Fishing · Ontario

Ontario FMZ 20 — Sport Fishing Regulations

Ontario Fisheries Management Zone 20 (FMZ 20) 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-20

Data retrieved: 2026-09-03 · HTML last updated 2026-08-04 · Licence year 2026 (calendar). 20 of 20 zone-wide species included. All 1 waterbody exceptions listed on the Ontario HTML for this FMZ are included. 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

Hamilton Harbour is in Zone 20.
The Niagara River downstream of the falls is in Zone 20.
Refer to general fishing regulations for more information on how to use this summary.
American eel is a specially protected species and may not be caught or possessed under a recreational fishing licence.
The following species are not present in this Zone and are closed to fishing all year:
brook trout
splake
FMZ 20, with the exception of the County of Prince Edward, is part of the Great Lakes. Baitfish and leeches that are both dead and preserved can be transported into and out of BMZs and the Great Lakes.
Baitfish and leeches that are not both dead and preserved may be transported out of: Refer to bait for more details.
an adjacent Bait Management Zone and used in the Great Lakes
the Great Lakes only when dead and preserved, or to be disposed of immediately more than 30 metres from the water

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
Bass	Aggregate bass limits apply ( S-6 and C-2)			Aggregate bass limits apply ( S-6 and C-2)

open all year

Species	Catch limit	Length limit
Atlantic salmon	S-1; must be greater than 63 centimetres, and C-0	must be greater than 63 centimetres
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-2 and C-1
Sunfish	S-100 and C-50
Yellow perch	S-50 and C-25

January 1 to May 10

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Largemouth bass	S-0 and C-0			Early season catch and release
Smallmouth bass	S-0 and C-0			Early season catch and release

third Saturday in June to December 31

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Largemouth bass	S-6 and C-2			Regular season

first Saturday in July to December 31

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Smallmouth bass	S-6 and C-2			Regular season

closed all year

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Lake sturgeon

January 1 to September 30 and December 1 to December 31

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Lake trout	S-3 and C-1

third Saturday in June to December 15

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Muskellunge	S-1; must be greater than 137 centimetres, and C-0	must be greater than 137 centimetres

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

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Gear	Notes
Walleye and sauger combined	S-4 and C-2; not more than 1 greater than 63 centimetres

Species exceptions

Walleye

· S-4 and C-2; no size limit

St. Lawrence River, waters east of a line drawn between Bishops Point and the easternmost tips of Howe and Wolfe Islands, and including Lake St. Francis

Yellow perch

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

Lake St. Francis and the waters of the St. Lawrence River lying east of Robert H. Saunders Generating Station

Waterbody exceptions

Licence year 2026 (calendar). 20 of 20 zone-wide species included. All 1 waterbody exceptions listed on the Ontario HTML for this FMZ are included. This is not complete Ontario.

All waters of FMZ 20

Species	Catch limit	Length limit	Notes
			Two lines may be used when angling from a boat in open water, excluding:
			Hamilton Harbour
			Toronto Harbour
			Frenchman’s Bay
			Murray Canal
			Presqu’ile Bay
			Weller’s Bay
			East Lake
			West Lake
			Bay of Quinte (the waters lying west of the Glenora Ferry)
			St. Lawrence River (waters lying east of a line drawn between Bishops Point and the easternmost tips of Howe and Wolfe islands)
			all other tributaries to Lake Ontario

Bait restrictions

FMZ 20, with the exception of the County of Prince Edward, is part of the Great Lakes. Baitfish and leeches that are both dead and preserved can be transported into and out of BMZs and the Great Lakes.
Baitfish and leeches that are not both dead and preserved may be transported out of: Refer to bait for more details.
an adjacent Bait Management Zone and used in the Great Lakes

Fish sanctuaries

No fishing - April 1 to Friday before first Saturday in May

Consecon Creek - Hillier and Ameliasburgh Townships, from the dam in the Village of Consecon to Weller’s Bay
Consecon Creek - Hillier Township, from Lot 86 in Concession 5 to the mouth of the creek
Moira River and Bay of Quinte - from the Lott Dam downstream, including Belleville Harbour in the Bay of Quinte
Napanee River - Town of Napanee, from the waterfalls at Springside Park downstream to the bridge at Centre Street
Trent River - City of Quinte West, between the first dam north of Lake Ontario downstream to the south side of the Dundas Street bridge and the Trent Canal from Lock Number 1 downstream to where it joins the Trent River