Statewide General Fishing Laws for Inland Waters

A valid fishing license is required. See License Requirements and Fees.

Terminal Gear

North Zone	South Zone
Use or possession of live fish as bait is PROHIBITED. The use of all other legal forms of bait (including worms and dead baitfish/smelts), artificial lures, and artificial flies is PERMITTED.	Use of all legal forms of bait (including live baitfish/smelts), artificial lures, and artificial flies is PERMITTED.

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Seasons

Lakes & Ponds		Rivers, Streams, Brooks
North Zone (See Map)	From April 1 to September 30: Open to open water fishing. From October 1 to March 31: Closed to all fishing.	North and South Zones	From April 1 to August 15: Open to open water fishing. From August 16 to September 30: Open to open water fishing using artificial lures or flies only. General law length and bag limits apply, except daily bag limit one landlocked salmon and one brook trout. From October 1 to March 31: Closed to all fishing.
South Zone (See Map)	January 1 to December 31: Open to ice and open water fishing

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General Law Daily Bag, Possession and Length Limits

The daily bag, possession and minimum length limits in the table below apply to all inland waters open to fishing.

Species	Daily Bag & Possession Limits	Length Limit
		Lakes/Ponds	Rivers, Streams, Brooks
Brook Trout (incudes Splake & Arctic charr)	5 fish Only 2 fish from South Zone lakes & ponds	6 inches minimum	6 inches minimum
Brown Trout	2 fish	14 inches minimum	6" min & 25" max
Rainbow Trout	2 fish	12 inches minimum	6 inches minimum
Landlocked Salmon	2 fish	14 inches minimum	14" min & 25" max
Togue (Lake Trout)	2 fish	18 inches minimum	18 inches minimum
Species	Daily Bag & Possession Limits		Length Limit
Bass (Largemouth & Smallmouth)	North Zone: Unlimited		None
	South Zone: 2 fish		No minimum length. Only 1 may exceed 14 inches.
Whitefish	3 fish		None
Smelts	2 quarts		None
Sea-run Atlantic Salmon, Redfin Pickerel, Swamp Darter	Endangered or Threatened Species - No Fishing Permitted
Striped Bass, Shad, River Herring, American Eel, Sturgeon	See Recreational Angling for Migratory Fish
Inland species not listed above	Unlimited		None

Why have two general fishing law zones?

There are different General Law Season dates, Brook Trout Bag Limits, Terminal Gear Restrictions, and Bass Bag and Length Limits depending on zone, North or South.

The North Zone contains an abundance of wild and native coldwater fish populations, while the South Zone contains predominately stocked and/or warmwater fisheries. The difference in General Fishing Laws reflect the management needs for the two zones, and typically offer additional protection to wild and native resources in the North and more angling opportunity (i.e., fall or year round fishing) in the South.