Ohio River
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Ohio River, as the state words them
Harrison County · River · IN
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Gear
- Each line may have no more than three single- or multi-pronged hooks, three artificial lures, or a combination of three hooks and artificial lures.Statewide
- Bait
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Poles
- You may not fish with more than three poles or hand lines at a time.Statewide
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Crayfish | cannot transport more than 100 crayfish across the state line in a 24-hour period unless commercially raising crayfish | - | Statewide |
largemouth bass Varies by water: largemouth bass that are from 12 to 15 inches in length may not be harvested. The daily bag limit applies to bass under 12 inches and over 15 inches. (Buffalo Trace Lake); No minimum size limit (Brownstown Pit) | two fish daily bag limit | min. 18-inch minimum size limit | Statewide |
Muskellunge 6 and Tiger Muskellunge 6 | 1 muskellunge or 1 tiger muskellunge | min. 36 inches 2 | Statewide |
Northern Pike | 3 3 | min. 24 inches; no more than one 30 inches or longer 4 | Statewide |
Yellow Perch | Unlimited (15 only on Lake Michigan) | min. None | Statewide |
Bullhead | Unlimited | min. None | Statewide |
Shovelnose Sturgeon | Unlimited | min. 25 inches (fork length) | This water |
Sauger | included in the aggregate bag limit for walleye and saugeye | - | Statewide |
Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout | 5, any combination of brook, rainbow, or brown trout; no more than one may be brown trout | min. 7 inches* | Statewide |
Eastern Snapping Turtle | 4, 12-inch minimum carapace length, any combination of game turtle | min. 12-inch minimum carapace length | Statewide |
Bull Frog, Green Frog | 25, any combination of bull or green frog | - | Statewide |
Rock Bass | 15 | min. None | This water |
Blue Catfish | Unlimited | min. 13 inches; no more than one may be 35 inches or longer | This water |
Channel Catfish | Unlimited | min. 13 inches; no more than one may be 28 inches or longer | This water |
Flathead Catfish | Unlimited | min. 13 inches; no more than one may be 35 inches or longer | This water |
Crappie | 30 | min. None | This water |
The official text, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from IN'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.
- All fishThe reciprocal agreement allows residents of either state to fish the river proper (main stem) with either state's fishing license. If you are fishing in a connecting tributary/embayment you'll need to have a fishing license for that particular state.
- Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted BassDaily limit 6, any combination of largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bassSize 12 inchesNo size limit on spotted bass
- Hybrid Striped Bass, Striped Bass, White Bass, Yellow BassDaily limit 30, any combination of hybrid, striped, white, or yellow bassNo more than four fish may be 15 inches or longer
- Rock BassDaily limit 15Size None
- Blue CatfishDaily limit UnlimitedSize 13 inches; no more than one may be 35 inches or longer
- Channel CatfishDaily limit UnlimitedSize 13 inches; no more than one may be 28 inches or longer
- Flathead CatfishDaily limit UnlimitedSize 13 inches; no more than one may be 35 inches or longer
- CrappieDaily limit 30Size None
- Muskellunge, Tiger MuskellungeDaily limit 2, any combination of muskellunge or tiger muskellungeSize 30 inches
- All fishDaily limit 6, any combination of walleye, sauger, or hybrid walleyeSize 14 inches
- Shovelnose SturgeonDaily limit UnlimitedSize 25 inches (fork length)
- All fishGear Trot lines must be checked at least once every 24 hours and set at least 3 feet below the water surface; each set line and trot line must have affixed at least one legible tag marked with the name and address of the user or the individual's DNR-issued Customer ID number
- All fishGear Snagging prohibited
- Invasive carp, bowfin, buffalo fish, common carp, gar, shad, suckersGear Long bow, compound bow, and crossbow with an arrow having one or more barbs and attached to a line
- All fishGear Fish spear, spear gun, and underwater spear
- Minnows, CrayfishGear A minnow trap that does not exceed 3 feet long and 18 inches in diameter and does not have a throat opening greater than 2 inches in diameter
- All fishGear A dip net no more than 3 feet in diameter
- All fishGear A minnow seine no more than 30 feet long and 6 feet deep that does not have a mesh size larger than ¼ inch bar mesh
- All fishGear A cast net not to exceed 20 feet in diameter that does not have a mesh size larger than ¾ inch stretch
- All fishFeb. 1 to May 10 (out of season today)Gear Gigging with any pronged or barbed instrument attached to the end of a rigid object; cannot take a fish by gigging from either a boat or platform
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river 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 stretch begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 48,400 cfs at ohio river at cincinnati, oh (2026-07-29 04:00)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Ohio River'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 Ohio River
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 Ohio River? Get listed.