Arkansas Fishing License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Arkansas fishing license costs $10.50 for a resident adult and $60 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-12).
Arkansas's base fishing license is inexpensive and covers standard tackle fishing statewide, but the state's famous trout tailwaters, the White and Norfork rivers among them, require a separate trout permit that visiting anglers frequently forget to add.
- Non-resident 1-day $15
- Non-resident 3-day $30
- Resident 3-day $6.50
Base Fisheries Conservation License covers standard tackle only; a separate trout permit ($10 resident / $20 non-resident) is required to keep trout or fish major tailwaters like the White and Norfork rivers. Combination Sportsman's License ($35.50) bundles hunting and fishing for residents.
Fee last verified 2026-09-12.
Heading out for Arkansas fishing? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
Once you have the license, check the Arkansas fishing regulations: statewide daily bag limits, size limits and seasons by species.
What an Arkansas fishing license costs
The Resident Fisheries Conservation License is $10.50 annually. Non-residents pay $60 for the annual license, or $15 for 1 day and $30 for 3 days for a shorter visit. Residents can also get a 3-day trip license for $6.50 if they don't need the full annual.
The trout permit
A Resident Trout Permit ($10) or Nonresident Trout Permit ($20) is required on top of the base license to keep trout or to fish certain waters, including the major tailwaters below Bull Shoals, Norfork and Greers Ferry dams. These cold tailwater fisheries are Arkansas's biggest fishing draw for visiting anglers, which makes the trout permit a near-mandatory add-on rather than an edge case.
How to buy your Arkansas fishing license
AGFC's online licensing system handles the fishing license and trout permit together in one transaction. Licenses and permits are also sold at bait shops, sporting goods stores and other vendors near the major fishing destinations.
Fishing in Arkansas: what to expect
The White River below Bull Shoals Dam and the Norfork River below Norfork Dam are nationally known trout tailwaters, holding rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout in cold, dam-controlled water that fishes well essentially year-round. Away from the tailwaters, Arkansas's warmwater lakes (Ouachita, Hamilton and DeGray among them) hold strong largemouth and striped bass fisheries. The Delta's oxbow lakes and bayous in the east add crappie and catfish to the mix in a completely different setting from the Ozark trout streams.
Best times to fish in Arkansas
White and Norfork river trout fishing is a year-round fishery thanks to cold dam releases, though generation schedules change the wading versus float picture daily, so checking the Corps of Engineers release schedule before a trip matters more than the calendar. Bass fishing on Ouachita, Hamilton and DeGray peaks during the spring spawn (typically March into April) with a secondary fall run. Crappie fishing on the Delta oxbows is best in early spring as fish move shallow to spawn.
Tailwaters, generation schedules and the trout permit
A $10.50 resident or $60 non-resident annual license is genuinely inexpensive by regional standards, which is part of why Arkansas's trout tailwaters draw so many out-of-state anglers. The trout permit ($10 resident, $20 non-resident) is easy to skip by accident since it's a separate line at checkout, and a warden checking creel on the White or Norfork will cite for a missing permit even if every fish is legally sized. Dam generation on both rivers changes daily and dramatically shifts water levels, so calling ahead or checking the Corps of Engineers release schedule is as important to a successful trip as having the right permit.
How to renew a Arkansas fishing license
There is no separate renewal process in Arkansas. A fishing license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. License year runs July 1 through June 30.
The fastest route is the official Arkansas online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Arkansas hunting license page too, see how much a fishing license costs in every state, compare non-resident fishing fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.