Fishing · Ontario

Ontario FMZ 18 — Sport Fishing Regulations

Ontario Fisheries Management Zone 18 (FMZ 18) sport-fishing rules for licence year 2026: seasons, S-n and C-n limits, exceptions and sanctuaries — reproduced from the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary HTML, with citations. The Summary is not the law.

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Official source (Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary): https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-fishing-regulations-summary/fisheries-management-zone-18

Data retrieved: 2026-09-01 · HTML last updated 2026-08-04 · Licence year 2026 (calendar). 18 of 18 zone-wide species included. The Ontario HTML for this FMZ lists no waterbody exceptions. This is not complete Ontario.

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Reproduction of the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary. The Summary is not the law. Always verify with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Fish ON-Line before you fish. Crown copyright.

General information

Refer to general fishing regulations for more information on how to use this summary.
FMZ 18 is part of the Southern Bait Management Zone ( BMZ ). Live or dead baitfish or leeches may not be transported into or out of a BMZ . These rules do not apply to baitfish and leeches which are both dead and preserved. Refer to bait for more details.

Zone-wide rules

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Aggregate limits for trout and salmon (including splake)	S-5 and C-2; total daily catch and possession limit for all trout and salmon species combined

closed all year

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Atlantic salmon
Lake sturgeon

open all year

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Brook trout	S-5 and C-2
Brown trout	S-5 and C-2
Channel catfish	S-12 and C-6
Crappie	S-30 and C-10
Lake whitefish	S-12 and C-6
Pacific salmon	S-5 and C-2
Rainbow trout	S-5 and C-2
Splake	S-5 and C-2
Sunfish	S-300; only 30 may be greater than 18 centimetres, and C-15
Yellow perch	S-50 and C-25

fourth Saturday in May to September 8

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Lake trout	S-2 and C-1

third Saturday in June to December 15

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined	S-6 and C-2

1st Saturday in June to December 15

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Muskellunge	S-1; must be greater than 91 centimetres, and C-0	must be greater than 91 centimetres

January 1 to March 31 and second Saturday in May to December 31

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Northern pike	S-6 and C-2

January 1 to March 1 and second Saturday in May to December 31

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Walleye and sauger combined	S-4 and C-2; must be between 40-50 centimetres

Species exceptions

Lake trout

open all year Ashden Lake (Ashby White Lake) (45°08′59″ N , 77°22′00″ W ) Big Ohlmann (45°03′18″ N , 77°00′23″ W ) Camp Lake (45°04′54″ N , 76°57′39″ W ) Freen Lake (44°45′25″ N , 77°44′53″ W ) Grimsthorpe Lake (44°52′29″ N , 77°23′29″ W ) Hungry Lake (44°48′23″ N , 76°53′18″ W ) Little Green Lake (44°57′37″ N , 76°53′06″ W ) Long Mallory Lake (44°59′59″ N , 77°09′48″ W ) Long Schooner Lake (45°06′15″ N , 76°58′41″ W ) Loughborough Lake (44°27′00″ N , 76°25′00″ W ) Mackie Lake (45°04′38″ N , 76°59′18″ W ) Potspoon Lake (44°36′13″ N , 76°34′56″ W ) Redhorse Lake (44°32′21″ N , 76°05′02″ W ) Reid Lake (45°04′15″ N , 76°55′59″ W ) Round Schooner Lake (45°07′12″ N , 76°59′14″ W ) Shabomeka Lake (44°53′33″ N , 77°08′10″ W ) Silver Lake (44°49′48″ N , 76°35′46″ W ) Simpson Lake (45°09′24″ N , 77°24′13″ W ) Trout Lake (45°08′58″ N , 77°26′08″ W )

Ashden Lake (Ashby White Lake) (45°08′59″ N , 77°22′00″ W )
Big Ohlmann (45°03′18″ N , 77°00′23″ W )
Camp Lake (45°04′54″ N , 76°57′39″ W )
Freen Lake (44°45′25″ N , 77°44′53″ W )
Grimsthorpe Lake (44°52′29″ N , 77°23′29″ W )
Hungry Lake (44°48′23″ N , 76°53′18″ W )
Little Green Lake (44°57′37″ N , 76°53′06″ W )
Long Mallory Lake (44°59′59″ N , 77°09′48″ W )
Long Schooner Lake (45°06′15″ N , 76°58′41″ W )
Loughborough Lake (44°27′00″ N , 76°25′00″ W )
Mackie Lake (45°04′38″ N , 76°59′18″ W )
Potspoon Lake (44°36′13″ N , 76°34′56″ W )
Redhorse Lake (44°32′21″ N , 76°05′02″ W )
Reid Lake (45°04′15″ N , 76°55′59″ W )
Round Schooner Lake (45°07′12″ N , 76°59′14″ W )
Shabomeka Lake (44°53′33″ N , 77°08′10″ W )
Silver Lake (44°49′48″ N , 76°35′46″ W )
Simpson Lake (45°09′24″ N , 77°24′13″ W )
Trout Lake (45°08′58″ N , 77°26′08″ W )

Muskellunge

· S-1; must be greater than 102 centimetres, and C-0 Moira Lake (44°29′14″ N , 77°27′13″ W ) - Huntingdon Township Moira River - from the first dam above Lake Ontario (City of Belleville) upstream to Highway 7 Stoco Lake (44°28′15″ N , 77°17′29″ W ) Limits : S-1; must be greater than 112 centimetres, and C-0 Rideau River

Moira Lake (44°29′14″ N , 77°27′13″ W ) - Huntingdon Township
Moira River - from the first dam above Lake Ontario (City of Belleville) upstream to Highway 7
Stoco Lake (44°28′15″ N , 77°17′29″ W )
Rideau River

Yellow perch

January 1 to March 31 and second Saturday in May to December 31 Lancaster and Charlottenburgh Townships (South Glengarry Township) and the City of Cornwall - all waters

Lancaster and Charlottenburgh Townships (South Glengarry Township) and the City of Cornwall - all waters

Bait restrictions

FMZ 18 is part of the Southern Bait Management Zone ( BMZ ). Live or dead baitfish or leeches may not be transported into or out of a BMZ . These rules do not apply to baitfish and leeches which are both dead and preserved. Refer to bait for more details.

Fish sanctuaries

No fishing - closed all year

Big Rideau Lake - Bastard and Burgess Townships, The Bog and Long Island
Newboro Lake - North Crosby and South Crosby Townships, Old Iron Mine Bay
Newboro Lake - South Crosby Township, The Bog
Opinicon Lake - Storrington Township, Darlings Bay
Opinicon Lake - South Crosby Township, Murphy Bay
Sand Lake - South Crosby Township, Freeman’s Bay
Westport Pond - North Crosby Township
White Lake - Olden Township
Whitefish Lake - South Crosby Township, Jones Falls Bay

No fishing - January 1 to Friday before third Saturday in June and December 16 to December 31

Lingham Lake - Grimsthorpe Township
Sand Lake - North Crosby Township, that part lying in Lots 15 and 16 in Concession 9 and Lot 15 in Concession 8, and the waters of the river flowing between Wolfe Lake and Sand Lake

No fishing - March 1 to Friday before second Saturday in May

Christie Lake - in Lot 3, Concession 3 (Bathurst Township) and the Tay River from Christie Lake downstream to the bridge at Lot 7, Concession 2 (Bathurst Township)
Crotch Lake and Mississippi River - Palmerston Township, from Sidedam Rapids to north shore of Skull Island including McLean’s Bay
Dalhousie Lake and Mississippi River - Dalhousie Township, within a 300 metres radius of the bridge of the Township road crossing the Mississippi River where it enters Dalhousie Lake
Hoople Creek - Osnabruck Township
Indian River and Clayton Lake - within a 300 metres radius of the Command Bridge crossing the Indian River where it enters Clayton Lake (Lanark Township)
Mississippi River - Drummond Township, from 240.8 metres west of Main Street in Innisville to Mississippi Lake
Mississippi River - Pakenham Township, between the falls in the Town of Almonte and upstream side of bridge on Lanark County Road 20
Raisin River - those portions of the river in the Village of Martintown and Lot 43, Concession 1, north side of Raisin River (Charlottenburgh Township)
South Nation River - Cambridge Township, Coupal’s dam in Casselman downstream to the westerly limit of Lot 11, Concession 5
South Nation River - Hamlet of Crysler in Finch Township
South Nation River - North Plantagenet Township, between north side of Concession 4 and a point 30.5 metres upstream of C.P.R. right-of-way located south of Station Street
South Nation River - Village of Chesterville in Winchester Township