The fishing season for many popular warmwater sportfish, including walleye, northern pike, pickerel and tiger muskellunge, opened Saturday, May 5 and with this, most of New York’s sportfish seasons will be open. This includes catch and release fishing for black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass) in many waters across the state.

Bass anglers should check the New York State Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide, www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html to ensure that the water they desire to fish is open to catch and release angling. Muskellunge fishing season and the harvest season for bass opens on June 16.

Recently the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society ranked three of New York’s lakes in the top 14 on their list of the 100 best bass lakes in the country. Can you guess which three? Check in next week’s column for the answer.

The DEC will continue a number of bass studies in 2012. These studies include an effort to assess black bass populations statewide, the investigation of black bass movements following bass tournaments on Lake Champlain and a tournament monitoring program on Oneida Lake. Participation from bass anglers will be requested for both tournament studies.