Starting today (Saturday, May 2), it’s open season for cool water fish like walleye, northern pike, pickerel, and the tiger muskellunge.

Historically, walleye only inhabited waters in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and Allegheny River watersheds in New York. Today, primarily due to stocking and other DEC management efforts, walleye occur in more than 140 waters from all of the major watersheds of the state.

Visit the DEC’s website here to find prime fishing locations, and check out the feature article “Prized ‘Eyes,” in DEC’s Freshwater Fishing Digest, where the DEC reveals how they manage walleye,  and where to catch them.

Kristyn Hanna proudly holds a walleye she caught from Oneida Lake in February 2019. DEC photo