Lake Erie anglers can expect the 2025 fishing season to offer continued world-class catches, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. As walleye from Lake Erie’s recent large hatches continue to grow, anglers can expect a breadth of sizes and increased trophy potential in the Walleye Capital of the World. Additionally, a stable yellow perch population in Lake Erie’s west zone will provide good fishing in 2025, while lower catch rates are expected to continue in the central and east zones.
Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch fisheries are managed through an interagency quota system. Each jurisdiction regulates its catches with annually determined harvest levels that ensure sustainability. The most recent quotas were announced by the Lake Erie Committee on Thursday, March 20. While most daily harvest limits remain unchanged in 2025, the yellow perch daily limit in Ohio’s east zone, from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut, will decrease from 30 fish to 20 fish beginning on May 1, 2025. Fishing limits are enforced by the Division of Wildlife to prevent overfishing and protect the fishery for sustainable use, ensuring future generations may enjoy Ohio’s outdoors.
Walleye
Lake Erie, The Walleye Capital of the World, continues to offer exceptional fishing.
The walleye daily limit on Lake Erie is six fish per angler with a 15-inch minimum length requirement. Walleye hatch success has been well above average for seven of the past 10 years, including the three largest hatches ever surveyed. In 2025, anglers will mostly catch abundant 2- to 6-year-old-fish ranging from 15 to 24 inches. Larger fish from 2015 and earlier hatches will provide chances to reel in a Fish Ohio qualifying walleye (minimum 28 inches).
Abundant young fish will show up in the catch and range from 9 to 14 inches, with an increasing number of 2-year-olds reaching 15 inches as the season progresses. Anglers are encouraged to release sub-legal fish with as little handling as possible so they can contribute to the future fishery.
Yellow perch
Yellow perch abundance in the west zone, from Toledo to Huron, is stable as a large year class of 4-year-old fish will anchor the population in 2025. The best success is anticipated from July through mid-August when the water temperature is above 76 degrees, and again from mid-October through November as adult perch move to shallower water to feed at water temperatures below 60 degrees. Warm water during July and August provided a majority of angler yellow perch harvest in 2024. Abundant young perch from 7 to 10 inches will dominate the catch, with jumbo 12-inch and larger fish from older year classes also contributing to the catch.
Lake Erie’s central zone, from Huron to Fairport Harbor, continues to experience lower yellow perch abundance, primarily driven by poor to moderate hatches during the past decade. While catch rates are expected to remain low, late season fishing in 2024 provided some limits for anglers from Vermilion to Avon and off Cleveland.
In the east zone, from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut, a few moderate hatches from 2022 and earlier will provide seasonal catches. A reduction in the Lake Erie Committee’s total allowable catch in this zone will decrease the daily limit to 20 fish per angler starting May 1, 2025. Catch rates are expected to remain low during the 2025 season, except for times such as late fall when adult perch congregate in larger schools near harbors. Ohio’s east zone often provides opportunities for anglers seeking jumbo yellow perch.
Conservative quotas ensure that sustainable spawning stocks allow for population recovery. Yellow perch daily limits for 2025 will be 30 perch in the west zone, 10 in the central zone, and 20 in the east zone.
Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass fishing in 2025 is expected to be exceptional, including trophy catches. The daily limit is five bass per angler, with a 14-inch minimum size requirement through Wednesday, April 30, 2025, and again from Saturday, June 28, 2025, to Feb. 28, 2026. During the spawning season, from May 1 to June 27, 2025, anglers may harvest one bass per day with a minimum size requirement of 18 inches.
Lake Erie fishing reports, information on Lake Erie research and management programs, fisheries resources, maps, and links to other Lake Erie web resources are available at wildohio.gov. The current fishing regulations can be found via the HuntFish OH app, on wildohio.gov, or at locations where fishing licenses are sold.
