Here is the short version. Maine splits its inland waters into a North Zone and a South Zone. Under general law, South Zone lakes and ponds are open all year, ice and open water. North Zone lakes and ponds open April 1 and close after September 30. Rivers, streams, and brooks open April 1 statewide, go to artificial lures or flies only on August 16, and close after September 30. Then the catch: hundreds of individual waters carry special rules that override every one of those defaults. This page covers the defaults, then shows you exactly where to check your water.

One thing before any of it matters: anyone 16 or older needs a license to fish Maine’s inland waters. Fees, free fishing days, and where to buy are all in our Maine fishing license guide.

The year at a glance

These are the 2026 general-law seasons, meaning the rules that apply when a water has no special regulation of its own.

| Water | Open water fishing | Ice fishing | | --- | --- | --- | | North Zone lakes and ponds | April 1 through September 30 | None under general law. Closed to all fishing October 1 through March 31; ice fishing happens only where a special rule opens a specific water. | | South Zone lakes and ponds | Open all year | Open all year, January 1 through December 31 | | Rivers, streams, and brooks (both zones) | April 1 through August 15 with any legal method, then artificial lures or flies only August 16 through September 30 | None. Closed to all fishing October 1 through March 31. |

Two dates on that table do most of the work. April 1 is opening day for northern lakes and for every river and brook in the state, snowbanks or not. And August 16 is the day the worm bucket stays home on moving water: from then through September 30, flowing water statewide is artificials or flies only under general law.

“Closed to all fishing” means exactly that. A North Zone pond in January is not open for catch and release, and neither is any river or stream.

North Zone, South Zone

Maine draws a line across the state and writes different default rules on each side. The North Zone holds most of the state’s wild and native coldwater fish, so its seasons and limits run conservative. The South Zone is predominantly stocked and warmwater fisheries, so general law there is more liberal: lakes and ponds stay open all year and the trout bag is smaller because the fish mostly come off a hatchery truck.

The dividing line itself is a specific legal boundary, and the 2026 law book prints the zone map. If you are not certain which side your water sits on, look it up rather than guessing from latitude.

General-law limits: trout, salmon, togue, bass

Again, these are the defaults. The water in front of you may override any line of this table.

| Species | Daily limit (general law) | Minimum length | Worth knowing | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Brook trout | North Zone lakes and ponds: 5. South Zone lakes and ponds: 2. Rivers, streams, and brooks in both zones: 5. | 6 inches | The bag counts splake and Arctic charr in aggregate. This is the headline North-vs-South difference, and many trout waters tighten it further. | | Landlocked salmon | 2 fish, both zones, lakes and rivers alike | 14 inches | The premier salmon waters commonly carry their own length or bag rules. | | Togue (lake trout) | 2 fish, both zones | 18 inches | Some togue waters run protected slot limits; others liberalize the limit where togue are overabundant. | | Bass, smallmouth and largemouth | North Zone: no bag limit. South Zone: 2 fish. | None under general law; in the South Zone only 1 bass may exceed 14 inches | S-13 removes size and bag limits on bass entirely on the waters where it is listed. |

The big warning: your water probably has its own rules

General law is only the starting point. Maine IF&W attaches special fishing laws, abbreviated as S-codes, to individual waters, and where a water is listed, the special law wins. A few examples of what those codes do: S-1 closes a water to taking smelts, S-7 requires all trout, landlocked salmon, and togue to be released alive at once, S-13 drops size and bag limits on bass, and S-19 cuts the brook trout limit to 2. On top of the S-codes sit gear rules like ALO (artificial lures only) and FFO (fly fishing only).

These are not rare footnotes. Aziscohos Lake, for example, has carried a liberalized salmon rule because IF&W wants an overabundant wild population thinned (the exact limit is in the current law book listing). The pond one township over may be fly-only with a tightened trout bag. Same county, opposite rules.

So the working habit is simple. Before you fish a water for the first time each year, check it in one of these:

If your water does not appear in the special-laws listing, general law applies. That is the whole system.

How stocking fits in

Stocking does not change the law, but it explains a lot of it, and it tells you where the fish are. IF&W publishes a current stocking report organized by county, town, date, species, quantity, and size. It is worth reading like a tip sheet. Look up your county to see exactly what was stocked and where. A fresh truckload in a put-and-take stream is the most honest fishing report the state publishes.

To turn a stocking entry into a plan, look the water up on our Maine fishing map for the species it holds and the access points, then confirm its rules in FLOAT before you go.

Saltwater is a different rulebook

Everything above is inland (freshwater) law under IF&W. Saltwater fishing, stripers and mackerel included, runs under the Maine Department of Marine Resources with its own rules and a separate saltwater angler registry instead of the inland license. Do not carry lake assumptions to the beach.

The rules above were checked against the official IF&W pages and the 2026 law book on July 3, 2026. Rules change; when this page and the state disagree, the state is right.

Common questions

When does fishing season open in Maine?

April 1 is the traditional general-law opener. That date opens North Zone lakes and ponds plus rivers, streams, and brooks statewide. South Zone lakes and ponds are already open, since general law keeps them open year-round.

Can you ice fish anywhere in Maine?

No. Under general law, ice fishing is a South Zone lakes-and-ponds activity, and those waters are open January 1 through December 31. North Zone lakes and ponds are closed to all fishing October 1 through March 31 unless a special regulation opens a specific water, and flowing water is closed statewide in winter.

How many brook trout can you keep in Maine?

Under general law the daily limit is 5 on North Zone lakes and ponds, 2 on South Zone lakes and ponds, and 5 on rivers, streams, and brooks in both zones, with a 6 inch minimum. The bag counts splake and Arctic charr in aggregate. Many trout waters cut this further with special regulations, so check your water first.

Do I need a fishing license in Maine?

Yes, anyone 16 or older needs one to fish inland waters. Maine also runs free fishing days, February 14 and 15 and May 30 and 31 in 2026, when anyone whose license is not suspended or revoked can fish without one. Every other rule still applies on those days.

What is the FLOAT tool?

FLOAT is the Maine Fishing Laws Online Angling Tool, the state's free map of fishing rules. Tap any water and it shows general laws in blue and special laws in red, and it works on a GPS-enabled phone while you stand at the water. It is the fastest way to confirm the rules before you fish.