Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2017 - 32

2018 SEASONS, SIZES and CREEL LIMITS
COMMONWEALTH INLAND WATERS-2018

(includes the Youghiogheny River Lake and does not include special regulation areas.)

Seasons
Species
Regional
Opening
Day
of Trout Season* - March 31 at
ALL SPECIES OF TROUT AND SALMON
8 a.m. through Sept. 3 (only 18 southeastern PA counties)
Regular Season - April 14 at 8 a.m. through Sept. 3

Additional regulations may applysee Trout Regulations for stream sections that
are both Stocked Trout Waters and Class A Wild
Trout Waters.

BASS-LAKES
Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spotted
Additional regulations may apply.

BASS-RIVERS AND STREAMS
Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spotted
Additional regulations may apply.

Muskellunge and Tiger Muskellunge**
Pickerel**
Northern Pike**
Walleye and Saugeye (Hybrids)
Sauger
American Shad***
American Shad
American Shad
River Herring***
Hickory Shad***
Herring, Gizzard Shad
American Eel
Striped Bass and Striped Bass/
White Bass Hybrids

Extended Season: Stocked trout waters and all
waters downstream of stocked trout waters.
Jan. 1 through Feb. 28 and Sept. 4 through Dec. 31
Extended Season: Class A wild trout stream sections.
Jan. 1 through Feb. 28 and Sept. 4 through Dec. 31
Jan. 1 through April 13 and Nov. 1 through Dec. 31
April 14 through June 15

Minimum Size
7 inches
7 inches
7 inches

NO HARVEST - Catch and immediate release only

Class A stream listing: http://www.fishandboat.com/classa.pdf

4 (combined species)
15 inches
NO HARVEST - Catch and immediate release only
(no tournaments permitted)

June 16 through Oct. 31
Jan. 1 through April 13 and Oct. 1 through Dec. 31
April 14 through June 15

12 inches
15 inches

June 16 through Sept. 30
Open year-round

12 inches
40 inches
18 inches
24 inches
15 inches
12 inches

Jan. 1 through March 14 and May 5 through Dec. 31
Jan. 1 through March 14 and May 5 through Dec. 31

Daily Limit
5-streams, lakes and ponds
(combined species)
5-streams, lakes and ponds
(combined species)
3 (combined species)

See catch-and-release guidelines.

6 (combined species)
4 (combined species)

NO HARVEST - Catch and immediate release only
(no tournaments permitted)
6 (combined species)
1 (combined species)
4
2
6
6
3

No minimum
Open year-round
Open year-round - Lehigh River, Schuylkill River**** and tributaries NO HARVEST - Catch and immediate release only
CLOSED YEAR-ROUND
Susquehanna River and tributaries
CLOSED YEAR-ROUND

Open year-round
Open year-round
Open year-round

No minimum
9 inches
20 inches

50 (combined species)

Sunfish, Yellow Perch, White Perch, Crappies, Open year-round
Catfish, Rock Bass, Suckers, Carp, White Bass,
Bowfin and other gamefish not otherwise listed

No minimum

50 (combined species)

No minimum
No minimum

50 (combined species)

Additional regulations may apply- see Panfish
Enhancement Special Regulations.

Baitfish/Fishbait*****(except Mudbugs/includes Crayfish) Open year-round
Open year-round
Mudbugs (Dragonfly Nymphs)
Mussels/Clams
Paddlefish, Spotted Gar and other
threatened and endangered species
SEASONS, SIZES AND CREEL LIMITS - Except for trout season,
which begins at 8 a.m., all regulatory periods in the fishing regulations
are based on the calendar day, one of which ends at midnight and
the next of which begins immediately thereafter.
*Includes only those waters in 18 southeastern PA counties and
four waters crossing from those counties listed in the Regional
Opening Day of Trout Season Program.
**Except those species in waters listed in the Brood Stock
Lakes Program. Tiger Muskellunge is a muskellunge hybrid.
***Unlawful to take, catch or kill American Shad, in the Susquehanna
River and all its tributaries. River Herring (Alewife and Blueback
Herring) has a closed year-round season with zero daily limit
applied to Susquehanna River and tributaries, Lehigh River
and tributaries, Schuylkill River and tributaries, West Branch
Delaware River, Delaware River, Delaware estuary, Delaware
River tributaries upstream to the limit of the tidal influence, and
Conowingo Reservoir.
****Lehigh River upstream of the first dam in Easton, Pennsylvania

25
2 (combined species)

Unlimited if taken from lakes, ponds, swamps
and adjacent areas. 50 per day if taken from
moving waters (rivers and streams)

CLOSED YEAR-ROUND
CLOSED YEAR-ROUND
and its tributaries and the Schuylkill River upstream of the I-95 Bridge
and its tributaries.
NOTES: It is not a violation of the bass regulations if a bass is immediately
returned unharmed to the waters from which it was taken. It is unlawful
for an angler to cast repeatedly into a clearly visible bass spawning nest
or redd in an effort to catch or take bass.
For bass regulations, power dam pools and recreational dam pools on
the Susquehanna River and navigational dam pools on the Ohio River
drainage are "rivers." It is unlawful to conduct a fishing tournament on
the North Branch, West Branch or main stem of the Susquehanna River
that allows a tournament angler to harvest bass.
Stocked trout waters are closed to fishing from March 1 to the opening
day of the regular trout season in April, unless included in the Regional
Opening Day of Trout Season Program or Stocked Trout Waters open
to Year-Round Fishing Program.
Landlocked Alewife less than 8 inches in length taken from inland ponds,
lakes or reservoirs that are collected by legal means may be harvested
for use as baitfish.

It is legal to fish for trout in Class A trout streams year-round,
with no harvest beginning the day after Labor Day through the
opening day of trout season the following year. The exception
is those stream sections designated as both Class A Wild Trout
Streams and Stocked Trout Waters. These stream sections
are closed to fishing from March 1 until 8 a.m. on the opening
day of trout season.
*****BAITFISH includes all forms of minnows; suckers, chubs,
Fallfish, lampreys; Gizzard Shad 8 inches or less; and all forms
of darters, killifishes and stonecats (except those listed as threatened or endangered species). Legally taken gamefish may be
used as bait. It is unlawful to use or possess goldfish, comets,
koi and Common Carp as baitfish while fishing. FISHBAIT
includes crayfish, crabs, and the nymphs, larvae and pupae
of all insects spending any part of their life cycle in the water.
For all crayfish species, the head must be immediately
removed behind the eyes upon capture unless used as bait in
the water from which taken.

http://www.fishandboat.com/classa.pdf

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2017