Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Buy a Fishing Permit

Purchase fishing permit to fish for trout and/or the waters of Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay, and their tributaries including waters that flow into those tributaries.

Trout Fishing Permit

A current Pennsylvania trout permit is required to fish for trout in Pennsylvania waters. Permits are printed on the license.

An angler “fishes for trout” when the angler:

 

Lake Erie Fishing Permit

Waters Where a Lake Erie Permit is Required

The main tributaries where a permit is required are:

  • Cascade Creek
  • Conneaut Creek
  • Crooked Creek
  • Eightmile Creek
  • Elk Creek
  • Fourmile Creek
  • Mill Creek
  • Raccoon Creek
  • Sevenmile Creek
  • Sixmile Creek
  • Sixteenmile Creek
  • Turkey Creek
  • Twelvemile Creek
  • Twentymile Creek
  • Walnut Creek

A permit is also required for all of those waters that flow into these main tributaries.

Waters Where a Lake Erie Permit is Not Required

Anglers fishing the East and West Basin ponds (Waterworks Ponds, Presque Isle State Park) are not required to possess a Lake Erie Permit. Anglers fishing inland ponds, lakes and reservoirs in Erie County are not required to possess a Lake Erie Permit.

The following persons are NOT required to possess a trout permit or Lake Erie permit:

  • Persons under 16 years of age.
  • Disabled persons and other individuals who are exempt from fishing license requirements, or who are authorized to fish using an institutional license.
  • Persons who possess a 1-Day Tourist license.

Video: How to Buy a Pennsylvania Fishing License and/or Fishing Permit Online

This is an instructional video for customers using www.HuntFish.pa.gov to purchase fishing licenses and fishing permits in Pennsylvania.

Buy a Combination Trout and Lake Erie Permit

An angler may need both a trout permit and a Lake Erie permit to fish in waters in the Erie area. Rather than purchasing these individually, a combination Trout Lake Erie permit may be purchased.