Ohio approves change to three fishing lines

COLUMBUS — During its regularly scheduled meeting Oct. 5, the Ohio Wildlife Council voted to approve a proposal to allow a maximum of three fishing lines statewide, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. 

The rule will take effect Jan. 1, 2023. 

The Oct. 5 vote aligns statewide fishing regulations with those already in place in the Lake Erie Sport Fishing District, Ohio River fishing units and Pymatuning Lake by increasing the limit to three lines per person. 

Additionally, the council voted to remove site-specific catfish regulations for Hoover Reservoir and align the popular central Ohio fishing destination with statewide rules for blue and channel catfish. 

Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, catfish anglers can harvest one blue catfish 35 inches or longer and one channel catfish 28 inches or longer, with no restrictions on shorter fish. 

The decision to amend catfish regulations at Hoover Reservoir was based on research indicating that the reservoir’s catfish fishery meets angler and agency expectations. Removing the special regulations currently in place will improve fish growth, reduce the time for fish to reach trophy length and simplify harvest regulations by returning them to statewide rules. 

The council also approved the expiration of annual shooting range permits as one year from the date of issue, rather than the last day of February. An annual shooting range permit is required of all individuals age 18 or older visiting a Division of Wildlife Class A, B or C range. This rule will take effect on March 1, 2023. 

Additional decisions by the wildlife council include the following: 

• Remove of the size limit on crappie in the Mahoning River downstream of the Lake Milton dam. 
• Extend camping dates in Woodbury Wildlife Area to include the Friday before Memorial Day, thereby including the wild turkey hunting season. 
• Update of the descriptions and boundaries in the restricted migratory bird hunting zone in Muddy Creek Bay so that it can be located using readily available modern technology. 
• Amend fishing regulations so float line restrictions apply only to public waters.

The Ohio Wildlife Council is an eight-member board that approves all Division of Wildlife proposed rules and regulations.

Council meetings are open to the public. Individuals interested in providing comments are asked to call 614-265-6304 at least two days prior to the meeting to register. All comments are required to be three minutes or less.