2026 regulation year
Trout (rainbow / brown / brook) Fishing Regulations by State (2026)
Oncorhynchus mykiss / Salmo trutta / Salvelinus fontinalis
Last updated
Trout (rainbow / brown / brook) is regulated separately by each state. This page compares the open-season window, daily bag limit, and size or slot rule for trout across the 14 states fishregs covers deeply for 2026 — 8 set a defined harvest season and 6 keep it open year-round. Rules vary by state and often by individual water body, so confirm on the linked state page before fishing. New to bag, slot, and size limits? The glossary explains every term.
Trout regulations comparison by state
| State | Open season | Daily bag | Size / slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Open year-round | 5 / day combined (no more than 2 brown, 2 cutthroat and 2 brook trout); reduced to 2 / day on the White / Little Red / Norfork / Beaver tailwaters | No statewide minimum; lower White River (Norfork access – Guion): brown / cutthroat / tiger 24 in min (1 / day), brook 14 in min (1 / day); upper Bull Shoals / Little Red / Norfork / Beaver tailwaters: 2 trout, none over 14 in (Little Red + Beaver up to 14 in)Slot: Lower White River (Norfork access to Guion): brown / cutthroat / tiger trout 24 in min protected slot, 1 / day TROPHY MANAGEMENT — the AGFC trophy brown-trout rule replaces the old (incorrect) statewide 16-in framing |
| California | – · Sierra district streams | 5 / day on most general-regulation waters; 2 / day on listed wild-trout streams | No statewide minimum; wild-trout waters carry 10–18 in minimums |
| Connecticut | – · Stocked reaches (Opening Day second Saturday in April) – · Trout Management Areas (Housatonic, Farmington West Branch, Salmon River Comstock, Mianus Pond, others) | 5 / day combined trout statewide in-season (2 / day Apr 1 – mid-June pre-season period on listed reaches); 2 / day Trophy Trout Lakes | 9 in min stocked trout statewide; 12 in min + 1 / day Trophy Trout Lakes; 18 in min lake trout listed lakes |
| Georgia | Open year-round | 8 / day combined rainbow + brown + brook | No statewide length limit; Delayed Harvest streams C&R only Nov 1 – May 14 |
| Kentucky | Open year-round | 5 / day combined rainbow + brown (most waters); 1 brown over 18 in (Cumberland tailwater) | No statewide rainbow minimum; 18 in min brown Cumberland tailwater; 15 in min brown elsewhere |
| Massachusetts | – · Statewide year-round stocked + wild trout waters – · MassWildlife spring stocking window | 8 / day combined trout statewide (3 / day on listed Trout Management Areas) | No statewide minimum; 12 in min + 1 / day on listed Catch-and-Keep Trophy reaches; Quabbin lake trout 18 in min + 2 / day |
| Missouri | – · Trout Parks catch-and-keep – · Trout Parks winter C&R – · Lake Taneycomo + Current River + Eleven Point + outside-park streams | 4 / day combined trout in Trout Parks (with daily tag); 4 / day Lake Taneycomo (only 1 brown ≥ 20 in; rainbow 12–20 in released); 4 / day stocked streams outside parks (with Trout Permit) | No minimum in Trout Parks (covered by daily tag); Taneycomo brown 20 in min + rainbow 12–20 in protected slot; Eleven Point + Current + North Fork White Blue Ribbon reaches 18 in min + 1 / day; White Ribbon brown 15 in min |
| New Jersey | – · Stocked reaches (Opening Day Saturday) – · Catch-and-release reaches (Big Flat Brook Blewett + Ken Lockwood Gorge) | 6 / day combined trout (in-season stocked reaches); 4 / day after May 31; 2 / day Trophy Trout Lakes | 9 in min stocked trout statewide; 15 in min Trophy Trout Lakes (Round Valley + Merrill Creek) |
| Oklahoma | – · Lower Illinois River + Lower Mountain Fork year-round Trout Areas – · Seasonal winter Trout Areas — Blue River + Lake Watonga + Sunset Lake + Carl Blackwell Turtle Pond – · Seasonal winter Trout Areas — Robbers Cave (Lake Carlton) + Medicine Creek | 3 / day combined trout (rainbow + brown) in designated Trout Areas; Lower Mountain Fork Area 2 = 1 rainbow over 25 in + 1 brown over 30 in; Lower Illinois restricted reach = 1 trout, 20-in minimum | No statewide minimum on rainbow trout; Lower Illinois 1 brown trout over 20 in; Lower Mountain Fork special reaches 1 rainbow over 25 in + 1 brown over 30 in |
| Pennsylvania | – – | 5 / day combined (regular inland season); 3 / day Lake Erie + tributaries | 7 in minimum inland; 9 in min on selected Class A Wild Trout waters; 15 in min Lake Erie tributaries |
| South Carolina | – · Delayed Harvest reaches – · Delayed Harvest reaches (general regs) – · Chattooga River Section 0 + Section I (SC/GA boundary)+1 more window | Possession limit 5 trout on general waters (rainbow + brown + brook), counted within the statewide 40-game-fish daily aggregate; 0 on catch-and-release reaches | No minimum size on general trout waters (any length); Lake Jocassee 15 in min Oct 1 – May 31 with only 1 fish over 20 in; Lower Saluda River (Broad River confluence to Lake Murray Dam) only 1 fish over 16 in; no harvest on catch-and-release / Delayed Harvest reaches |
| Tennessee | Open year-round | 7 / day combined trout (most waters); 1 brown / day on South Holston (24 in min) and Clinch trophy section (18 in min) | No statewide rainbow minimum; 24 in min brown South Holston; 18 in min brown Clinch tailwater trophy section; 15 in min brown elsewhere |
| Virginia | Open year-round | 6 / day combined trout (stocked waters); 0 / day catch-and-release reaches; 2 / day on Smith River below Philpott Dam (1 brown over 12 in) | 7 in min stocked trout statewide; 9 in min Smith River rainbow; 12 in min Smith River brown; native brook trout reach-specific rules |
| West Virginia | Open year-round | 6 / day combined rainbow + brown + brook (most stocked waters); 0 / day Cranberry Wilderness native brook reaches (C&R) | 7 in min stocked trout statewide; 12 in min wild native brook trout protected reaches |
Figures are statewide defaults for 2026. Specific lakes, rivers, and coastal zones can carry their own trout rules — open any state row for the full season map, gear restrictions, and named water-body overrides.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is there a nationwide trout season or bag limit?
- No. Each US state sets its own trout rules. Across the 14 states covered here, 6 keep harvest open year-round while 8 define a closed season, and daily bag and size limits differ from state to state. Use the table above to compare, then open a state page for the exact current rule.
- Does my fishing license cover trout in every state?
- No. A fishing license is valid only in the state that issued it, apart from a few border-water reciprocity agreements. To fish trout in another state you generally need that state's non-resident license — compare non-resident fees on the license-fees page and check the reciprocity page for shared-water exceptions.
- Why do trout rules vary so much between states?
- Trout (rainbow / brown / brook) (Oncorhynchus mykiss / Salmo trutta / Salvelinus fontinalis) is a freshwater species, and each state manages it for its own water temperatures, spawning timing, population health, and fishing pressure. Many states also set tougher rules on specific lakes or rivers, so the statewide figure shown here can be overridden on a named water body — always confirm on the linked state page before fishing.
- Why does one state show more than one trout season?
- Several states split trout into management zones — different coasts, river drainages, or regions open and close on different dates. Where that happens the table shows each zone's window; the state page lists the full zone map.