Maine's 2020 Fishing Laws now available online - download a copy today!

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife sent this bulletin at 12/31/2019 05:57 PM EST
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mefishwildlife.com

Being a responsible user of the Maine outdoors means staying informed of, and complying with, the current laws and rules. 

 

It's easy, just visit mefishwildlife.com/laws

 

Search Maine Fishing Laws

2020 Summary of Maine Fishing Laws (PDF)

Maine Fishing Laws Online Angling Tool

 Maine Fishing Lawbook 2020

What's new? General Law change in the North Zone

Maine Fishing Zones

 

Use or possession of live fish as bait is now PROHIBITED under the General Fishing Law in the North Zone. The use of all other legal forms of bait (including worms and dead baitfish/smelts), artificial lures, and artificial flies is PERMITTED under General Law. All waters in the North Zone where the use of live bait is permitted now have the special law code "S-11" in the 2020 Open Water and Ice Fishing Laws.  

 

This change reinforces the importance of the region’s native and wild brook trout populations, and stresses the potential damage to those fisheries when bait fish are introduced where they don’t belong.

No cell coverage on the water? No problem. 

Just visit mefishwildlife.com/laws and browse by activity. Before you head to the water, follow these instructions to save an offline law book or quick reference guide to your mobile device, save a copy to your computer or print the pages you need for reference. 

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  1. Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader or iBooks app.
  2. In Safari, go to: mefishwildlife.com/laws
  3. Click the link for the PDF you want to download.
  4. When it opens, tap on the share icon in the bottom center of the screen, then tap "Copy to Adobe Acrobat Reader" or "Copy to iBooks". The file is now saved in your Adobe Acrobat Reader app or your iBooks app for offline viewing.
android
  1. In Chrome, go to: mefishwildlife.com/laws
  2. Select the link for the PDF you want to download.
  3. Choose to download the file to your Downloads folder OR
  4. Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader app and open the PDF.

 

 

Free Fishing Days - Bring an aspiring angler

icefishing

Free fishing days are February 15-16, 2020 and May 30-31, 2020. On these days, any person (except those whose license has been suspended or revoked) may fish without a license. All other laws and regulations apply on these days.

 

We hope you have a safe, memorable year fishing in Maine with friends and family.