Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

• No statutes or acts will be found at this website.

The Pennsylvania Code website reflects the Pennsylvania Code changes effective through 53 Pa.B. 8238 (December 30, 2023).

58 Pa. Code § 61.4. Conowingo Reservoir.

§ 61.4. Conowingo Reservoir.

 (a)  It is unlawful to take, catch, kill or possess fish, except during the seasons specified in this section. However, it is not a violation of this section if a fish caught out of season from water where fishing for other species is lawful is immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which it was taken.

 (b)  It is unlawful to take, catch, kill or possess fish of less than the minimum size specified in this section. However, it is not a violation of this section if an undersized fish taken from waters where fishing is otherwise lawful is immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which it was taken.

 (c)  It is unlawful to take, catch or kill more than 1 day’s limit of any species of fish as specified in the following chart during 1 calendar day. It is unlawful to possess more than 1 day’s limit of any species of fish as specified in the following chart except under the following circumstances:

   (1)  A person may possess any number of lawfully caught fish at the person’s residence.

   (2)  A person who is engaged in a fishing trip away from home for 2 or more consecutive calendar days may, while transporting fish from the place where caught to his residence, possess a number of fish equal to no more than two times the daily creel limit for that species of fish. In prosecution for violation of this section, it shall be a rebuttable presumption that a person transporting fish from a fishing site caught all of the fish during 1 calendar day.

   (3)  A fish will not be considered to be caught in violation of this section if it is immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which it was taken.

   (4)  A fish caught that is not to be counted in the creel limit shall be immediately released unharmed into the water from which taken. Except as otherwise provided in §  53.24 or §  63.40 (relating to tournament and fishing derby permits; and fishing tournament and fishing derbies), a fish placed on a stringer, or confined by any type of container, structure or device, or not returned immediately to the water, will be considered as part of the daily creel or possession limits. Fish returned to the water shall be handled carefully and be returned unharmed to the water from which taken.

   (5)  Fish may be given to another person, but the fish shall be counted in the donor’s creel limit and neither donor nor recipient may kill or possess (while in the act of fishing) more than the limit allowed.

 (d)  The following seasons, sizes and creel limits apply to the Conowingo Reservoir, which includes the Susquehanna River from the Maryland State Line upstream to Holtwood Dam:

MINIMUM
DAILY
SPECIES
SEASONS
SIZE
LIMIT
All Species of Trout and SalmonOpen year-roundNo minimum
2 (combined species)
BASS Largemouth SmallmouthJanuary 1 until midnight last day of February and 12:01 a.m., June 16 until December 31 12 inches 5 (combined species)
PIKE Northern Open year-round 30 inches 2 (combined species)
WALLEYEOpen year-round 15 inches 5
MUSKELLUNGE and MUSKELLUNGE HYBRIDSOpen year-round 36 inches 1
PICKERELOpen year-round14 inches5
STRIPED BASS and STRIPED BASS/WHITE BASS HYBRIDSOpen year-round18 inches2 (combined species), only one of which may exceed 30 inches in length
AMERICAN and  HICKORY SHAD Closed (No open season)Closed0
RIVER HERRING (alewife and blueback herring) Closed (no open season)Closed0
SUNFISH (BLUE GILL and ROCK BASS)Open year-roundNo minimum15 (combined species)
CRAPPIES Open year-roundNo minimum15
CARPOpen year-roundNo minimum15
CHANNEL CATFISH Open year-roundNo minimum5
SUCKERSOpen year-roundNo minimum30
AMERICAN EELOpen year-round9 inches25
YELLOW PERCHOpen year-roundNo minimumNo daily limit
BAIT FISH FISH BAIT, except American eel, mussels/clams and crayfishOpen year-roundNo minimum35
ALL OTHER FISH SPECIESOpen year-roundNo mimimumNo daily limit
BIVALVES/SHELLFISH (Mussels/Clams)Closed (no open season)Closed0
CRAYFISH (ALL SPECIES)Open year-round50. The head must be immediately removed behind the eyes upon capture unless used as bait in the water from which taken.

Authority

   The provisions of this §  61.4 amended under the Fish and Boat Code, 30 Pa.C.S. § §  305, 322, 741, 928, 2102, 2307, 2711 and 5122—5124.

Source

   The provisions of this §  61.4 amended December 28, 1984, effective December 29, 1984, 14 Pa.B. 4691; amended February 12, 1993, effective February 13, 1993, 23 Pa.B. 739; amended March 10, 1995, effective March 11, 1995, 25 Pa.B. 834; amended November 22, 1996, effective January 1, 1997, 26 Pa.B. 5701; amended March 7, 1997, effective March 8, 1997, 27 Pa.B. 1155; amended October 31, 1997, effective November 1, 1997, 27 Pa.B. 5605; amended September 9, 2005, effective January 1, 2006, 35 Pa.B. 5007; amended August 31, 2007, effective January 1, 2008, 37 Pa.B. 4752; amended October 7, 2011, effective January 1, 2012, 41 Pa.B. 5365; amended July 3, 2014, effective January 1, 2015, 44 Pa.B. 4177; amended August 8, 2014, effective August 9, 2014, 44 Pa.B. 5336. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (372599) to (372601).

Cross References

   This section cited in 58 Pa. Code §  61.1 (relating to Commonwealth inland waters); and 58 Pa. Code §  61.7 (relating to Susquehanna River and tributaries).



No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.


This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.