As a full time fishing guide on Lake George, I always used to be intrigued by the question of “whether we catch the same fish multiple times a year” because we are on the water fishing with clients every day from April to October. Based on the time of year, we fish dozens of different areas, but there are times when we are fishing
the same structure and same spots almost every day. Although the everyday angler cannot track or tag individual fish without a permit, the Department of Environmental Conservation and other science research groups are able to conduct fish tagging and clipping programs throughout the year to monitor our fish populations. Lake George is 32 miles long and is filled with thousands of fish so it does seem far-fetched that we would catch the same fish more than once a year, but this year with a tremendous amount of luck, I unexpectedly got our answer.
Just like how every snowflake has a different pattern, it is the same for every fish. Many different species of fish look similar, but can develop different scale patterns, spots, and old injuries that never fully heal and make them stand out. For most fishermen, one of the best parts of landing a fish is that we can observe their beautiful coloration and get a quick picture before releasing them back into the water. Over the last few seasons, I’ve taken thousands of pictures of our clients holding fish, but never went back and looked to see if any looked the same. Some anglers try to piece together photos by looking at a fish’s mouth, the fins, and other external features, but it is still an educated guess.
Fish Hatcheries throughout the state raise fish yearly, mainly trout and salmon, to stock our inland lakes and streams. At times they will conduct studies where they will remove or clip certain fins, typically the bottom ones or adipose fins, as a way to tell different strains and different generations of fish apart. This can give the fish an identity that fishermen can take note of when they catch them and can then report them to the hatcheries or the Department of Environmental Conservation. The studies sadly don’t typically monitor specific fish, so even with the removal of external fins you can never be sure if you are catching the same fish or multiple fish that were part of the same stocking group.
So, with this information on how New York State is tracking their fish, it seemed like it was going to be almost impossible to get an exact answer, but this summer we finally did, thanks to some incredible fishermen on my boat. On June 26th, 2024, I was fishing with the Malanowski family on Lake George, when Nancy caught a Largemouth Bass with something metal attached to its bottom lip. It almost looked like this fish had a lip piercing and upon further inspection it was some type of fish tag. Based on what I now know about the NYS tagging program, this metal tag was out of the ordinary. On the tag there was an inscription that read Mctaging@gmail.com and had the number 257 on it. So, Nancy and I took down the length, which was 17” and the weight which was 2.54lbs. After a few photos we quickly released the fish back into the water. Later that evening, I sent a message with the fish’s information to the email and waited for a response. It didn’t take long to hear back and I quickly realized that this was not an authorized tagging, but was instead done out of curiosity by a private individual. We emailed back and forth until the point was made that without proper permits and permission you cannot tag fish for personal research, especially an invasive mouth tag. Then on August 1st, 2024, in the exact same spot, I couldn’t believe my eyes when the Girvin family caught the same bass yet again. Tyler and I measured the bass and to our surprise it was a hair over 17” long and weighed 2.68lbs this time. So the fish was about the same length, but weighed .14lb more than when we caught it a month before. We again quickly got a few pictures and then released this fish back into the water.
Not only did this answer the question of whether we can catch the same fish more than once in the same year, but it sheds light on the importance of catch and release. If you release these fish and handle them properly, they will be available for you and others to catch again. If you do happen to catch this now famous Largemouth Bass on Lake George, we have now been told to remove his tag this upcoming season.
If you do happen to catch a tagged fish, you can send the information to your local hatchery (Warrensburg Fish Hatchery for Saratoga County or contact DEC Fisheries).
Drew Ziehnert
Ziehnert Guide Service LLC
DFW, Bureau of Fisheries
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233
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