General Law & Limit Information
General Law
General Law applies to all water bodies unless there are other more specific regulations listed. The General Law Provisions are stated below.
General Law Seasons
For Southern and Eastern Counties, see Fishing Rules for Maine Counties and Southern & Eastern Counties.
For Northern and Western Counties, see Fishing Rules for Maine Counties and Northern & Western Counties.
General Law terminal gear
The use of all legal forms of bait, artificial lures, and artificial flies is permitted.
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.
Special Rules (S-Codes) can be found on Special Rules for Ice Fishing
& Open Water Fishing-(S Codes).
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LANDLOCKED SALMON, TROUT, TOGUE (LAKE TROUT) |
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The term “trout” when used alone includes brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, splake and Arctic char (Sunapee trout and blueback trout). The term “brook trout” also includes splake and Arctic char (Sunapee Trout and Blueback Trout). |
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DAILY BAG & POSSESSION LIMITS |
MINIMUM LEGAL LENGTHS |
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Lakes & Ponds |
Rivers, Brooks & Streams |
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5 Brook Trout A,B (includes Splake and Arctic char) |
6 inches |
6 inches |
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2 Landlocked SalmonA |
14 inchesC |
14 inchesC |
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2 Togue (Lake Trout)A |
18 inches |
18 inches |
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2 Brown TroutA |
14 inchesC |
6 inchesC |
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2 Rainbow TroutA |
12 inches |
6 inches |
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A. Important…From August 16 – September 30, fishing on rivers, brooks, and streams statewide is restricted to the use of artificial lures only and a total daily bag limit of landlocked salmon, trout and togue: 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 Hancock and Washington counties the maximum length limit on landlocked salmon and brown trout is 25 inches. Several lakes in each county are exempt from this rule. Please refer to Southern & Eastern Counties for Hancock County and Washington County information. |
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Bass (Largemouth and Smallmouth) |
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Date |
Daily Bag Limit |
Minimum Length Limit |
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April 1 – June 30 |
1 fish; artificial lures only |
10 inches |
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July 1 – September 30 |
3 fish |
10 inches, only 1 exceeding 14 inches |
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October 1 – March 31 |
1 fish |
10 inches |
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Other Species |
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Species |
Daily Bag Limit |
Minimum Length Limit |
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Pickerel |
10 fish |
None |
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Whitefish |
3 fish |
None |
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Smelts |
2 quarts alive |
None |
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Northern Pike |
Unlimited |
None |
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Muskellunge |
Unlimited |
None |
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American eel |
50 fish |
6 inches |
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Shad |
2 fish |
None |
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Striped Bass |
1 fish |
Between 20 and 26 inches |
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Atlantic Salmon |
Federally Endangered Species – No Fishing Permitted, please refer to Saltwater Fishing for more information |
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Alewife |
25 fish (see Laws & Definitions) |
None |
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Species not listed above |
Unlimited |
None |
Regulations in red are new this year.
Purple text indicates an important note.
