Fishing · Ontario
Ontario FMZ 2 — Sport Fishing Regulations
Ontario Fisheries Management Zone 2 (FMZ 2) 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-2
Data retrieved: 2026-09-05 · HTML last updated 2026-08-04 · Licence year 2026 (calendar). 14 of 14 zone-wide species included. All 3 waterbody exceptions listed on the Ontario HTML for this FMZ are included. This is not complete Ontario.
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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
- That part of the Berens River that is between Zone 2 and Zone 4, is wholly within Zone 4.
- That part of the Missinaibi River and Moose River that is between Zone 3 and Zone 8, is wholly within Zone 8.
- Universal Transverse Mercator ( UTM ) coordinates are in UTM Zone 16.
- Refer to general fishing regulations for more information on how to use this summary.
- Non-Canadian residents camping on Crown land must follow conservation fishing licence limits.
- Rainbow smelt may not be used as bait or possessed for use as bait, except in the tributaries of Lake Nipigon within FMZ 2.
- Live fish may not be used as bait or possessed for use as bait in all waters north of the 11th baseline at latitude 51°48′11″ N and west of longitude 89°00′ W
- The following waterbodies, or portions of them, have different regulations that are listed in the waterbody exceptions :
- Lake St. Joseph
- Opapimiskan Lake
- Sydney Lake area
- The following species are not present in this Zone and are closed to fishing all year:
- Atlantic salmon
- channel catfish
- crappie
- Pacific salmon
- The portion of FMZ 2 that is south of the 11th baseline at latitude 51°48′11” N and east of longitude 89°00′ W is part of the Northwest 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 |
January 1 to Labour Day
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brook trout | S-5 and C-2; not more than one greater than 30 centimetres |
open all year
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown trout | S-5 and C-2 | |||
| Lake whitefish | S-12 and C-6 | |||
| Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined | S-2 and C-1; must be less than 35 centimetres from January 1 to June 30 and December 1 to December 31, S-4 and C-2; no size limit from July 1 to November 30 | must be less than 35 centimetres from January 1 to June 30 and December 1 to December 31 | ||
| Northern pike | S-4 and C-2; none between 70 centimetres to 90 centimetres, not more than one greater than 90 centimetres | |||
| Rainbow trout | S-5 and C-2 | |||
| Splake | S-5 and C-2 | |||
| Sunfish | S-50 and C-25 | |||
| Yellow perch | S-50 and C-25 |
January 1 to April 30 and July 1 to December 31
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake sturgeon | S-0 and C-0 |
January 1 to September 30
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake trout | S-2; not more than one greater than 56 centimetres from September 1 to September 30, no size limit rest of season and C-1; any size |
third Saturday in June to December 15
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskellunge | S-1; must be greater than 91 centimetres and C-0 | must be greater than 91 centimetres |
January 1 to April 14 and third Saturday in May to December 31
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Gear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye and sauger combined | S-4 and C-2; not more than one greater than 46 centimetres |
Species exceptions
Brook trout
open all year · S-5 and C-2; no size limits
- Blue Lake (50°20′04″ N , 88°56′56″ W )
- Johnny Lake (50°17′35″ N , 87°02′52″ W )
- Secret Lake (50°18′53″ N , 88°58′29″ W )
- Unnamed Lake (Whiz Lake) (51°38′11″ N , 89°58′01″ W )
Lake sturgeon
closed all year
- All waters located within the portion of Zone 2 from the Ontario/Manitoba interprovincial boundary east along the line of 52°35′ N latitude, to the intersection with 93°50′ W longitude, thence south to the intersection with 52°10′ N latitude, thence east to the intersection with 92°10′ W longitude, thence south to the Zone 2 boundary, including all of the waters within Woodland Caribou Provincial Park; thence in a westerly direction to the Ontario/Manitoba interprovincial boundary, thence northerly to the intersection with 52°35′ N latitude.
- All waters in Zone 2 draining into Lake Nipigon including the Little Jackfish River beginning at the hydro control dam at Mojikit Lake.
Lake trout
· S-1 and C-0 Limits : S-1 in one day and possession limit of two, not more than one greater than 65 centimetres and C-1; any size Limits : S-2 and C-1; not more than one greater than 56 centimetres
- Faircloth Lake (Greytrout Lake) (51°09′20″ N , 88°11′24″ W )
- Merpaw Lake (51°38′53″ N , 88°58′13″ W )
- Echoing Lake (54°31'14" N , 92°14'24" W )
- Gordon Reid Lake (South Lake, I-100 Lake) (51°01′14″ N , 88°02′37″ W )
- Luella Lake (51°11′20″ N , 88°42′26″ W )
- Opichuan Lake (51°14′46″ N , 87°46′14″ W )
- O’Sullivan Lake (50°25′00″ N , 87°03′00″ W )
- Superb Lake (50°30′55″ N , 86°58′21″ W )
- Troutfly Lake (51°41′59″ N , 88°53′22″ W )
Walleye and sauger combined
January 1 to April 14 and June 10 to December 31 · S-2 and C-2; not more than one greater than 46 centimetres
- Little Jackfish River - downstream from and including the first rapids upstream of the Pikitigushi Road Bridge to the centre line of the CN railway bridge
Waterbody exceptions
Licence year 2026 (calendar). 14 of 14 zone-wide species included. All 3 waterbody exceptions listed on the Ontario HTML for this FMZ are included. This is not complete Ontario.
Lake St. Joseph — (51°03'13" N , 90°49'37" W )
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only one barbless hook may be used | |||
| Non-Canadian residents require a special tag which is available at no charge from the Lake St. Joseph tourist operators | |||
no fishing from March 1 to June 14 in the following areas: | no fishing from March 1 to June 14 in the following areas: | ||
| Twiname Bay east of a line beginning at the north shore at 51°09′10″ N , 90°27′10″ W , southeast to 51°08′54″ N , 90°25′52″ W and south to 51°08′30″ N , 90°25′35″ W |
Opapimiskan Lake — (52°37′39″ N , 90°24′27″ W )
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All species: S-0 and C-0 | All species: S-0 and C-0 |
Sydney Lake area — North Kenora Pilot Project area - waters south and east of Kilburn Lake (50°43'05" N , 94°28'28" W ) in Zone 2, including Sydney (50°39'41" N , 94°26'10" W ), Rowdy (50°33'28" N , 94°28'33" W ) and Leano Lake (50°47'10" N , 94°26'39" W ) lakes
| Species | Catch limit | Length limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Species based regulations for all non-Canadian anglers: | |||
| lake trout | S-1 and C-1 | S-1 and C-1 | |
| lake whitefish | S-6 and C-6 | S-6 and C-6 | |
| largemouth and smallmouth bass combined | S-1 and C-1; must be less than 35 centimetres from January 1 to June 30 and December 1 to December 31 | must be less than 35 centimetres from January 1 to June 30 and December 1 to December 31 | S-1 and C-1; must be less than 35 centimetres from January 1 to June 30 and December 1 to December 31 |
| muskellunge | S-0 and C-0 | S-0 and C-0 | |
| northern pike | S-2 and C-2; none between 70-90 centimetres, not more than one greater than 90 centimetres | S-2 and C-2; none between 70-90 centimetres, not more than one greater than 90 centimetres | |
| walleye and sauger combined | S-2 and C-2; not more than one greater than 46 centimetres | S-2 and C-2; not more than one greater than 46 centimetres | |
| yellow perch | S-25 and C-25 | S-25 and C-25 |
Bait restrictions
- Rainbow smelt may not be used as bait or possessed for use as bait, except in the tributaries of Lake Nipigon within FMZ 2.
- Live fish may not be used as bait or possessed for use as bait in all waters north of the 11th baseline at latitude 51°48′11″ N and west of longitude 89°00′ W
- The portion of FMZ 2 that is south of the 11th baseline at latitude 51°48′11” N and east of longitude 89°00′ W is part of the Northwest 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
- Zeemel Lake - including the Paseminon River upstream to 300 metres above the Musselwhite Mine Road
No fishing - from April 1 to June 14
- Kawashkagama River - from Abamasagi Lake to 100 metres above Albert Falls
- Upper Twin Lake - Pete’s Bay, beginning at the intersection of Shamokan Creek and the Rail Line Road continuing downstream to include all of Pete’s Bay of Upper Twin Lake
No fishing - from March 1 to June 14
- Esnagami River - from the northern boundary of Esnagami Township (50°21′36″ N , 86°46′45″ W ) downstream (north) to the second set of rapids (50°25′20″ N , 86°40′45″ W )
- Lake St. Joseph - refer to waterbody exceptions