Lake George/Lake Champlain Regulations

New York Fishing

Lake George — including all tributaries upstream to the first barrier impassible by fish.
Species	Open Season	Minimum Length	Daily Limit	Method
Trout	All year	Any size	5	Ice fishing permitted
Lake Trout	All year	23″	2
LL Salmon	All year	18″	2
Smelt	May 16-Mar 31	Any size	25
Smelt	Apr 1-May 15	Use and possession prohibited
Additional Lake George Tributary Regulations upstream to the first barrier impassible by fish: Oct. 1 – Mar 31: Fishing Prohibited Apr 1 – May 15: No fishing between 10 pm – 5 am Dip-netting for smelt is prohibited.

Lake Champlain — including all tributaries upstream to the first barrier impassable by fish. Contact Region 5 DEC Regional Office at Ray Brook for barrier locations.
Species	Open Season	Minimum Length	Daily Limit
Trout	All year	12″	3
Lake Trout	All year	15″	3
Landlocked Salmon	All year	15″	2
Black Bass	2nd Sat in June though Nov 30	10″	5
Black Bass	Dec 1 through the Fri preceding the 2nd Sat in June	Catch and release only	Artificial lures only
Walleye	1st Sat in May through March 15	18″	3
Northern Pike	All year	20″	5
Muskellunge	Last Sat in May through Nov 30	40″	1
Pickerel	All year	Any size	10
Crappie	All year	8″	25
Yellow Perch and Sunfish	All year	Any size	Any number
Bullheads, Catfish, Carp, Cisco, Rock Bass, Smelt, Suckers, Whitefish, and all other fish not listed in this table.	All year	Any size	Any number
Lake Sturgeon, Mooneye and Sauger	Possession Prohibited
Notes: No more than 2 lines per person. Each fishing line may have no more than 2 baited hooks or 2 artificial lures, with or without added natural bait. No more than 15 ice-fishing lines may be used for ice fishing from Nov 15 – April 30.

Additional Lake Champlain Tributary Regulations
Stream Section	Regulations
Saranac River from Catherine Street bridge upstream to Imperial Dam. Ausable River beginning at the marked boundary 800 feet west of the first road bridge upstream from Lake Champlain, continuing upstream and ending at Rainbow Falls.	Angling from boats prohibited.
Saranac River from Catherine Street bridge upstream to Imperial Dam. Ausable River from D & H railroad bridge upstream to Rainbow Falls. Boquet River from mouth upstream to Wadhams Falls. North Branch Boquet and tributaries from mouth to first upstream barrier. Note additional sections closed below.	From June 15 through Dec 31: Maximum hook gap 1/2 inch. Fishing prohibited from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise. Fishing permitted with unweighted artificial flies or unweighted natural baits only (see definitions). Exception: On the Saranac River, floating lures with one free-swinging hook permitted. No supplement weight, such as metal leaders, sinkers, split shot, twist-ons, or swivels may be attached to line, leader, or hook.
North Branch Boquet River and tributaries to first barrier; Mill Brook (in Port Henry) from mouth to falls west of Route 22.	Fishing prohibited from October 1 through Dec 31 to protect spawning salmon.
Boquet River from the Route 22 bridge in Willsboro downstream approximately 1500 feet to the marked boundary at the base of the cascades. Ausable Boat Basin pool at mouth of Ausable Chasm as posted on site.	Fishing prohibited to protect migrating landlocked salmon.
Chazy River from Route 9B at Coopersville upstream to Perrys Mills Dam.	Fishing prohibited March 16 through the opening of walleye season in May to protect spawning walleye

Attention Lake Champlain Anglers

Lake Champlain Reciprocal Agreement: Anglers with either a New York or Vermont fishing license may fish in the “Main Lake” and “South Lake” portions of Lake Champlain between New York and Vermont. South Bay in New York, and the Inland Sea, Mallett’s Bay and Missisquoi Bay (including the area between North and South Hero Island commonly referred to as “The Gut”) in Vermont are not included in the agreement. Anglers fishing on these waters must have a fishing license from the state in which the waterway is located. Shore fishing along the lake portions noted above is permitted as part of the agreement. Rivers that flow into Lake Champlain are not included in the reciprocal agreement.