Bass season dates 2027, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie
Bass seasons and limits by date for 2027: Michigan, Ontario (Zone 19) and Walpole Island First Nation on Lake St. Clair; Ohio, Michigan and Ontario (Zone 19) on Lake Erie (western basin); New York, Pennsylvania and Ontario (Zone 19) on Lake Erie (eastern basin). A rule that names a weekday, such as the fourth Saturday in June, falls on a different date each year. The dates below are computed from each rule as the app holds it, with its as-of date. A rule can change for 2027: check the linked source before fishing.
Summary only. Check the official regulations before fishing.
Lake St. Clair
Michigan
| Dates in 2027 | Bass |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 to June 18 | Catch and release only |
| June 19 to Dec 31 | Open: keep 5 a day, 14 in or longer |
Dates in 2027 computed from the rule as of 2026-10-02. Source: Michigan DNR Fisheries Order FO-215.23A, statewide warmwater regulations.
Rule summary
- Smallmouth bass may be kept from the third Saturday in June through Dec 31 if at least 14 in long, up to 5 fish a day combined with largemouth bass; at all other times, and after the daily limit, bass may only be caught and released at once, never held in a livewell.
Ontario (Zone 19)
| Dates in 2027 | Bass |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 to June 25 | Closed |
| June 26 to Nov 30 | Open: keep 6 a day on a sport licence or 2 a day on a conservation licence |
| Dec 1 to Dec 31 | Closed |
Dates in 2027 computed from the rule as of 2026-10-02. Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026: Fisheries Management Zone 19.
Rule summary
- Open from the fourth Saturday in June to November 30 and closed to all bass fishing, including catch-and-release, the rest of the year; limit 6 bass (sport licence) or 2 bass (conservation licence), smallmouth and largemouth combined, any size, and that number is also the most you may possess in total.
Walpole Island First Nation
Non-members may fish in Walpole Island First Nation territory only from June 21 to Sept 14, with a WIFN fishing licence. WIFN requires its own pleasure craft permit (valid April 1 to Dec 31) for any boat use there other than passing through.
As of 2026-10-02. Source: Walpole Island First Nation: Hunting and Fishing (non-member licences).
Every rule of the lake, other species and the border rules: Regulations, Lake St. Clair.
Lake Erie (western basin)
Ohio
| Dates in 2027 | Bass |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 to April 30 | Open: keep 5 a day, 14 in or longer |
| May 1 to June 25 | Open: keep 1 a day, 18 in or longer |
| June 26 to Dec 31 | Open: keep 5 a day, 14 in or longer |
Dates in 2027 computed from the rule as of 2026-10-03. Source: Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-13-08(Q) (effective 2026-07-06) and 1501:31-13-09(F) (effective 2025-03-01); 2026-27 Ohio Fishing Regulations, Lake Erie regulations.
Rule summary
- From May 1 until the fourth Saturday in June (2026: May 1 to June 26) you may keep only 1 black bass a day, smallmouth combined with largemouth and spotted bass, and it must be at least 18 in long; fishing, including catch and release, stays open.
- From the fourth Saturday in June through April 30 (2026-27: June 27, 2026 to April 30, 2027) you may keep 5 black bass a day, smallmouth combined with largemouth and spotted bass, each at least 14 in long.
Michigan
| Dates in 2027 | Bass |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 to May 28 | Catch and release only |
| May 29 to Dec 31 | Open: keep 5 a day, 14 in or longer |
Dates in 2027 computed from the rule as of 2026-10-03. Source: Michigan DNR Fisheries Order FO-215.23A, statewide warmwater regulations; 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations.
Rule summary
- Smallmouth bass may be kept from the Saturday before Memorial Day (2026: May 23; 2027: May 29) through Dec 31 if at least 14 in long, up to 5 fish a day combined with largemouth bass; at all other times bass may only be caught and released at once, never held in a livewell.
Ontario (Zone 19)
| Dates in 2027 | Bass |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 to June 25 | Closed |
| June 26 to Nov 30 | Open: keep 6 a day on a sport licence or 2 a day on a conservation licence |
| Dec 1 to Dec 31 | Closed |
Dates in 2027 computed from the rule as of 2026-10-03. Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026: Fisheries Management Zone 19.
Rule summary
- Open from the fourth Saturday in June to November 30 and closed to all bass fishing, including catch-and-release, the rest of the year; limit 6 bass (sport licence) or 2 bass (conservation licence), smallmouth and largemouth combined, any size, and that number is also the most you may possess in total.
Every rule of the lake, other species and the border rules: Regulations, Lake Erie (western basin).
Lake Erie (eastern basin)
New York
| Dates in 2027 | Bass |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 to June 14 | Open: keep 1 a day, 20 in or longer |
| June 15 to Nov 30 | Open: keep 5 a day, 12 in or longer |
| Dec 1 to Dec 31 | Open: keep 1 a day, 20 in or longer |
Dates in 2027 computed from the rule as of 2026-10-04. Source: NYSDEC: Great Lakes and Tributaries Special Regulations, Lake Erie seasons and limits; 6 NYCRR 10.2(a), Table A (last amended effective 2023-11-13).
Rule summary
- From June 15 through November 30 you may keep 5 black bass a day, smallmouth combined with largemouth, each at least 12 in long.
- From December 1 through June 14 you may keep 1 black bass a day, smallmouth combined with largemouth, at least 20 in long; fishing stays open, and the Lake Erie table lists no lure or bait restriction for this period (the statewide artificial-lure catch-and-release season does not apply here).
Pennsylvania
| Dates in 2027 | Bass |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 to April 9 | Open: keep 4 a day, 15 in or longer |
| April 10 to June 11 | Open: keep 1 a day, 20 in or longer |
| June 12 to Dec 31 | Open: keep 4 a day, 15 in or longer |
No bass tournaments: April 10 to June 12.
Dates in 2027 computed from the rule as of 2026-10-04. Source: 58 Pa. Code 69.12(f) (last amended effective 2022-01-01); 2026 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary, p. 14, Lake Erie and tributary streams.
Rule summary
- From the second Saturday in April until the second Saturday in June (2026: April 11 to June 12; 2027: April 10 to June 11) you may keep only 1 bass a day, smallmouth combined with largemouth, and it must be at least 20 in long; fishing, including catch and release, stays open.
- From January 1 until the second Saturday in April (2026: January 1 to April 10) you may keep 4 bass a day, smallmouth combined with largemouth, each at least 15 in long; the same limit applies again from the second Saturday in June to December 31.
- From the second Saturday in June to December 31 (2026: June 13 to December 31) you may keep 4 bass a day, smallmouth combined with largemouth, each at least 15 in long; the same limit applies from January 1 until the second Saturday in April.
- It is unlawful to conduct or take part in a fishing tournament for bass on Lake Erie, Lake Erie tributaries or Presque Isle Bay from the second Saturday in April until the second Saturday in June (2026: April 11 to June 13); the summary words the end as midnight of the second Saturday in June, so this row includes that Saturday until the end is confirmed; any other bass tournament in Pennsylvania needs a PFBC special activity permit.
Ontario (Zone 19)
| Dates in 2027 | Bass |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 to June 25 | Closed |
| June 26 to Nov 30 | Open: keep 6 a day on a sport licence or 2 a day on a conservation licence |
| Dec 1 to Dec 31 | Closed |
Dates in 2027 computed from the rule as of 2026-10-04. Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026: Fisheries Management Zone 19.
Rule summary
- Open from the fourth Saturday in June to November 30 (2026: June 27 to November 30) and closed to all bass fishing, including catch-and-release, the rest of the year; limit 6 bass (sport licence) or 2 bass (conservation licence), smallmouth and largemouth combined, any size, and that number is also the most you may possess in total.
Every rule of the lake, other species and the border rules: Regulations, Lake Erie (eastern basin).
How the dates are made
Each rule's first and last day is stored as a date rule (a fixed date, or for example the third Saturday in June, or the Saturday before Memorial Day) and turned into the date for 2027 the same way the plan and the Regulations pages do it. Limits count the bass you may keep in a day; the rule summary under each table says which species count together.
Abbreviations in the sources and rule summaries: DNR, Department of Natural Resources; NYSDEC, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; NYCRR, New York Codes, Rules and Regulations; Pa. Code, Pennsylvania Code; PFBC, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; WIFN, Walpole Island First Nation.
- Lake St. Clair smallmouth by month: the season phases through the year
- Presque Isle Bay spring smallmouth: the Pennsylvania spring rule and the tournament closure with the bay
- Plan: leaves out water whose season is closed on the plan date