Lake Erie and tributaries
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Lake Erie and tributaries, as the state words them
NY County · Lake · NY
The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from NY's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout (including Steelhead), Coho Salmon, Chinook SalmonAll yearDaily limit 3 in any combinationSize 12”
- Lake TroutAll yearDaily limit 1Size 12”
- Brook TroutApril 1-Oct 15Daily limit 5Size none
- Northern PikeMay 1–Mar 15Daily limit 5Size 22”
- WalleyeMay 1–Mar 15Daily limit 6Size 15”
- Muskellunge, Tiger MuskellungeJune 15–Dec 15Daily limit 1Size 54”
- All fishCross-reference: See Great Lakes & Tributaries Regulations
- Black BassDecember 1–June 14 (out of season today)Daily limit 1Size 20”June 15–Nov 30: Minimum Length 12”, Daily Limit 5
Statewide base layerParsed
These defaults apply where the rules above do not modify them.
- Season
- All other species (except those listed in special regulations) | All yearStatewide
- Gear
- Angling means taking fish by hook and lineStatewide
- Bait
- the only species that can be purchased and used in any waterbody in New York where it is legal to use fish as baitStatewide
- Poles
- no more than 3 lines with or without a rodStatewide
Where the verbatim rules above name a species, season, or limit, they replace the rows below. Each row is tagged with the layer it comes from.
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Brook Trout in lakes and ponds | 5 | min. None | Statewide |
Lake Trout | 3 | min. 21” | Statewide |
Atlantic Salmon (Landlocked) | 3 | min. 15” | Statewide |
Black Bass (Largemouth and Smallmouth) | 5 | min. 12” | Statewide |
Muskellunge | 1 | min. 40” | Statewide |
Northern Pike | 5 | min. 18” | Statewide |
Pickerel | 5 | min. 15” | Statewide |
Tiger Muskellunge | 1 | min. 30” | Statewide |
Walleye | 5 | min. 15” | Statewide |
Crappie (Black and White) | 25 | min. 10” | Statewide |
Yellow Perch | 50 | min. None | Statewide |
Sunfish (Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Redbreast Sunfish) | 25 | min. None | Statewide |
Lake Whitefish | 5 | min. None | Statewide |
American Shad | 2 | min. None | Statewide |
Hickory Shad | 5 | min. None | Statewide |
American Eel | 25 | min. 9” | Statewide |
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide lake rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this rule applies
This water is not yet drawn on the map. Its rules are captured and receipted; the geometry ledger records exactly why it is not drawn (an ambiguous name match or a gap in the source data), and it will never ship as a guess. Each rule above describes in the state's own words where it applies, and those written descriptions are the authoritative boundaries.
Season at a glanceDerived
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Lake Erie and tributaries's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
Receipts
Local services near Lake Erie and tributaries
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Lake Erie and tributaries? Get listed.