
From December 1 to June 14 black bass across most of the state is catch-and-release with artificial lures. That is not a closed season, it is a closed cooler. The months people write off as the off-season are in fact some of the best smallmouth fishing New York has, and the only thing you cannot do is take one home.
What to actually do
The distinction matters for planning: a May trip to the Thousand Islands or the Susquehanna is entirely legal and often excellent, provided you leave the bait at home and the fish in the water. Twelve inches and five a day once the possession season opens, and some waters carry their own dates on top of the statewide rule, so check the specific water before you assume.
The activity row in the calendar above is our own monthly curve for this species, and it is there to answer the question the dates cannot: whether the fish will be feeding when the season lets you fish. How largemouth bass behave through the year is a separate page, about the fish rather than the paperwork.
Where to fish it
We publish a daily report for 30 New York waters, each with live flow or tide.
- Oneida Lake — Oswego County
- Montauk — Suffolk County
- Cayuga Lake — Cayuga County
- Niagara River — Niagara County
- Fire Island — Suffolk County
- Lake Ontario — Monroe County
- Chautauqua Lake — Chautauqua County
- Cattaraugus Creek — Erie County
An open season is not permission to fish: New York requires a licence from age 16, from $25.00 for residents. What it costs and where to buy it →
Questions
When does bass season open in New York?
The possession season runs June 15 to November 30, with a 12-inch minimum and five fish a day. Outside it, from December 1 to June 14, black bass is catch-and-release with artificial lures across most of the state.
Can I fish for bass in New York in May?
Yes, on most waters, as long as you use artificial lures and release everything immediately. It is the possession season that is closed, not the fishing.
Checked by Pablo Ruiz Quintero. Dates move: tell us if this one has and the correction goes in the verification log with the date.