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General Law & Limit Information

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General Law

General Law applies unless otherwise specified. Please refer to individual waters for more detail.

Seasons

See Southern and Eastern Counties and Northern and Western Counties.

The daily bag, possession and minimum length limits on this page apply to waters open to fishing that DO NOT have special rules stating otherwise. See Special Rules (S-Codes) .

LANDLOCKED SALMON, TROUT, TOGUE (LAKE TROUT) Daily Bag & Possession Limits
The term “trout” when used alone includes brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, splake and Arctic Charr (Sunapee trout and blueback trout) The term “brook trout” also includes splake and Arctic Charr (Sunapee Trout and Blueback Trout).
DAILY BAG & POSSESSION LIMITS	MINIMUM LEGAL LENGTHS
DAILY BAG & POSSESSION LIMITS	Lakes & Ponds	Rivers, Brooks & Streams
5 Brook Trout A,B (includes Splake and Arctic Charr)	6 inches	6 inches
2 Landlocked SalmonA	14 inchesC	14 inchesC
2 Togue (Lake Trout)A	18 inches	18 inches
2 Brown TroutA	14 inchesC	6 inchesC
2 Rainbow TroutA	12 inches	6 inches
A. Important…From August 16 – September 30, fishing on rivers, brooks, and streams statewide is restricted to the use of artificial lures only and the combined daily bag limit for trout, landlocked salmon, and togue (lake trout) is 1 fish. B. Important…On lakes and ponds in Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, Penobscot, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington and York counties the daily bag limit on brook trout is 2 fish. C. In Washington County – except West Grand, East Grand, Spednic, Cathance, Nash, Lower Sysladobsis and East Musquash Lakes – the maximum length limit on landlocked salmon and brown trout is 25 inches.

Bass (Largemouth and Smallmouth)

Date	Daily Bag Limit	Minimum Length Limit
April 1 – June 30	1 fish; artificial lures only	10 inches
July 1 – September 30	3 fish	10 inches, only 1 exceeding 14 inches
October 1 – March 31	1 fish	10 inches

Other Species

Species	Daily Bag Limit	Minimum Length Limit
Pickerel	10 fish	None
Whitefish	3 fish	None
Smelts	2 quarts	None (see laws & definitions)
Northern Pike	Unlimited	None
Muskellunge	Unlimited	None
American eel	50 fish	6 inches
Shad	2 fish	None
Striped Bass	1 fish	Between 20 and 26 inches in total length, or 40 inches or greater in total length.
Atlantic Salmon	See saltwater fishing.
Alewife	25 fish (see laws & definitions)	None
Species not listed above	Unlimited	None

Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.

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This is not the full law. Consult the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife for further details. All persons are reminded that the statutes, code and regulations are the legal authorities.

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