Walleye in Ohio
Where walleye live in Ohio, with the rules.
- 6 a daylimit
- 16.19 lbrecord
Pick for walleyePiscifun Viper X spinning reel50% OFFSale $39.99 Photo of the species, not an Ohio water: Engbretson, Eric / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain
walleye across Ohio, summed up
For the 2026-27 year, Ohio prints walleye rules in 6 water classes. On inland water the booklet allows 6 (singly or in combination), open year-round.
Tom Haberman set the Ohio mark of 16.19 lb at Lake Erie in 1999. Across 2018 to 2022, the stocking records add up to 84,982,341.
For the walleye herePiscifun AlumiX spinning reel46% OFFSale $64.99 The ODNR rules that cover walleye
| Water class | Where | Limit | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide inland waters | Statewide | 6 (singly or in combination) | Open year-round |
| Lake Erie Sport Fishing District | Lake Erie | 6 (singly or in combination); minimum 15 inches | March 1 – April 30, 2026 |
| Lake Erie Sport Fishing District | Lake Erie | 6; minimum 15 inches | May 1, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027 |
| Lake Erie Sport Fishing District | Lake Erie | 6; minimum 15 inches | March 1 – April 30, 2027 |
| Ohio River Western Unit (Ohio/Kentucky) | UNIFIED OHIO AND KENTUCKY REGULATIONS: on or within a quarter mile of the Ohio River on its embayments and tributaries t | 6 (singly or in combination); minimum 14 inches | Open year-round |
| Ohio River Eastern Unit (Ohio/West Virginia) | OHIO REGULATIONS: shore anglers on the Ohio shoreline and all anglers in Ohio embayments and tributaries within the East | 6 (singly or in combination) | Open year-round |
| Pymatuning Lake (Ohio – Pennsylvania) | Pymatuning Lake | 6; minimum 15 inches | Open year-round |
| Site-specific inland waters | Mosquito Creek Lake | 6; minimum 15 inches | Open year-round |
| Site-specific inland waters | Berlin | 6; minimum 15 inches | Open year-round |
| Site-specific inland waters | C.J. Brown | 6; minimum 15 inches | Open year-round |
| Site-specific inland waters | LaDue | 6; minimum 15 inches | Open year-round |
| Site-specific inland waters | Lake Milton, including the Mahoning River connecting Berlin Lake and Lake Milton | 6; minimum 15 inches | Open year-round |
| Site-specific inland waters | West Branch | 6; minimum 15 inches | Open year-round |
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.
The heaviest walleye on the Ohio list
| Division | Weight | Length | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rod and reel | 16.19 lb | 33" | Tom Haberman | Lake Erie | 1999 |
Outdoor Writers of Ohio record fish page, retrieved October 26, 2026; ODNR biologists confirm the species of a new record.
Where ODNR stocked walleye, 2018 to 2022
Stocking by decade reads 1970s 133,929,869, 1980s 151,228,172, 1990s 169,761,716, 2000s 198,695,282, 2010s 167,560,005 and 2020s 48,199,879.
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.
Ohio water that holds walleye
Reservoirs with walleye
- Pymatuning Lake16,254 acres
- Grand Lake St. Marys13,396 acres
- Mosquito Creek Lake7,212 acres
- Indian Lake5,161 acres
- Seneca Lake3,587 acres
- Berlin Lake3,344 acres
- Alum Creek Lake3,331 acres
- Salt Fork Lake3,060 acres
- Hoover Reservoir2,884 acres
- Buckeye Lake2,877 acres
- Caesar Creek Lake2,806 acres
- Piedmont Lake2,377 acres
- Tappan Lake2,306 acres
- C.J. Brown Reservoir1,969 acres
- Rocky Fork Lake1,953 acres
- Clendening Lake1,732 acres
- Lake Milton1,695 acres
- Atwood Lake1,564 acres
- Charles Mill Lake1,348 acres
- Dillon Lake1,279 acres
- Delaware Lake1,215 acres
- Leesville Lake1,012 acres
- Pleasant Hill Reservoir790 acres
- Nimisila Lake743 acres
Creeks with walleye
- Maumee RiverDefiance County
- Great Miami RiverButler County
- Mohican RiverCoshocton County
- Sandusky RiverSandusky County
- Alum CreekDelaware County
- Caesar CreekWarren County
- St. Joseph RiverDefiance County
ODNR hot-spot maps, ODNR stocking records, the 2026 trout releases, the steelhead and walleye-run programs and state records; largest waters first.
Fishing Lake Erie for walleye
On Lake Erie and its bays the booklet prints 3 rows for it.
- Lake Eriebasins, bays and launches
- Lake Erie rulesthe full district table
- P.C. Queen Perch HeadboatLake Erie charter
- A Absolute Fishing ChartersLake Erie charter
- A-Hoy Sara-J Fishing ChartersLake Erie charter
- Bass Fish AmericaLake Erie charter
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_1_(48401142431).jpg){kind=link}
The usual walleye questions for Ohio waters
Which Ohio rule sets the walleye limit?
6 (singly or in combination) on statewide inland waters, open year-round; other water classes have their own rows.
When was the walleye record set in Ohio?
16.19 lb from Lake Erie, caught by Tom Haberman in 1999.
Which Buckeye water has walleye?
68 water pages here list it, led by Pymatuning Lake, Grand Lake St. Marys and Mosquito Creek Lake.
Does ODNR stock walleye?
Yes; the public ODNR records show 84,982,341 stocked from 2018 to 2022, most in Mosquito Creek Lake. The file ends in May 2022.
What are the Lake Erie rules for walleye?
Yes: 6 (singly or in combination); minimum 15 inches, march 1 – april 30, 2026.
Does Ohio close the walleye season?
Open year-round on statewide inland waters.
What Ohio license should a walleye angler buy?
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.
Is there an Ohio River row for walleye?
Yes: 6 (singly or in combination); minimum 14 inches in the Ohio River Western Unit, open year-round.
Chase walleye in Ohio this year
Each water listed above has ramps, limits and stocking on its own page.