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United States · ME
Maine
Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (freshwater) & Dept. of Marine Resources (saltwater)
Rules change by area and can change mid-season. We explain what the rules mean and always link you to the official source — we never copy a limit table and call it current.
Licences — what you need
- • Freshwater fishing needs an IF&W licence. Saltwater recreational fishing needs registration through the state's saltwater registry system (a licence/exemption structure run by Marine Resources) — most anglers register free or via a small-fee licence depending on their situation.
- • Licences are calendar-year; combination hunt/fish products are common.
How the rules are organized
- • Freshwater rules are famously organized by county and by individual water in twin rulebooks (North Zone / South Zone) — Maine manages water by water more than almost any other state.
- • Special rule codes (S-codes) attached to each water modify the general law — the code letters are the rulebook.
- • Saltwater rules are species-based (striped bass, groundfish) under Marine Resources with the interstate framework.
Good to know — common mistakes
- • Read your exact water's S-codes: two neighbouring Maine ponds can have opposite rules on bait, motors, seasons and harvest.
- • Live baitfish rules are strict and the use of live fish as bait is prohibited on many waters — the North/South zone split matters.
- • Ice fishing has its own season structure by county and water — and ice fishing flags/lines rules differ from open-water.
- • Atlantic salmon in Maine rivers are endangered and fully protected — any salmon in a Maine river is released, always.
Official links
Fishing locations covered in this guide
This page is a plain-language summary, not the law. Regulations change — including in-season by official notice — and if anything here disagrees with the official source, the official source governs.
AnglerPlan is an information service, not a regulator. If anything here disagrees with an official source, the official source wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.