Special Fishing Regulations for Lake Champlain

Note: Beginning January 1, 2004, a reciprocal license agreement went into effect for that portion of Lake Champlain within Vermont and New York, as described in Vermont's Title 10 V.S.A. 4609 and the Fish and Wildlife Board Regulation.

Fishing Regulations for Lake Champlain

Including all tributaries upstream to the first barrier impassable by fish*
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 - Nov. 30	10"	5
Black Bass	December 1 thru the Friday preceding the 2nd Saturday in June	catch-and-release only	Artificial lures only
Walleye, Sauger	1st Sat. in May - March 15	18"	3 in comination
Muskellunge	All year	30"	1
Northern Pike	All year	20"	5
Pickerel	All year	Any size	10
Crappie	All year	8"	25
Yellow Perch and Sunfish Lake Champlain except Cumberland Bay**	All year	Any size	Any number
Yellow Perch and Sunfish Cumberland Bay**	All year	Any size	50
Bullheads, Catfish, Carp, Cisco, Rock Bass, Smelt, Suckers, Whitefish, Yellow Perch, and all other fish not listed in this table.	All year	Any size	Any number
Lake Sturgeon and Mooneye	Possession Prohibited
Alewives and Blueback Herring	Use or possession for use as bait prohibited

Note: Each fishing line may have no more than two baited hooks or artificial lures with or without added natural bait.

Ice Fishing is permitted to take any species during its open season. Fifteen tip-ups and two hand lines may be used for ice fishing from November 15 through April 30. -----------------------------------------------
*Contact Region 5 DEC Regional Office at Ray Brook for barrier locations.
**Cumberland Bay is defined as those waters of Lake Champlain north and west of a line extending from Cumberland Head Lighthouse to the northern tip of Crab Island, then westerly to the southerly of the two piers at the Oil Terminal known locally as the Copeland Oil Terminal.

Additional Lake Champlain Tributary Regulations

Table listing special fishing regulations for Lake Champlain tributaries
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 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 closed sections below.	From June 15 through December 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 are also 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, Ausable Boat Basin pool at mouth of Ausable Chasm as posted on site.	Fishing prohibited from October 1 through December 31 to protect spawning salmon.
Boquet River from marked boundary below Willsboro Dam upstream to Route 22 in Willsboro.	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
Scomotion Creek from mouth upstream to Pardy Road	Snatching and blind snatching burbot permitted from December 1 - March 31.