Ontario FMZ 17 — Sport Fishing Regulations
Ontario Fisheries Management Zone 17 (FMZ 17) sport-fishing rules for licence year 2026: seasons, S-n and C-n limits, exceptions and sanctuaries — reproduced from the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary HTML, with citations. The Summary is not the law.
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Official source (Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary): https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-fishing-regulations-summary/fisheries-management-zone-17
Data retrieved: 2026-09-01 · HTML last updated 2026-08-04 · Licence year 2026 (calendar). 17 of 17 zone-wide species included. All 5 waterbody exceptions listed on the Ontario HTML for this FMZ are included. This is not complete Ontario.
Verify on Fish ON-Line (map only) →
Reproduction of the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary. The Summary is not the law. Always verify with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Fish ON-Line before you fish. Crown copyright.
General information
- Refer to general fishing regulations for more information on how to use this summary.
- There are several Great Lakes tributaries that have aligned regulations for rainbow trout, brown trout, Pacific salmon and Atlantic salmon - refer to species exceptions .
- The following waterbodies, or portions of them, have different regulations that are listed in the waterbody exceptions :
- Trent River
- The following species are not present in this Zone and are closed to fishing all year:
- FMZ 17 is part of the Southern Bait Management Zone ( BMZ ). Live or dead baitfish or leeches may not be transported into or out of a BMZ . These rules do not apply to baitfish and leeches which are both dead and preserved. Refer to bait for more details.
Zone-wide rules
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate limits for trout and salmon (including splake) | S-5 and C-2; total daily catch and possession limit for all trout and salmon species combined |
fourth Saturday in April to September 30
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic salmon | S-0 and C-0 | |||
| Brook trout | S-2 and C-1 | |||
| Brown trout | S-5 and C-2 | |||
| Lake trout | S-3 and C-1 | |||
| Pacific salmon | S-5 and C-2 | |||
| Rainbow trout | S-2 and C-1 |
fourth Saturday in April to November 15
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel catfish | S-12 and C-6 | |||
| Lake whitefish | S-12 and C-6 |
open all year
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | S-30 and C-10 | |||
| Northern pike | S-6 and C-2 | |||
| Sunfish | S-300; only 30 may be greater than 18 centimetres, and C-15 | |||
| Yellow perch | S-50 and C-25 |
closed all year
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake sturgeon |
third Saturday in June to December 15
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined | S-6 and C-2 |
1st Saturday in June to December 15
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskellunge | S-1; must be greater than 112 centimetres, and C-0 | must be greater than 112 centimetres |
second Saturday in May to November 15
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye and sauger combined | S-4 and C-1; must be between 35-50 centimetres |
Species exceptions
Atlantic salmon, brown trout, Pacific salmon and rainbow trout
open all year · Zone-wide limits apply Cobourg Brook (Cobourg Creek or Factory Creek) - between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario Gages Creek - between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario Ganaraska River - between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario Regional Municipality of Durham - all waters lying between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario Season : open from fourth Saturday in April to December 31 (extended fall season) Limits : Zone-wide limits apply Northumberland County - all waters downstream of Highway 2, except the Ganaraska River. Details of additional fishing opportunities for the Ganaraska River can be found below. Regional Municipality of Durham - all waters between Highway 2 and the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way Season : open from fourth Saturday in April to August 31 and from October 15 to December 31 (extended fall season) Limits : Zone-wide limits apply Ganaraska River – from the south side of the Jocelyn Street Bridge (43°58′1.77″ N , 78°17′43.77″ W ) to the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way (43°56′48.51″ N , 78°17′31.93″ W )
- Cobourg Brook (Cobourg Creek or Factory Creek) - between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario
- Gages Creek - between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario
- Ganaraska River - between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario
- Regional Municipality of Durham - all waters lying between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario
- Northumberland County - all waters downstream of Highway 2, except the Ganaraska River. Details of additional fishing opportunities for the Ganaraska River can be found below.
- Regional Municipality of Durham - all waters between Highway 2 and the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way
- Ganaraska River – from the south side of the Jocelyn Street Bridge (43°58′1.77″ N , 78°17′43.77″ W ) to the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way (43°56′48.51″ N , 78°17′31.93″ W )
Walleye
January 1 to March 1 and second Saturday in May to December 31 · Zone-wide limits apply Crowe Lake (44°29′00″ N , 77°44′00″ W ) - Marmora Township, and the waters of the Crowe River (Marmora and Rawdon Townships) Season : Zone-wide seasons apply Limits : S-3 and C-1; none between 37-55 centimetres Balsam Lake (44°34′54″ N , 78°51′10″ W ) - Bexley Township, including the waters of the Gull River upstream to the dam at Coboconk, the waters of the Rosedale River between the Trent dam at Rosedale upstream to Balsam Lake, the waters of the Trent Canal between the upstream lock at Rosedale upstream to its junction with the Rosedale River and the waters of the Trent Canal between Balsam Lake and Mitchell Lake Mitchell Lake (44°34′46″ N , 78°56′54″ W ) - Eldon Township, including the waters of the Trent Canal between Mitchell Lake and Balsam Lake, and the waters of the Trent Canal between Mitchell Lake and lock number 36 at Kirkfield
- Crowe Lake (44°29′00″ N , 77°44′00″ W ) - Marmora Township, and the waters of the Crowe River (Marmora and Rawdon Townships)
- Balsam Lake (44°34′54″ N , 78°51′10″ W ) - Bexley Township, including the waters of the Gull River upstream to the dam at Coboconk, the waters of the Rosedale River between the Trent dam at Rosedale upstream to Balsam Lake, the waters of the Trent Canal between the upstream lock at Rosedale upstream to its junction with the Rosedale River and the waters of the Trent Canal between Balsam Lake and Mitchell Lake
- Mitchell Lake (44°34′46″ N , 78°56′54″ W ) - Eldon Township, including the waters of the Trent Canal between Mitchell Lake and Balsam Lake, and the waters of the Trent Canal between Mitchell Lake and lock number 36 at Kirkfield
Waterbody exceptions
Licence year 2026 (calendar). 17 of 17 zone-wide species included. All 5 waterbody exceptions listed on the Ontario HTML for this FMZ are included. This is not complete Ontario.
Lake Scugog and Scugog River — All waters of Lake Scugog and Scugog River - including waters south of Highway 7A, Blackstock Creek, Nonquon River, as well as the Scugog River to the Trent Severn Dam in Lindsay, Mariposa Brook and East Cross Creek
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye closed all year | closed all year |
Lake Scugog — Scugog Township, 100 metres on both sides of Highway 7A (causeways)
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
no fishing from January 1 to Friday before second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31 | no fishing from January 1 to Friday before second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31 |
Scugog River — Lindsay in Ops Township, from Trent-Severn Dam to Ops-Fenelon Boundary
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
no fishing from January 1 to Friday after second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31 | no fishing from January 1 to Friday after second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31 |
Trent River
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
No fishing from January 1 to Friday after second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31 in the following areas: | No fishing from January 1 to Friday after second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31 in the following areas: | ||
| Village of Hastings, 500 metres upstream of the dam and 1 kilometres downstream of the dam |
Trent River — waters from the first dam (Number One) above Lake Ontario upstream to Lock Number 9 (Myers Lock) at the head of Percy Reach
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye open from January 1 to March 1 and second Saturday in May to December 31 | open from January 1 to March 1 and second Saturday in May to December 31 |
Bait restrictions
- FMZ 17 is part of the Southern Bait Management Zone ( BMZ ). Live or dead baitfish or leeches may not be transported into or out of a BMZ . These rules do not apply to baitfish and leeches which are both dead and preserved. Refer to bait for more details.
Fish sanctuaries
No fishing - closed all year
- Cobourg Brook - Town of Cobourg, from the downstream side of the lamprey barrier downstream to the south side of the King Street Bridge
- Ganaraska River - Town of Port Hope, from Highway 401 downstream to the south side of the Jocelyn Street Bridge
No fishing - January 1 to Friday before the second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31
- Chemong Lake - Smith and Ennismore Townships, 100 metres on both sides of causeway (Bridgenorth Causeway) on County Road 16
- Crowe River - from the Marmora Dam downstream to the north side of the Highway 7 bridge
- Gannon’s Narrows - Harvey and Ennismore Townships, within 100 metres of both sides of the causeway on County Road 16
- Lake Scugog - refer to waterbody exceptions
No fishing - January 1 to Friday after the second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31
- Bobcaygeon River - Bobcaygeon, from Trent-Severn Dam to Pigeon Lake and Little Bob Dam to Pigeon Lake (100 metres from Little Bob Dam)
- Burleigh Falls, Perry’s Creek, Stony Lake - Smith and Harvey Townships, Trent-Severn Dam to Stony Lake
- Fenelon River - Fenelon Falls in Fenelon Township, from Trent-Severn Dam to second power line 1 kilometres downstream
- Fishog River - from the mouth of the river at Head Lake (44°45′ N , 78°54′ W ) to the base of the waterfalls approximately 1.5 kilometres upstream
- Gull River - Coboconk in Bexley and Somerville Townships, from Trent-Severn Dam downstream to narrows approaching Balsam Lake
- Katchewanooka Lake - Young’s Point in Smith and Douro Townships, from Trent-Severn Dam to the downstream (west) side of the Highway 28 bridge
- Lovesick Dams - Smith and Harvey Townships, 100 metres downstream from each dam
- Lower Buckhorn Lake (Buckhorn Lake) - Smith and Harvey Townships, from Trent- Severn Dam to a point 400 metres below the dam
- Otonabee River - Peterborough, from Trent-Severn Dam at Lock 19 to Bensfort Bridge at County Road 2 (20 kilometres downstream)
- Pigeon River - Omemee in Emily Township, from Omemee Dam to C.N.R. bridge
- Rosedale River - Rosedale in Fenelon Township, from the Trent-Severn Dam to Cameron Lake
- Scugog River - refer to waterbody exceptions
- Talbot River - Kirkfield in Carden Township, fronting Concessions 7, 8 and 9
- Trent River - refer to waterbody exceptions
No Fishing – September 1 to October 14
- Ganaraska River – from the south side of the Jocelyn Street Bridge (43°58′1.77″ N , 78°17′43.77″ W ) to the southerly limit of the C.N.R. right-of-way (43°56′48.51″ N , 78°17′31.93″ W )