Long Point Bay – Lake Erie

About this water

One of Lake Erie's most diverse fisheries — trophy largemouth in the inner bay, jumbo perch and walleye out deeper, and pike in the marsh channels.

Massive shallow bay with weedbeds, sandbars, and marsh channels. Warm and productive May through October.

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 Long Point Bay – Lake Erie, 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.

No FMZ 19 season line published in our summary for: Northern Pike. 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.
• Fish the outside weed edges of the inner bay early morning for largemouth. Perch schools stack over 18–25 ft sand flats mid-summer.
• Access: Public boat launch at Long Point Provincial Park; day-use fees apply. Additional shore access at Old Cut Boulevard.

Gear setup

Setup:

Medium spinning for bass and perch; medium-heavy for walleye trolling

Rod:

7' medium spinning rod

Reel:

Size 2500–3000 spinning reel

Line:

10 lb braid with 10 lb fluoro leader

Best bait:

Live minnows, Nightcrawlers, Leeches

Best lures:

Wacky Senko, Chatterbait (white), Worm harness, Blade bait