Virginia Fishing License, Limits and Rules

Virginia splits its fishing rules between two agencies, between fresh and salt water, and, on some rivers and lakes, from one stretch of water to the next. This guide explains which license you need, what the 2026 fee changes mean, the free options, the saltwater registration, the striped bass seasons we verified and the rules that catch anglers out. It is a summary of published rules, not legal advice, and every value carries the date we checked it.

Which agency and which license?

• Freshwater: the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) sells the freshwater license and sets the rules for freshwater fish. Anglers 16 and older need one.
• Saltwater: the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) manages saltwater fish. Saltwater anglers 16 and older who do not hold a Virginia saltwater license must register each year for the free Fisherman Identification Program (FIP) number. The same registration applies if you fish for anadromous or marine species in fresh water.
• Tidal rivers: these are where the two agencies meet. DWR says VMRC sets striped bass, shad and herring seasons and limits on tidal waters. A freshwater-saltwater license line decides which license applies on a given stretch, and we have not been able to read DWR’s list of those lines, so check it before you fish near the head of tide. The James River guide shows how this plays out on one river.
• Trout: a trout license is needed in addition to your regular license, but only in designated stocked trout waters from October 1 through June 15. Special-regulation waters and a few others have their own rules. See the Virginia trout guide.

2026 fee changes

The rules snapshot below lists the fees we verified. The resident freshwater license, the combined freshwater and saltwater license, the five-day license, the age 65 and over license and the trout license are all there. Two points are worth highlighting.

First, fees rose by about $5 on most licenses on October 1, 2026. The DWR license page carries no date, so older, lower figures may still circulate on other sites. Use DWR’s page when you buy.

Second, we are not publishing non-resident fees or saltwater license fees. The DWR page and the January 2026 digest disagree on non-resident prices by an amount a $5 increase cannot explain, and VMRC’s rule pages did not load for our reads. Those lines show a “check the agency” note until we can verify them.

Ways to fish without buying a license

• Under 16: anglers under 16 do not need a license, resident or not. They also skip the trout license.
• Landowners: landowners fishing their own land and inland waters, along with their spouses, children, grandchildren and parents, are exempt from the freshwater license.
• Anglers 65 and older: they need no saltwater license but must still register with FIP. DWR also sells a lower-priced freshwater license for this age group.
• Other exemptions: DWR lists a few more groups, such as legally blind anglers. Read its page for the full list.
• Free fishing days: DWR announced June 5 to 7 and September 25 to 27 for 2026. We do not publish 2027 dates until DWR announces them.

In each case, every other rule still applies.

Striped bass seasons we verified

Virginia has separate striped bass rules for the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River tributaries and the coast, plus a different set of rules for each landlocked lake. The snapshot lists them. In short:

• The Bay and its tributaries have a spring season and a fall season, with one fish a day inside a narrow slot.
• The Potomac tributaries follow the Potomac River Fisheries Commission season.
• The coast is open for most of the year, with a larger slot and a break in the spring.
• The lakes change with the season. The rules for Kerr, Smith Mountain Lake and Claytor differ from each other and from the statewide rule.

The coastal and Bay values come from the Virginia Administrative Code, which was last amended on April 1, 2024. VMRC can change measures by notice, and the coast-wide reductions discussed in 2026 are not confirmed here. For that reason the striped bass pages carry a notice. See the Virginia striped bass guide for the calendar and where each rule applies.

Other saltwater limits

We verified two saltwater species and the pier rules. Cobia have a June 15 to September 20 season, a limit of one per person, a 43 inch minimum and a ban on gaffing. Red drum have an 18 to 26 inch size window, and we have not stated a daily limit because we did not re-read it. We are not publishing summer flounder or black sea bass limits, because the VMRC pages that carry them did not load. Check VMRC before you keep either.

For where these fish are caught, see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and Virginia Beach. The Virginia Beach guide also covers a license point that surprises visitors. The city says a saltwater license is not required on the Little Island pier but is required to fish from the beach. The free FIP registration still applies.

Freshwater limits that vary by water

Virginia sets many freshwater rules water by water, and the statewide numbers are only the start.

• Black bass: the statewide daily limit is five, with no statewide length limit. The James, the Shenandoah and the New River each have their own slot, and the big lakes have theirs. See the Virginia smallmouth guide.
• Muskie and walleye: the statewide rules are different from the rules on the New River and Claytor Lake. The boundary for the walleye rule is described differently by DWR’s web page and the printed digest, so the snapshot tells you to check it.
• Panfish and catfish: limits differ by lake, and the rivers below the fall line have no daily limit on catfish.
• Blue catfish on the tidal James: the digest contradicts itself, so we do not publish a limit. Check DWR.

Gear rules and special waters

Special-regulation trout waters allow single-point artificial lures only, and no bait may be in your possession unless the water says otherwise. Mossy Creek is fly fishing only and needs a free landowner permission card. The Jackson River tailwater and Bath County’s Hidden Valley water each have their own slots. They are covered in the Jackson River guide and the trout roundup.

We have not published a full statewide gear table. DWR’s pages for statewide gear rules were not read in this pass, so that line shows a “check the agency” note.

Invasive fish and the fish you should not move

Northern snakehead have no daily or length limit in Virginia, but DWR asks you to kill any you keep immediately and to tell the department. Moving a live snakehead is illegal. The same logic applies to flathead and blue catfish. DWR says flathead catfish have been illegally introduced in some rivers and asks anglers not to move them. The Shenandoah guide and the James guide explain where those fish are a concern.

American shad are catch and release only statewide, and river herring may not be kept. That includes alewife and blueback herring, so release them.

Fish consumption advisories

The Virginia Department of Health issues fish consumption advisories for several waters. We have not published the current advisory figures here. Check VDH before you eat fish from a river or lake you do not know. The Kepone closure on the James is one reason that matters, and the story is in The River Closed in 1975.

Where this comes from

Every value above comes from the 2026 Virginia Freshwater Fishing & Boating digest, DWR’s pages, the Virginia Administrative Code and the City of Virginia Beach, and each one shows the date we last checked it. When two sources disagreed, we say so instead of picking one. See how we research for the method, and the corrections email on that page if you see something wrong.

Nearby states

If your trip takes you up the coast, the rules change across each state line. See the Maryland license and rules guide and the Delaware license and rules guide.