Fishing / Ohio River Specific

Ohio River Fishing Regulations and License Agreements

The following Ohio River fishing regulations are the result of negotiations between the wildlife agencies of Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Since 1994 Ohio’s fishing regulations have been unified with those of West Virginia and Kentucky for fishing on the Ohio River between our mutual borders. The following daily bag limits and minimum size limits apply to the Ohio River and its embayments and tributaries to the first dam or riffle. Note that the regulations differ slightly between the Ohio/West Virginia border (Eastern Unit) and the Ohio/Kentucky border (Western Unit).

Western Unit (Kentucky/Ohio border only) – Lawrence County west of South Point, and Scioto, Adams, Brown, Clermont, and Hamilton counties. Ohio and Kentucky will honor the other state’s fishing licenses along their common borders on the mainstem and from the banks of the Ohio River, excluding embayments and tributaries. The following regulations are the only unified regulations in the agreement – for all other regulations, anglers must abide by those of the state by which they are licensed, except that Ohio anglers must abide by Kentucky laws when fishing from the Kentucky shoreline, and Kentucky anglers must abide by Ohio laws when fishing from the Ohio shoreline.

Species	Daily Limit	Minimum Size
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted bass	6 (singly or in combination	12 inches (no minimum size for spotted bass)
Walleye, Sauger, & Saugeye	10 (singly or in combination)	None
Striped, Hybrid Striped, White & Yellow Bass	30 (no more than 4 over 15 inches)	None
Muskellunge	2	30 inches
Black Crappie & White Crappie	30	None

Eastern Unit (West Virginia/Ohio border only) – Lawrence County east of South Point, and Gallia, Meigs, Athens, Washington, Monroe, Belmont, Jefferson, and Columbiana counties. Ohio and West Virginia will honor the other state’s fishing licenses along their common borders on the mainstem of the Ohio River, including its banks and embayments and tributaries to the landmark location listed in Publication 404, Waterfowl Hunting and Fishing on the Ohio River (available online). This agreement applies to Ohio and West Virginia residents only. The following regulations are the only unified regulations in the agreement. For all other regulations, Ohio anglers must abide by West Virginia laws when fishing the river mainstem and its banks, embayments, and tributaries in West Virginia. West Virginia anglers must abide by Ohio laws when fishing from the riverbanks, embayments, and tributaries in Ohio.

Species	Daily Limit	Minimum Size
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted bass	6 (singly or in combination	None
Sauger & Saugeye	10 (singly or in combination )	None
Striped, Hybrid Striped, White & Yellow Bass	None (no more than 4 over 15 inches)	None
Muskellunge	2	30 inches
Northern Pike	2	28 inches

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