Long Point Bay – Port Rowan, Lake Erie

About this water

Long Point offers two fisheries in one — protected Inner Bay weed flats and world-class open-lake walleye and perch water.

Sheltered, weedy Inner Bay is ideal for bass and pike; the open Lake Erie side is deeper and gets rough on west and southwest winds. FMZ 19.

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 – Port Rowan, 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, Carp, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout. 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.
• Watch the wind before crossing to the open lake — Erie builds fast. On rough days the Inner Bay bass fishing is excellent shelter.
• Access: Pay-and-display day-use lots in the provincial park; separate public launch access in Port Rowan village.

Gear setup

Setup:

Medium spinning in the bay; medium-heavy trolling on the open lake

Rod:

7' medium spinning rod

Reel:

Size 3000 spinning reel

Line:

12 lb braid with fluorocarbon leader

Best bait:

Minnows, Nightcrawlers, Leeches

Best lures:

Worm harness, Tube jig, Spinnerbait, Deep-diving crankbait