2026 regulation year
Ohio Yellow perch 2026 — Season, Bag Limit, Size Rules
Perca flavescens
Last updated
Yellow perch are Lake Erie's second pillar — the open-water summer jumbo-perch fishery off Cleveland, Lorain, Geneva, and Conneaut is the headline. Ohio's portion of Lake Erie is split into four management zones (Western, West-Central, Central, Eastern), and the Lake Erie Committee sets a daily bag for each zone each spring based on the prior year's hatch + survey results. Inland yellow perch are a 30 / day fishery with no size minimum.
Season
Open year-round Open year-round on Lake Erie + inland waters. Lake Erie zone-specific bag set each spring.
Bag & possession
- Daily bag
- Lake Erie: zone-specific (typically 10–30 / day depending on zone + year); inland: 30 / day
- Possession
- Twice daily bag
Size, slot, trophy rules
- Size
- No statewide minimum length
Gear restrictions
- Lake Erie: max 2 lines per angler; max 3 hooks per line
- Ohio licence covers all four Lake Erie management zones
- Confirm current-year zone bag at the start of each season — published by Lake Erie Committee in March
Named water-body overrides
Where statewide rules differ on specific Ohio waters:
Lake Erie (Western basin)
Zone-specific daily bag; confirm current year at ohiodnr.gov
Lake Erie (West-Central basin)
Zone-specific daily bag; confirm current year
Lake Erie (Central basin)
Zone-specific daily bag; the headline jumbo perch zone
Lake Erie (Eastern basin)
Zone-specific daily bag; Conneaut + Ashtabula
Inland lakes
30 / day, no size minimum
Official source
Ohio Department of Natural Resources — Division of Wildlife publishes the authoritative 2026 Ohiofishing regulations. Always verify the current rule before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override what's published here.