Ohio Lake Erie walleye & yellow perch limits, 2026–2027

These daily bag limits are in effect May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027 in Ohio waters of Lake Erie and for anglers landing at Ohio ports, per the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Verify with ODNR before you fish. We summarize the official sources linked below, but regulations can change. The ODNR publications and the Ohio Administrative Code are the final word. Statewide rules (licenses, line limits, other species) aren't covered here.

Walleye

per day, May 1, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027

per day, Mar 1 – Apr 30, 2027

15″

minimum length

Under OAC 1501:31-13-14, the walleye daily limit covers walleye, sauger and saugeye, singly or combined.

Yellow perch — three zones

No minimum size for yellow perch. The daily limit depends on which zone you're in. The zones are split by two longitude lines:

West zone

Ohio waters west of 82°30′ W (Management Unit 1). Roughly the Toledo/Maumee Bay area east to Huron.

Central zone

Between 82°30′ W and 81°20′ W (Unit 2). Roughly Huron to Fairport Harbor, including Vermilion, Lorain and Cleveland.

East zone

East of 81°20′ W (Unit 3). Roughly Fairport Harbor to Conneaut and the Pennsylvania line.

Combined cap: ODNR states that no one may take or possess more than 30 yellow perch or 6 walleye in any one day, regardless of zone combination.

GPS decimal equivalents: 82°30′ W = −82.5000; 81°20′ W = −81.3333. The town ranges above are approximate. Your position relative to the lines is what counts. See ODNR's zone boundary map below.

2026 outlook from ODNR

ODNR's April 3, 2026 release expected another strong walleye year. It expected the best perch fishing in the West zone in July and August. Catch rates in the Central and East zones have been low, and ODNR says the best chance at a limit there is late in the fall near harbors, when large perch move inshore after baitfish.

How the limits are set

Ohio Administrative Code rule 1501:31-13-14 (effective July 6, 2026) ties Ohio's walleye and perch daily limits to annual total allowable catch (TAC) figures set through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Lake Erie Committee. Each year's limits take effect May 1. ODNR announces them on its website, in a news release and in a printed pamphlet. The perch management units are defined in OAC 1501:31-1-02.

Sources

Page checked against the sources above on October 28, 2026.