“When does fishing season start” has no national answer, and the pages that give you one are usually wrong. Seasons are set state by state, several states do not close a general season at all, and a large share of the dates that do exist are written as a weekday rather than a date, so they move every year. This section gives the dates the agency publishes, says which kind of season each one is, and leaves the calendar blank where nothing has been published rather than guessing.
Open right now
Calculated for today from the rules below, not typed in. 100 of the 168 season rules we track are open as of today.
| State | Species | Where | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | Crab | Coastal waters (Marine Areas 1 to 3, and 4 west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line) | Open all year |
| Florida | Grouper | Gulf state waters, excluding Monroe County | September 1 to September 30 |
| Florida | Red snapper | Gulf state and federal waters, private anglers | May 22–July 31, September 1–October 4, October 9–November 22, January 1–January 4 |
| Florida | Crab | Statewide | Open all year |
| Louisiana | Crab | Statewide | Open all year |
| Michigan | Walleye | Lower Peninsula inland waters | April 25 to March 15 |
| Michigan | Walleye | Upper Peninsula inland waters | May 15 to March 15 |
| Michigan | Bass | Statewide, except Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers | May 23 to December 31 |
| Michigan | Bass | Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River and the Detroit River | June 20 to December 31 |
| Michigan | Trout | Type 1 and 2 streams | April 25 to September 30 |
| Maryland | Crab | Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries | April 1 to December 15 |
| Maryland | Crab | Atlantic coastal bays | April 1 to December 31 |
| Indiana | Trout | Inland streams | April 25 to December 31 |
| New York | Bass | Statewide | June 15 to November 30 |
| New York | Walleye | Statewide | May 1 to March 15 |
| New York | Trout | Inland streams | April 1 to October 15 |
| South Carolina | Shrimp | Shrimp baiting | September 11, 2026 to November 10, 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | Trout | Statewide, extended season | September 8 to February 15 |
| Pennsylvania | Bass | Commonwealth inland waters | No harvest April 11 to June 13 |
| Pennsylvania | Walleye | Commonwealth inland waters | January 1–March 14, May 2–December 31 |
| New Jersey | Trout | Inland stocked waters | April 11 to December 31 |
| New Jersey | Bass | Statewide | January 1–April 14, June 16–December 31 |
| New Jersey | Crab | Crab pots and trot lines | March 15 to November 30 |
| New Jersey | Crab | Delaware Bay, crab pots and trot lines | April 6 to December 4 |
| New Jersey | Black sea bass | Marine waters | May 15–June 21, June 22–September 22, September 23–October 31, November 1–December 31 |
| New Jersey | Tautog | Marine waters | January 1–February 28, April 1–April 30, August 1–November 15, November 16–December 31 |
| New Jersey | Summer flounder | Marine waters | May 4 to September 25 |
| New Jersey | Striped bass | Atlantic Ocean state waters | Open all year |
| New Jersey | Scup | Marine waters | January 1–June 30, September 1–December 31 |
| New Jersey | Winter flounder | Marine waters | March 1 to December 31 |
| New Jersey | Bluefish | Marine waters | Open all year |
| Minnesota | Walleye | Statewide inland waters | May 9 to February 28 |
| Minnesota | Northern pike | Statewide inland waters | May 9 to February 28 |
| Minnesota | Bass | Statewide | Open all year |
| Minnesota | Trout | Lake trout and stream trout | January 1 to October 31 |
| Wisconsin | Walleye | General inland waters | May 2 to March 7 |
| Wisconsin | Bass | Smallmouth, northern zone | June 20 to March 7 |
| Wisconsin | Trout | Inland trout streams | April 4 to October 15 |
| Wisconsin | Northern pike | General inland waters | May 2 to March 7 |
| North Carolina | Trout | Hatchery Supported waters | Closed March 1 to April 2 |
| North Carolina | Trout | Delayed Harvest waters | August 1–September 30 |
| North Carolina | Trout | Wild Trout waters | Open all year |
| North Carolina | Trout | Catch and Release / artificial flies and lures only waters | Open all year |
| Maine | Trout | Rivers, streams and brooks, both zones | April 1–August 15, August 16–September 30 |
| Maine | Trout | North Zone lakes and ponds | April 1 to September 30 |
| Maine | Trout | South Zone lakes and ponds | Open all year |
| Connecticut | Black sea bass | Marine waters | May 16 to November 25 |
| Connecticut | Summer flounder | Marine waters | May 4–August 1, August 2–October 15 |
| Connecticut | Striped bass | Marine waters | Open all year |
| Connecticut | Scup | Marine waters | May 1 to December 31 |
| Connecticut | Bluefish | Marine waters | Open all year |
| Texas | Southern flounder | Statewide, coastal waters | Closed November 1 to December 14 |
| Georgia | Trout | All designated trout waters | Open all year |
| Georgia | Trout | Delayed harvest streams | Closed November 1 to May 14 |
| Virginia | Trout | Statewide, general regulations | Open all year |
| Virginia | Trout | Delayed harvest waters | Closed October 1 to May 31 |
| Vermont | Trout | Streams | April 11 to October 31 |
| Vermont | Trout | Lakes | April 11 to October 31 |
| Vermont | Bass | Statewide | June 13 to March 15 |
| Vermont | Walleye | Statewide | May 2 to March 15 |
| Vermont | Northern pike | Statewide | Open all year |
| New Hampshire | Trout | Trout ponds | April 25 to October 15 |
| New Hampshire | Bass | Lakes and ponds | January 1–May 14, June 16–December 31 |
| New Hampshire | Lake trout | Lake trout and salmon waters | January 1–March 31, April 1–September 30 |
| Colorado | Trout | Statewide default | Open all year |
| Colorado | Bass | Statewide default | Open all year |
| Illinois | Trout | Inland trout waters, spring season | April 4 to December 31 |
| Missouri | Trout | The four trout parks, catch-and-keep | March 1 to October 31 |
| Missouri | Bass | Ozark streams | May 23 to February 28 |
| Iowa | Walleye | The Iowa Great Lakes: Spirit, East and West Okoboji | May 2 to February 14 |
| Nebraska | Bass | Statewide, hook and line | Open all year |
| Nebraska | Walleye | Statewide | Open all year |
| North Dakota | Walleye | Statewide | Open all year |
| North Dakota | Northern pike | Statewide | Open all year |
| North Dakota | Bass | Statewide | Open all year |
| Wyoming | Trout | Statewide default | Open all year |
| Wyoming | Bass | Statewide default | Open all year |
| Montana | Trout | Western District rivers and streams | May 16 to November 30 |
| Montana | Trout | Central and Eastern District rivers and streams | Open all year |
| Montana | Trout | Lakes and reservoirs, all three districts | Open all year |
| Idaho | Trout | General season, all waters | Open all year |
| Utah | Trout | Statewide default | Open all year |
| Utah | Walleye | Statewide default | Open all year |
| Nevada | Trout | Statewide default | Open all year |
| Nevada | Bass | Statewide default | Open all year |
| Hawaii | Lobster | Ula, the spiny lobster | Closed May 1 to August 31 |
| Delaware | Trout | Non-tidal ponds | March 7 to December 31 |
| Delaware | Trout | Non-tidal streams | April 4 to December 31 |
| Rhode Island | Trout | Statewide | April 11 to February 28 |
| Massachusetts | Trout | Lakes, ponds and major rivers | January 1 to December 31 |
| Massachusetts | Trout | All other rivers and brooks | April 1–September 10, September 11–March 31 |
| Massachusetts | Trout | Quabbin Reservoir | April 18 to October 17 |
| Massachusetts | Trout | Wachusett, Sudbury and West Waushacum | April 4 to November 30 |
| Massachusetts | Bass | Statewide freshwater | January 1 to December 31 |
| Massachusetts | Walleye | Statewide freshwater | January 1 to December 31 |
| Massachusetts | Tautog | Marine waters | April 1–May 31, June 1–July 31, August 1–October 14, October 15–December 31 |
| Massachusetts | Striped bass | Marine waters | Open all year |
| Massachusetts | Black sea bass | Marine waters | May 16–August 31, September 1–October 14 |
| Massachusetts | Summer flounder | Marine waters | May 24 to September 23 |
| Massachusetts | Trout | Cod and haddock, Gulf of Maine | September 1–October 31, April 1–February 28 |
Legal dates were read on the agency’s own page on the date shown beside each entry. Seasons change: the agency link is always the last word.
Seasons by state
Eight states so far, chosen by how many people search for their seasons. Each one lists every species we have verified dates for, with the agency page they came from.
| State | Species covered | Source read | Last read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington fishing seasons | Crab, Salmon | WDFW | |
| Florida fishing seasons | Grouper, Red snapper, Crab, Oyster | FWC | |
| Louisiana fishing seasons | Crab, Shrimp, Red snapper, Oyster | LDWF | |
| Michigan fishing seasons | Walleye, Bass, Trout | Michigan DNR | |
| Maryland fishing seasons | Crab | MD DNR | |
| Indiana fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Walleye | Indiana DNR | |
| New York fishing seasons | Bass, Walleye, Trout | NYSDEC | |
| South Carolina fishing seasons | Shrimp, Crab | SCDNR | |
| Pennsylvania fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Walleye | PFBC | |
| New Jersey fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Crab, Black sea bass, Tautog, Summer flounder, Striped bass, Scup, Winter flounder, Bluefish | NJ Fish and Wildlife | |
| Minnesota fishing seasons | Walleye, Northern pike, Bass, Trout | Minnesota DNR | |
| Wisconsin fishing seasons | Walleye, Bass, Trout, Northern pike | Wisconsin DNR | |
| Oregon fishing seasons | Salmon, Trout | ODFW | |
| North Carolina fishing seasons | Trout | NCWRC | |
| Maine fishing seasons | Trout, Landlocked salmon, Bass | MDIFW | |
| Connecticut fishing seasons | Tautog, Black sea bass, Summer flounder, Striped bass, Scup, Bluefish | CT DEEP | |
| Texas fishing seasons | Southern flounder | TPWD | |
| California fishing seasons | Trout | CDFW | |
| Georgia fishing seasons | Trout | Georgia WRD | |
| Virginia fishing seasons | Trout | Virginia DWR | |
| Vermont fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Walleye, Northern pike | Vermont Fish and Wildlife | |
| New Hampshire fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Lake trout | NH Fish and Game | |
| Colorado fishing seasons | Trout, Bass | CPW | |
| Ohio fishing seasons | Bass, Walleye, Trout | ODNR | |
| Illinois fishing seasons | Trout | IDNR | |
| Missouri fishing seasons | Trout, Bass | MDC | |
| Tennessee fishing seasons | Bass, Walleye, Trout | TWRA | |
| Kentucky fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Walleye | KDFWR | |
| Alabama fishing seasons | Red snapper | Outdoor Alabama | |
| Mississippi fishing seasons | Bass, Bream and panfish | MDWFP | |
| Arkansas fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Walleye | AGFC | |
| Oklahoma fishing seasons | Bass, Walleye, Trout | ODWC | |
| Kansas fishing seasons | Bass, Walleye, Trout | KDWP | |
| Iowa fishing seasons | Walleye, Bass | Iowa DNR | |
| Nebraska fishing seasons | Bass, Walleye, Paddlefish | Nebraska Game and Parks | |
| North Dakota fishing seasons | Walleye, Northern pike, Bass | ND Game and Fish | |
| South Dakota fishing seasons | Walleye, Northern pike, Bass | SD GFP | |
| Wyoming fishing seasons | Trout, Bass | WGFD | |
| Montana fishing seasons | Trout | Montana FWP | |
| Idaho fishing seasons | Trout, Salmon | IDFG | |
| Utah fishing seasons | Trout, Salmon, Walleye | Utah DWR | |
| Nevada fishing seasons | Trout, Bass | NDOW | |
| Arizona fishing seasons | Trout, Bass | AZGFD | |
| New Mexico fishing seasons | Trout | NMDGF | |
| Alaska fishing seasons | Salmon, Trout | ADF&G | |
| Hawaii fishing seasons | Lobster, Crab, Oyster, Trout | Hawaii DAR | |
| Delaware fishing seasons | Trout, Bass | DNREC | |
| Rhode Island fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Northern pike | RI DEM | |
| West Virginia fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Walleye | WVDNR | |
| Massachusetts fishing seasons | Trout, Bass, Walleye, Tautog, Striped bass, Black sea bass, Summer flounder | MassWildlife / DMF |
All 50 states are published here. Every one was read on the agency that sets its dates, with the date of reading beside each entry. Massachusetts was the last to arrive and was held back for a while: its agency refuses automated requests, and the table only came out when it was read the way a person reads it. The block was on the fetch, not on the data — which is a distinction worth making before declaring anything unavailable.
Seasons by species
The species split matters more than the state split here: most searches name a creature and a place together. Crab alone outweighs trout, bass and salmon combined.
| Species | What changes between states | States verified |
|---|---|---|
| Crab Season | Blue crab on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Dungeness on the Pacific. They are different animals under different agencies, and a rule you read for one tells you nothing about the other. | 7 |
| Walleye Season | Where a state closes walleye at all, it is almost always to protect the spawn. That is also why the opener lands where it does. | 20 |
| Bass Season | Largemouth and smallmouth are regulated together as black bass in most states, with the same dates. | 30 |
| Shrimp Season | Brown shrimp in spring, white shrimp in autumn, and the gear you are allowed to use decides which season applies to you. | 2 |
| Trout Season | Rainbow, brown and brook trout usually share the dates; the water type is what changes them. | 37 |
| Salmon Season | Chinook and coho on both coasts and in the Great Lakes, under completely different management. | 5 |
| Grouper Season | Gag is the one that closes. Red grouper, black grouper and the shallow-water complex each have their own rules. | 1 |
| Red Snapper Season | Private anglers, for-hire boats and federal waters are on different calendars. This page is the private-angler season. | 3 |
| Oyster Season | Harvest is by hand or tong, and the closure that matters most is the health department’s, not the season. | 3 |
Where a species and a state have their own page
Most season searches name a creature and a place together, and for the pairs with real demand that deserves a page of its own rather than a row in a table. Each of these goes deeper than the state page: every rule the agency publishes for that species, the sizes and limits, and what makes that state’s version different.
| Season | State | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Crab Season in Washington State | Washington | Set each year by the agency |
| Crab Season in Louisiana | Louisiana | Open all year |
| Crab Season in Maryland | Maryland | April 1 to December 15 |
| Grouper Season in Florida | Florida | September 1 to September 30 |
| Shrimp Season in Louisiana | Louisiana | Set each year by the agency |
| Walleye Season in Michigan | Michigan | April 25 to March 15 |
| Crab Season in South Carolina | South Carolina | No closed season published |
| Crab Season in Florida | Florida | Open all year |
| Trout Season in Michigan | Michigan | April 25 to September 30 |
| Red Snapper Season in Florida | Florida | May 22–July 31, September 1–October 4, October 9–November 22, January 1–January 4 |
| Shrimp Season in South Carolina | South Carolina | September 11, 2026 to November 10, 2026 |
| Salmon Season in Washington | Washington | Set each year by the agency |
| Walleye Season in Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | January 1–March 14, May 2–December 31 |
| Bass Season in New York | New York | June 15 to November 30 |
| Bass Season in Michigan | Michigan | May 23 to December 31 |
| Bass Season in New Jersey | New Jersey | January 1–April 14, June 16–December 31 |
| Crab Season in New Jersey | New Jersey | March 15 to November 30 |
| Oyster Season in Florida | Florida | Closed July 1 to September 30 |
| Walleye Season in Minnesota | Minnesota | May 9 to February 28 |
| Trout Season in Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | April 4 to September 7 |
| Walleye Season in New York | New York | May 1 to March 15 |
| Trout Season in North Carolina | North Carolina | Closed March 1 to April 2 |
| Trout Season in New York | New York | April 1 to October 15 |
| Blackfish Season in Connecticut | Connecticut | April 1–April 30, July 1–August 31, October 10–November 28 |
| Walleye Season in Wisconsin | Wisconsin | May 2 to March 7 |
| Red Snapper Season in Louisiana | Louisiana | Set each year by the agency |
Species without a page of their own
These carry season dates in at least one state we cover but not enough national search demand to justify a page each. They live inside the state pages, with the same sourcing and the same calendar.
| Species | What is worth knowing | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Usually shares its dates with walleye, and usually has the bigger minimum size. | Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island |
| Lake trout | Frequently on a different calendar from stream trout in the same state. | New Hampshire |
| Landlocked salmon | Managed with lake trout in New England, on the same dates and the same combined limit. | Maine |
| Black sea bass | Split into several windows a year with a different bag limit in each. | New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts |
| Tautog | Sold as blackfish. Three or four separate windows a year on the mid-Atlantic. | New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts |
| Summer flounder | Fluke. The minimum length can change partway through the same season. | New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts |
| Striped bass | Usually a slot limit rather than a minimum, and often no closed season at all. | New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts |
| Scup | Porgy. Shore anglers often get a smaller minimum size than boat anglers. | New Jersey, Connecticut |
| Bluefish | Rarely closed; the limit depends on whether you are on a for-hire boat. | New Jersey, Connecticut |
| Winter flounder | A spring and autumn fish with a long nominal season. | New Jersey |
| Southern flounder | The Gulf flounder, closed each autumn for the spawning run. | Texas |
| Bream and panfish | Bluegill, sunfish and crappie, usually the most generous limits on any state table. | Mississippi |
| Paddlefish | Snagged rather than caught, on short seasons closed early when a quota is hit. | Nebraska |
| Lobster | Spiny and slipper lobster, closed over the summer where they are managed at all. | Hawaii |
The four kinds of season, and why it matters
Every entry on this site is one of four things, and knowing which one you are looking at tells you how much to trust a date you read anywhere else.
- A fixed date. Maryland's blue crab season runs April 1 to December 15 and will do so next year. These are the only seasons safe to memorise.
- A rule, not a date. “the last Saturday in April”, “the first Saturday in April”, “the second Saturday in April” and others like them. We calculate these for the current year from the wording in the regulations, so the page cannot go stale the way a copied date does.
- Announced each year. Washington sets Puget Sound crab by marine area each summer; Louisiana sets shrimp by commission vote; Florida resets gag grouper and red snapper by executive order. There is no date to look up in advance, and any site that gives you one is showing you an old one.
- No season at all. Indiana does not close bass or walleye. The rules that govern your day there are sizes and bag limits, not a calendar.
Questions
When does fishing season start?
There is no national answer: fishing seasons are set state by state, and a good number of states do not close a general season at all. Where a season does exist it usually protects a spawn — walleye and pike in spring in the north, oysters over the warm months on the Gulf. The state pages here give the dates the agency publishes, with the date we read them.
Why do the opening dates change every year?
Because many of them are written as a weekday rather than a date: "the last Saturday in April", "the Saturday before Memorial Day", "noon on the last Friday on or before September 15". Those move. We calculate them for the current year from the rule in the regulations instead of copying last season’s date, which is how most season pages go stale.
Does a closed season mean I cannot fish?
Usually not. In most states what closes is your right to keep the fish, not your right to cast at it. Michigan and New York both run catch-and-release seasons for bass that cover the months the possession season is shut, so the water is open far longer than the season table suggests.
Why do some seasons show no dates here?
Because the agency has not published any. Washington sets Puget Sound crab dates each summer by marine area, Louisiana sets shrimp seasons by commission vote, and South Carolina regulates recreational crabbing with sizes and limits rather than a season. Where that is the case this site leaves the calendar band empty instead of inventing a window.
Seasons are compiled and checked by Pablo Ruiz Quintero. Found a date that has moved? Tell us and the correction goes in the verification log with the date.