About this water
Lake Erie's warm, shallow waters produce Ontario's best yellow perch fishing and excellent walleye runs.
Large open water with variable conditions. Can be rough. Pier fishing available. Best boat launch at the harbour.
FMZ 19 regulations — Lake Erie
The Canadian waters of Lake Erie — the shallowest and most productive Great Lake — together with Lake St. Clair and the Detroit, St. Clair and Upper Niagara Rivers. It is not the Lake Ontario zone.
- Walleye: open all year on Erie; S-4/C-2 – 46 cm min (varies by area, check).
- Yellow perch: open all year; S-50/C-25 (Erie).
- Muskie (St. Clair): 3rd Sat in June – Dec 15; 137 cm min, S-1/C-0.
- Smallmouth bass: last Sat in June – Dec 15 on Erie; S-6/C-2.
Zone check: FMZ 19 set by review — Great Lakes water body: access point on Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair or a connecting channel. Coordinate falls on the land side of the mapped boundary, so the zone is set from the water actually fished. Reviewed 2026-08-12.
Summary only — always confirm current seasons and limits on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 19 page before your trip.
Seasonal availability
Open-season windows for the species found at Lake Erie – Port Stanley, taken from the FMZ 19 regulation summary. Green months are within a published open season — they are not a prediction of how well fish will bite.
- S-4/C-2 – 46 cm min (varies by area, check).
No FMZ 19 season line published in our summary for: Steelhead. Check the official page before keeping these species.
Summary only, and seasons change annually. Confirm dates on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 19 page before your trip.
Fishing tips
- Erie perch stack tight to structure — bottom rigs with emerald shiners produce.
- St. Clair muskie sight-fishing shines in the shallow south basin all summer.
- For pier fishing, cast jigs tipped with minnows and work them slowly along the bottom. Walleye trolling charters run worm harnesses in 30–40 feet.
- Access: Public lot near the pier and beach. Paid parking in summer ($10/day). Free in off-season.
Solunar Calendar— Lake Erie – Port Stanley
Waxing Gibbous
93% illuminated · Age 12.2d
🌔 Tue, Aug 25
93% · Rating 93🌔 Wed, Aug 26
97% · Rating 98🌕 Thu, Aug 27
100% · Rating 100Major windows (~2 h) cluster around moon transit and antitransit; minor windows (~1 h) around moonrise and moonset. Local approximations — verify against a printed almanac for planning.
Gear setup
- Setup:
- Medium action spinning rod for perch/walleye from pier; medium-heavy for trolling
- Rod:
- 7' medium spinning rod for pier casting
- Reel:
- Size 3000 spinning reel
- Line:
- 8 lb fluorocarbon
- Best bait:
- Minnows, Leeches, Worm harness, Gulp Alive minnows
- Best lures:
- Worm harness (crawler), Blade bait, Jigging spoon, Crankbait (Bandit walleye deep)
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