Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River, and their tributaries
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River, and their 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 combination, not to include more than 2 Rainbow Trout (or Steelhead) in the lake, and not to include more than 1 Rainbow Trout (or Steelhead) and 1 Brown Trout in the tributariesSize 15”, except for Rainbow Trout or Steelhead: 21” in the lake and 25” in tributariesExcept 9” and 3 fish daily for Brown Trout in Irondequoit Creek upstream of the south side of Rte. 286 bridges; Lindsey Creek, and the Black River from Dexter Dam to Mill Street Dam (Jefferson County)
- Lake TroutDec 1–Sept 30Daily limit 2Size None (except no more than 1 shall be between 25” and 30”)
- Atlantic SalmonAll yearDaily limit 1Size 25”
- Brook TroutApril 1-Oct 15Daily limit 5Size none
- Northern Pike (Lake Ontario)May 1–Mar 15Daily limit 5Size 22”
- Black BassStatewide Species Regulations apply, except that fishing for black bass (including Catch and Release) is prohibited Dec 1–June 14 in Lake Ontario and tributaries in Jefferson Co. and the St. Lawrence River and tributaries
- WalleyeMay 1–Mar 15Daily limit 3Size 18”
- Muskellunge and Tiger MuskellungeJune 15–Dec 15Daily limit 1Size 54”
- American EelClosed (dates as written)Possession prohibited
- Yellow PerchAll yearDaily limit 50, except Yellow Perch may be taken in any number in Jefferson County, except Sandy PondSize None
- catfishSale of catfish taken in these waters is prohibited.
- Chinook salmon and coho salmon (eggs)Eggs taken from Chinook salmon and coho salmon caught in these waters may be sold only by sport fishermen for use as bait.
- All fishCross-reference: See Great Lakes & Tributaries Regulations.
- All fishCross-reference: See Great Lakes & Tributaries Regulations
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 Ontario, St. Lawrence River, and their 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 Ontario, St. Lawrence River, and their 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 Ontario, St. Lawrence River, and their tributaries? Get listed.