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Ohio species

Largemouth Bass in Ohio

ODNR limits, the Ohio record and waters for largemouth bass.

  • 5 a daylimit
  • 13.13 lbrecord
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Photo of the species, not an Ohio water: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ohio fish

How largemouth bass fit into Ohio fishing

In the current Ohio regulations, largemouth bass turns up under 6 water classes. The statewide inland row says 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches, open year-round.

Outdoor Writers of Ohio list Roy Landsberger first, with 13.13 lb from Farm pond in 1976. It has ODNR hot spots on 24 of the lakes covered here. ODNR stocked 485 of them from 2015 to 2019, the last five years in its public records.

5 a dayfirst booklet row
13.13 lbOhio record
55booklet rows
101waters with pages
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Limits

Keeping largemouth bass under Ohio rules

Water classWhereLimitSeason
Statewide inland watersStatewide5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inchesOpen year-round
Lake Erie Sport Fishing DistrictLake Erie5 (singly or in combination); minimum 14 inchesMarch 1 – April 30, 2026
Lake Erie Sport Fishing DistrictLake Erie1 (singly or in combination); minimum 18 inchesMay 1 – June 26, 2026
Lake Erie Sport Fishing DistrictLake Erie5 (singly or in combination); minimum 14 inchesJune 27, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027
Ohio River Western Unit (Ohio/Kentucky)OHIO REGULATIONS: boat anglers in Ohio waters, shoreline anglers on the Ohio shoreline, all anglers in Ohio embayments a6 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inchesOpen year-round
Ohio River Eastern Unit (Ohio/West Virginia)UNIFIED OHIO AND WEST VIRGINIA REGULATIONS: on or within a quarter mile of the Ohio River on its embayments and tributar6 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inchesOpen year-round
Pymatuning Lake (Ohio – Pennsylvania)Pymatuning Lake5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersKnox5; minimum 18 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersAdams5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersBlue Rock5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersCaldwell5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersCowan5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersDale Walborn5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersGreenfield5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersOhio-Erie Canal5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersHancock County Wetlands5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersPine5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersResthaven Pond No. 85; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersRoss5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersRush Creek Lake5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersRush Run Lake5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersSeneca5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersWellington Reservoir South5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersZepernick5; minimum 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersActon4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersFindley4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersHargus4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersHighlandtown4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersLake Snowden4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersNew Lyme4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersPaint Creek Lake4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersSalt Fork4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersSilver Creek Lake4 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersUpper Sandusky No. 24 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 15 inches, & 2 fish 15 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersAppalachian Hills Wildlife Area3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersBelmont3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersGuilford3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersJesse Owens State Park & Wildlife Area3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersKilldeer Plains ponds No. 30 and No. 333 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersKiser3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersLong3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersOxbow3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersSpencer3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersSt. Joseph Wildlife Area3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersTycoon3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersWingfoot3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersWolf Run3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longerOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersBurr Oak5; minimum None may be taken between 12 & 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersDow5; minimum None may be taken between 12 & 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersFox5; minimum None may be taken between 12 & 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersHammertown (Jackson City Reservoir)5; minimum None may be taken between 12 & 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersLake Rupert (Wellston City Reservoir)5; minimum None may be taken between 12 & 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersSlope Creek (Barnesville No. 3)5; minimum None may be taken between 12 & 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersTurkey Creek5; minimum None may be taken between 12 & 15 inchesOpen year-round
Site-specific inland watersLa Su An (Lake La Su An Wildlife Area, Williams County)5; minimum 18 inchesMay 1, 2026 – Sept. 7, 2026 (area open to fishing)

Limits as printed in the 2026-27 Ohio Fishing Regulations (ODNR Division of Wildlife Publication 5085, effective March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027) and the ODNR Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch daily limits sheet (May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027); retrieved October 26, 2026.

All Ohio regulation pages

Records

Outdoor Writers of Ohio records for largemouth bass

DivisionWeightLengthAnglerWaterYear
rod and reel13.13 lb25-1/16"Roy LandsbergerFarm pond1976

Outdoor Writers of Ohio record fish page, retrieved October 26, 2026; ODNR biologists confirm the species of a new record.

Hot spots

largemouth bass on ODNR lake hot-spot maps

LakeCountyAcres
Seneca LakeNoble3,587
Berlin LakePortage3,344
Alum Creek LakeDelaware3,331
Salt Fork LakeGuernsey3,060
Piedmont LakeBelmont2,377
Tappan LakeHarrison2,306
Charles Mill LakeAshland1,348
Dillon LakeMuskingum1,279
Delaware LakeDelaware1,215
Clear Fork ReservoirRichland1,034
Pleasant Hill ReservoirRichland790
Burr Oak LakeMorgan668
Knox LakeKnox491
Kiser LakeChampaign394
Lake LoganHocking333
Lake RupertVinton327

ODNR Division of Wildlife lake fishing hot-spot layers (DOW_LakeFishing), retrieved October 26, 2026; largest lakes first.

Stocking

ODNR largemouth bass releases by water, 2015 to 2019

Hancock County Wetlands #1485 fish

Decade by decade the counts run 1970s 3,554,418, 1980s 693,171, 1990s 104,792, 2000s 158,431 and 2010s 13,181.

ODNR Division of Wildlife Ohio Fish Stocking Records (public copy of the DataOhio dataset, current as of May 31, 2022; numbers by water, year, species and life stage); the public file stops at May 2022, so later years are not shown.

Where to look

Where largemouth bass live in Ohio

Still water holding largemouth bass

Moving water holding largemouth bass

  • Alum CreekDelaware County
  • Deer CreekFayette County
  • Mad RiverChampaign County

ODNR hot-spot maps, ODNR stocking records, the 2026 trout releases, the steelhead and walleye-run programs and state records; largest waters first.

Lake Erie

largemouth bass on Lake Erie

Lake Erie and its harbors follow 3 rows for it.

Related fish

Fish listed beside largemouth bass

Pictures

Buckeye water around Largemouth Bass, in pictures

Fairport Harbor West Breakwater, Ohio
Fairport Harbor West Breakwater
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bradstreet's Landing, Ohio
Bradstreet's Landing
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
Conneaut Township Park, Ohio
Conneaut Township Park
Photo: Upstateherd, CC BY-SA 4.0
Century Park, Ohio
Century Park
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
Answers

Catching largemouth bass in Ohio, in a few answers

What is the Ohio daily limit for largemouth bass?

5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches on statewide inland waters, open year-round; other water classes have their own rows.

What does the Ohio largemouth bass record weigh?

13.13 lb from Farm pond, caught by Roy Landsberger in 1976.

Which Ohio waters list largemouth bass?

101 water pages here list it, led by Grand Lake St. Marys, Mosquito Creek Lake and Indian Lake.

Do Ohio hatcheries raise largemouth bass?

Yes; the public ODNR records show 485 stocked from 2015 to 2019, most in Hancock County Wetlands #1. The file ends in May 2022.

Is there a Lake Erie row for largemouth bass?

Yes: 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 14 inches, march 1 – april 30, 2026.

Which calendar dates apply to Ohio largemouth bass?

Open year-round on statewide inland waters.

Which Ohio license covers largemouth bass?

Anglers 16 and older need an Ohio fishing license: $25.00 a year for residents, $76.96 for nonresidents and $10.00 for residents 65 and older.

What Ohio River rule covers largemouth bass?

Yes: 6 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches in the Ohio River Western Unit, open year-round.

Plan a Buckeye largemouth bass trip

Open any water above for its launches and Ohio limits.

Ohio speciesOhio regulations