Pennsylvania fishing limits 2026–27
Fishing rows are copied from the PA Fish & Boat Commission 2026 Fishing Summary (Commonwealth Inland Waters). Hunting dates come from the PA Game Commission seasons page and are cross-checked against the 2026–27 Hunting & Trapping Digest. Every table links to the official source. If anything here disagrees with the PA Fish & Boat Commission / Game Commission, the PA Fish & Boat Commission / Game Commission is right.
Pennsylvania season & rule alerts
Free email before Pennsylvania seasons open and when the PA Fish & Boat Commission / Game Commission changes a rule. No account.
Commonwealth inland waters: seasons, minimum size & daily limit
Inland waters only. Lake Erie, the Delaware River and Estuary, Pymatuning/Conowingo, Big Bass, Panfish Enhancement, Brood Stock lakes and trout waters have different rules — check the PFBC summary. Pickerel and northern pike seasons are a merged cell in the PFBC table, so we don't repeat them here. Trout, shad/herring closures and baitfish rows are left out until verified by hand.
| Species | Daily bag | Min length | Max length |
|---|---|---|---|
Bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted) — lakes, rivers and streams
| 4 (combined species) | 15 inches | — |
Bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted) — lakes, rivers and streams
| NO HARVEST - Catch and immediate release only | — | — |
Bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted) — lakes, rivers and streams
| 6 (combined species) | 12 inches | — |
Muskellunge and tiger muskellunge
| 1 (combined species) | 40 inches | — |
| Pickerel | 4 | 18 inches | — |
| Northern pike | 2 | 24 inches | — |
Walleye and saugeye (hybrids)
| 6 | 15 inches | — |
Sauger
| 6 | 12 inches | — |
American shad (where open)
| 3 | No minimum | — |
Herring, gizzard shad
| 50 (combined species) | No minimum | — |
American eel
| 25 | 9 inches | — |
Striped bass and striped bass/white bass hybrids
| 2 (combined species) | 20 inches | — |
Sunfish, yellow perch, white perch, crappies, catfish, rock bass, suckers, carp, white bass, bowfin and other gamefish not otherwise listed
| 50 (combined species) | No minimum | — |
PFBC 2026 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary (PDF) 2026 (Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2026) · official source ↗ · checked Oct 17, 2026
Lake water levels
Hunting? See Pennsylvania hunting seasons 2026–27.