Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) Fish
may be taken in any number and of any size unless otherwise restricted by the
Ohio Revised Code or other rules of the wildlife division.
(1) Notwithstanding division (M) of section
1531.01 and section
1533.37 of the Revised Code,
fish may be taken with not more than three hand lines, three units of rod and
line, or a combination of up to three hand lines or units of rod and line in
the aggregate. Provided further, it shall be unlawful for any person at any
time to engage in fishing with more than three hand lines, three units of rod
and line, or more than three hand lines and units of rod and line combined,
either in hand or under control.
(2) Throughout the state, it shall be
unlawful for any person to take or attempt to take fish by the use of
explosives, poisons, firearms, electricity, chemicals, seines, nets, or traps,
except:
(a) Minnows, gizzard shad, and smelt
may be taken with a minnow seine, minnow dip net, or hand landing net;
(b) Minnows and forage fish may be taken with
a cast net;
(c)
Bait fish and crayfish listed in paragraph (A)(1) of
1501:31-13-04 of the Administrative Code may be taken with a minnow or bait
fish trap.
(3)
Throughout the state, fish may be taken only by angling except as provided by
wildlife rule or the Revised Code.
(4) All fish may be taken by hand except
bullheads, catfish, trout and salmon species statewide, and walleye and sauger
in the Maumee and Sandusky rivers.
(5) Throughout the state, it shall be
unlawful for any person to set, use, or maintain tipups, float lines,
trotlines, set lines, bank lines, turtle traps, minnow traps or bait fish
traps, or an ice fishing shelter which does not have attached thereon the name
and address of the owner or user in legible letters in the English language or
the unique division of wildlife customer identification number of the owner or
user legible at all times. Provided further, it shall be unlawful to use an ice
fishing shelter that does not have the owner or user's name and address or
their unique division of wildlife customer identification number exhibited on
the outer part of the structure of an ice fishing shelter.
(6) It shall be unlawful for any person to
set, use or maintain any fishing device having floats or buoys made of glass or
other shatterable material attached thereto.
(7) It shall be unlawful for any person to
release any fish or aquatic invertebrate, including but not limited to
crayfish, snails and insects, into waters of the state, or waters under control
of the division of wildlife, from which it did not originate, without first
obtaining permission from the chief of the division of wildlife.
(8) Sheepshead, carp, grass carp, silver
carp, black carp, big-head carp, quillback, suckers, bowfin, gar, buffalo,
gizzard shad, and goldfish throughout the state are hereby designated as
"forage fish" or "rough fish" and may be taken by any method except as
expressly prohibited in paragraphs (A)(1) and (A)(2) of this rule.
(9) It shall be unlawful for any person to
take or possess any fish not mentioned in paragraph (A)(8) of this rule, which
were taken by snagging, spearing, or shooting.
(10) It shall be unlawful for any person to
use a cast net within a distance of one thousand feet down stream from any dam
posted with division of wildlife signs indicating cast net use is prohibited.
Provided further it shall be unlawful to use cast nets with a square mesh less
than one-quarter inch on a side or larger than one-inch on a side, and with a
diameter larger than ten feet, to take forage fish.
(11) It shall be unlawful to set or maintain
any device for rearing, culturing or raising aquatic animals into waters of the
state or waters under control of the division of wildlife.
(B) Ice fishing.
(1) In the inland fishing district it shall
be unlawful for any person to cut or fish through a hole in the ice which has a
diameter that exceeds twelve inches.
(2) Throughout the state, it shall be
unlawful for any person to use more than six tip- ups while fishing through the
ice.
(3) In the lake Erie fishing
district, it shall be unlawful for any person to cut or fish through a hole in
the ice which has a width that exceeds twelve inches.
(C) It shall be unlawful for any person,
other than authorized division employees, to remove fish from, tamper with,
destroy in any manner, or possess any fishing device set, maintained, or owned
by the division of wildlife.
(D) It
shall be unlawful for any person to engage in fishing at any time other than
from sunrise to sunset daily from March first through April thirtieth, in the
following areas:
(1) Maumee river from the
Ohio turnpike bridge upstream to the Old Waterville interurban bridge at the
end of Forst road in Wood county.
(2) Maumee river from the state route 295
bridge upstream to the Grand Rapids Providence dam.
(3) Sandusky river from the Waterworks dam,
city of Tiffin, Seneca county to the northern tip of Brady's island in Sandusky
county.
(4) Portage river from the
state route 19 bridge upstream to the dam at Elmore.
(5) Mahoning river from the dam at Berlin
reservoir to lake Milton.
(E) It shall be unlawful for any person,
while fishing from March first through April thirtieth, to have attached to
their line:
(1) More than one single hook
or;
(2) Any double hook
or;
(3) Any treble hook
or;
(4) More than one lure
or;
(5) Any lure having more than
one single hook or;
(6) Any hook
larger than one-half inch from shank to point;
In the following areas of the lake Erie sport fishing
district:
(a) Maumee river from the
Grand Rapids Providence dam to a line in Maumee bay from Little cedar point to
Turtle island.
(b) Sandusky river
from the Waterworks dam, city of Tiffin, Seneca county to a line in Sandusky
bay that runs one quarter mile east of and parallel to the full length of the
railroad bridge in Sandusky bay (from N 41 degrees 29' 35.4", W 82 degrees 49'
18.0" to N 41 degrees 28' 02.4", w 82 degrees 47' 58.2").
(c) Portage river from the state route 19
bridge upstream to the dam at Elmore.
(d) Mahoning river from the dam at Berlin
reservoir to lake Milton.
(F) It shall be unlawful for any person at
any time to place or dispose of a dead fish in a stream, river, pond, lake, or
any other body of water or upon the banks thereof, except dead fish or parts of
fish may be used as bait or a lure.
(G) It shall be unlawful for any person to
sell any fish taken from any waters in the state wherein an Ohio fishing
license is required by section
1533.32 of the Revised Code
except:
Fish lawfully taken pursuant to a license or permit issued
under section 1533.34,
1533.35 or
1533.40 of the Revised
Code.
(H) It shall be
unlawful for any person to take or possess paddlefish in or within two thousand
feet of Deer creek reservoir and dam, Paint creek reservoir and dam, Caesar
creek reservoir and dam, and East Fork reservoir and dam.
(I)
Unless otherwise
provided, the provisions of this rule, rule 1501:31-13-02, rule 1501:31-13-08,
and rule
1501:31-13-09 of the
Administrative Code apply to those waters in the state wherein an Ohio fishing
license is required by section
1533.32 of the Revised Code,
including privately owned ponds, lakes, or reservoirs that are open to public
fishing through an agreement or lease with the division of
wildlife.
(J) All definitions set
forth in rule
1501:31-1-02 of the
Administrative Code apply to this rule.
