Lake Erie

Lake South Western Ontario FMZ 19 Crown Land (Free)

About this spot

Lake Erie is a lake in the South Western Ontario area of Ontario, in Fisheries Management Zone 19. MNR fish surveys (2001–2013) recorded 24 species here, including rock bass, brown bullhead and largemouth bass. This waterbody sits on Ontario Crown land open to anglers holding a valid Ontario fishing licence.

Location

Fish Species

Rock Bass Catfish Largemouth Bass Bluegill Yellow Perch Smallmouth Bass White Perch Common Carp

No species reported for this spot yet.

Lake data from Ontario government surveys

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources holds 24 fish survey records from 2001 to 2013. Survey methods: Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol Electrofishing.

Species recorded (24)

Emerald Shiner · 16 Banded Killifish · 10 Rock Bass · 10 Brook Silverside · 9 Brown Bullhead · 8 Tadpole Madtom · 8 Largemouth Bass · 7 Bluegill · 6 Round Goby · 5 Sand Shiner · 5 Yellow Perch · 5 Alewife · 3 Spottail Shiner · 3 Golden Shiner · 2 Common Shiner · 2 Smallmouth Bass · 2 Spotfin Shiner · 2 White Bass · 2 White Perch · 2 Common Carp · 1 Logperch · 1 Pumpkinseed · 1 Mimic Shiner · 1 Bowfin · 1

Number of survey records that list the species.

Sources: Land Information Ontario — Aquatic Resource Area survey points, Bathymetry Index and Bathymetry Line, Fisheries Management Zones, Fishing Access Points. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.

Fisheries Management Zone 19

Lake Erie is in Fisheries Management Zone 19. Open seasons, catch limits and size limits in Ontario are set zone by zone, and some lakes carry their own exceptions, so check the FMZ 19 rules before you fish.

FMZ 19 regulations on ontario.ca

Ice fishing on Lake Erie (2026–27)

Ontario has no separate ice fishing season: the regular open seasons apply through the ice. Lake Erie is in Fisheries Management Zone 19, where 12 of 15 species groups are open for the whole ice season (December 1 to March 31) under the zone-wide rules. Of the game fish government surveys recorded in this lake, bluegill, pumpkinseed and yellow perch are open at least part of the winter under the zone-wide rules.

Fish sanctuary. The summary lists Lake Erie as a fish sanctuary: No fishing - May 15 to Friday before the fourth Saturday in June. No fishing is allowed during that period, whatever the table below says.

Species	Through the ice	Zone-wide season	Limits
Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined recorded here	Closed	fourth Saturday in June to November 30	S-6 and C-2
Sunfish recorded here	Open	open all year	S-100 and C-50
Yellow perch recorded here	Open	open all year	S-50; in one day, possession limit of 100, and C-25; in one day, possession limit of 50
Atlantic salmon	Open	open all year	S-1 and C-0
Brown trout	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Channel catfish	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Crappie	Open	open all year	S-30 and C-10
Lake sturgeon	Closed	closed all year
Lake trout	Open	January 1 to September 30 and December 1 to December 31	S-3 and C-1
Lake whitefish	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Muskellunge	Part of the season Dec 1 – Dec 15	first Saturday in June to December 15	S-1; must be greater than 112 centimetres, and C-0
Northern pike	Open	open all year	S-6 and C-2
Pacific salmon	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Rainbow trout	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Walleye and sauger combined	Open	open all year	S-6 and C-2

S = sport fishing licence, C = conservation licence (daily catch and possession). Dates are worked out for 2026–27 from the wording of the 2026 summary. Ontario publishes a new summary every January 1, so check the 2027 edition for dates after December 31.

Rules specific to Lake Erie

The 2026 summary lists this lake by name. These rules replace the zone-wide ones above where they overlap.

Fish sanctuary (Walsingham and Norfolk Townships, eastern half of the Inner Long Point Bay): No fishing - May 15 to Friday before the fourth Saturday in June

Ice huts in Zone 19

Huts must be registered (free, once) and show the number outside; fabric shelters under 7 m² are exempt. Remove your hut by March 15, and in any case before the ice breaks up. You may fish with two lines through the ice in most waters, within 60 m and in sight of each.

Zone 19 ice fishing rules Ice fishing in Ontario guide

Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026, Zone 19 (ontario.ca); ice hut rules: ontario.ca/page/ice-fishing. This summary is not the law: check the regulations and local conditions, and never go on ice you have not tested.