2026 regulation year
Utah Fishing Regulations 2026 — License Fees, Seasons, Bag Limits
Last updated
Utah runs a single-agency regulatory system through the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) covering all inland freshwater fisheries — Utah is a fully landlocked Intermountain West / Great Basin / Colorado Plateau state operating four distinct watershed systems on separate drainages: (1) the Bear Lake / Bear River drainage in north-central UT carrying the country's endemic Bonneville cutthroat trout + Bear Lake's four endemic fish species; (2) the Great Salt Lake / Bonneville Basin internally-drained watershed carrying brine shrimp + introduced trout reservoirs on tributary streams; (3) the Green River / Colorado River drainage in eastern + southeastern UT carrying native Colorado River cutthroat + razorback sucker + Colorado pikeminnow ESA-protected native species + the country's premier inland trophy brown + lake trout fishery on Flaming Gorge Reservoir + the country's premier wild brown + rainbow trout tailwater on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam; (4) the Virgin River drainage in SW UT carrying federally endangered desert native fishes (Virgin River chub, woundfin) under USFWS recovery management. Utah operates the country's largest contiguous federal-lands fishery network: 5 National Parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion) + 7 National Monuments + Glen Canyon NRA + Flaming Gorge NRA + Bear Lake NWR + 9 National Forests + 22.8 million acres BLM lands (one of the highest BLM-coverage states in the country). UDWR-distinctive license framework: every angler 12+ must hold a Utah Fishing License ($40 res annual / $90 NR annual) — no separate Conservation Stamp like WY ($21.50 base authority) or AIS Pass like MT ($2/$7.50 mandatory AIS Prevention Pass); Utah folds AIS-prevention compliance into the basic license and requires mandatory boat inspections at all AIS-positive entry points (Lake Powell, Lake Mead, Lake Mohave) under the UDWR Mussel-Aware Boater Program. Bear Lake (110 sq mi natural lake on the ID/UT line — Rich County UT + Bear Lake County ID — country's 4th-deepest natural lake in the lower 48 at 208 ft, the country's largest natural lake in the Great Basin) carries four endemic fish species found nowhere else in the world: endemic Bear Lake cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah, the Bonneville cutthroat subspecies endemic to the Bear Lake basin), Bonneville cisco (Prosopium gemmifer, ice-fishing endemic species), Bonneville whitefish (Prosopium spilonotus), Bear Lake whitefish (Prosopium abyssicola) — Bear Lake is one of only handful of US lakes with four endemic vertebrate species + administered under joint ID/UT reciprocal compact (Bear Lake State Park UT + Bear Lake State Park ID + Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge USFWS at the south end). The Bonneville cisco run (late January – early February) is the country's only ice-fishing-by-dipnetting season for an endemic salmonid — anglers dipnet through ice for ~1-2 week annual window when cisco school to spawn over the shallow gravel shoals near Cisco Beach (UT) + North Eden Creek (ID). Flaming Gorge Reservoir (91 sq mi reservoir on the Green River — USBR Flaming Gorge Dam built 1962 — Daggett County UT + Sweetwater + Sublette + Uinta Counties WY — straddles the WY/UT boundary under joint reciprocal compact) carries the country's premier inland trophy brown trout fishery — IGFA all-tackle world-record brown trout 33 lb 10 oz Flaming Gorge UT-side 1979 by Robert L. Bringhurst (held IGFA world record 1979-1992 until Arkansas's Little Red 40 lb 4 oz; still UT state record) + trophy lake trout fishery (UT state-record lake trout 51 lb 8 oz Flaming Gorge 1988 — one of largest inland lake trout records outside the Great Lakes). The Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam (28-mile blue-ribbon trout tailwater from the dam downstream through Red Canyon + Little Hole + Brown's Park to the UT/CO line — Daggett + Uintah Counties UT) carries the country's premier wild brown + rainbow + cutthroat tailwater (8-12,000 catchable trout per mile — one of country's two densest wild trout reaches alongside the Bighorn MT tailwater at 8,000/mile + Miracle Mile WY at ~12,000/mile during runoff). Lake Powell (161,000-acre reservoir on the Colorado River — USBR Glen Canyon Dam built 1966 — Garfield + San Juan + Kane Counties UT + Coconino County AZ — country's second-largest reservoir by volume + third-largest by surface area after Lake Mead NV/AZ + Lake Sakakawea ND) carries striped bass + smallmouth + largemouth + walleye + black crappie + channel catfish fishery on the 186-mile reservoir reach + administered under the joint UT/AZ Lake Powell reciprocal compact through Glen Canyon NRA NPS overlay. Strawberry Reservoir (17,000-acre reservoir in the Wasatch Range — USBR Strawberry Dam built 1916 + enlarged 1990 — Wasatch County UT) carries the country's premier kokanee salmon + Bonneville cutthroat trophy fishery — Utah's flagship freshwater fishery + UDWR-managed wild Bear Lake-strain Bonneville cutthroat (released annually from Whiterocks State Fish Hatchery — 22 in min + 1/day TROPHY MANAGEMENT). The Provo River (75-mile river from the headwaters in the Uinta Mountains through Heber Valley + Jordanelle Reservoir + Deer Creek Reservoir + the Provo Canyon Middle Provo + Lower Provo tailwater reaches to Utah Lake — Wasatch + Utah Counties UT) is Utah's most famous urban-trout-stream + country's premier dry-fly + nymph wild brown + rainbow trout tailwater fishery near Salt Lake City + Provo metropolitan areas. The North Fork Provo + Weber + Logan + Blacksmith Fork are the wild blue-ribbon trout streams on the Wasatch Range east slope. UDWR statewide standard: trout 4 / day combined trout (rainbow + brown + brook + cutthroat + tiger + golden + grayling — but NOT lake trout) statewide; lake trout (Mackinaw) no limit on fish 28 in and smaller at Flaming Gorge (reclassified nongame Jan 2025 to suppress overpopulation, protect kokanee — only 1 over 28 in in possession) + 4 / day at Strawberry + Fish Lake; cutthroat trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only on listed Bonneville cutthroat conservation populations (Strawberry + UDWR-managed Bonneville cutthroat conservation reaches statewide) + 1 / day Bear Lake (joint ID/UT 1-fish bag); kokanee salmon counted within the statewide 4 / day combined trout limit (trout + kokanee salmon + Arctic grayling) with a statewide no-possession spawning closure Sept 10 – Nov 30 (Strawberry + Flaming Gorge + Causey + Porcupine + Fish Lake + listed kokanee waters; Flaming Gorge allows no more than 3 kokanee within the combined limit); largemouth + smallmouth + spotted bass 6 / day combined + 12 in min on most waters (Quail Creek + Sand Hollow trophy management); striped bass 0 / day catch-and-release-only on Lake Powell (UDWR-distinctive — striped bass managed as encouraged-removal invasive species in Lake Powell, no statewide bag minimum below 20 inch min, harvest encouraged); walleye 10 / day with only 1 fish over 24 in / day (UDWR-distinctive — no minimum length encourages harvest of non-native walleye, but the 1-over-24-in cap protects trophy fish; Willard Bay reduced to 6 / day still only 1 over 24 in; Lake Powell no limit — encouraged-removal invasive, harvested fish may not be released); channel catfish 8 / day combined no min; yellow perch 50 / day no min; whitefish (mountain + Bear Lake + Bonneville) no daily bag limit. UDWR stocks ~10 million catchable + fingerling trout annually statewide via Whiterocks + Loa + Mantua + Springville + Glenwood + Egan + Kamas + Fountain Green + Midway State Fish Hatcheries — one of the most extensive trout hatchery systems in the West. UDWR-distinctive free fishing day on the first Saturday of June each year — no license required statewide for 24 hours (alongside ID + WY). UDWR fees: $40 res annual + $20 res 1-day + $25 res 3-day + $50 res 7-day + $15 res youth (12-17) reduced + $90 res lifetime senior 65+ one-time + $0 res permanently disabled vet 100% + $0 res under 12; $90 NR annual + $20 NR 1-day + $40 NR 3-day + $50 NR 7-day + $25 NR youth (12-17) reduced + $0 NR under 12.
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License fees
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resident annual fishing | $40.00 | |
| Resident 7-day fishing | $50.00 | |
| Resident 3-day fishing | $25.00 | |
| Resident 1-day fishing | $20.00 | |
| Resident annual combination fishing + hunting | $56.00 | |
| Resident youth (12-17) annual reduced | $15.00 | |
| Resident lifetime senior 65+ | $90.00 | One-time lifetime senior license ages 65+ — replaces annual renewal |
| Resident permanently disabled veteran (100%) | Free | Free lifetime license with 100% service-connected VA disability documentation |
| Resident under 12 | Free | Not required under age 12 |
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident annual fishing | $90.00 | |
| Non-resident 7-day fishing | $50.00 | |
| Non-resident 3-day fishing | $40.00 | |
| Non-resident 1-day fishing | $20.00 | |
| Non-resident youth (12-17) annual reduced | $25.00 | |
| Non-resident free fishing day (first Saturday of June) | Free | No license required on the first Saturday of June statewide — UDWR-distinctive one-day annual amnesty alongside ID + WY |
| Non-resident under 12 | Free | Not required under age 12 |
Buy directly from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR). Fees may include processing surcharges at point of sale.
Top species — season, bag, size
| Species | Season | Daily bag | Size / slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutthroat troutCompare across states → | Open year-round on most waters; listed Bonneville cutthroat conservation populations 0 / day catch-and-release-only; Bear Lake 1 / day joint ID/UT reciprocal bag limit | 0 / day catch-and-release-only on listed Bonneville cutthroat conservation reaches (Strawberry + UDWR-managed Bonneville cutthroat conservation populations); 1 / day Bear Lake under joint ID/UT compact; 4 / day combined trout elsewhere | 22 in min on Strawberry TROPHY MANAGEMENT Bonneville cutthroat; no statewide minimum elsewhere |
| Rainbow troutCompare across states → | Open year-round on most waters; Green River below Flaming Gorge + Provo + Weber + Logan tailwater wild-trout reaches managed under UDWR Quality Management regulation | 4 / day combined trout; 8 / day Green River below Flaming Gorge under joint UT/WY compact (special exception) | No statewide minimum on most waters; 15 in min on listed Quality Management tailwater reaches |
| Brown troutCompare across states → | Open year-round on most waters; Green River below Flaming Gorge + Provo + Weber tailwater wild brown-trout reaches managed under UDWR Quality Management | 4 / day combined trout; 1 / day brown trout + 15 in min on Lower Provo + listed TROPHY MANAGEMENT reaches | 15 in min brown trout on listed TROPHY MANAGEMENT reaches; no statewide minimum on most waters |
| Lake trout (Mackinaw)Compare across states → | Open year-round on listed lake-trout reservoirs (Flaming Gorge + Strawberry + Fish Lake + Bear Lake) | No limit on lake trout 28 in and smaller at Flaming Gorge (reclassified nongame Jan 2025 — only 1 over 28 in in possession; joint UT/WY compact); 4 / day Strawberry + Fish Lake + Bear Lake | Flaming Gorge: no limit on lake trout 28 in and smaller, only 1 over 28 in in possession; no statewide minimum elsewhere |
| WalleyeCompare across states → | Open year-round statewide; April – June pre-spawn through post-spawn densest fishing window on Willard Bay + Utah Lake + Starvation + Yuba + Lake Powell | 10 / day, only 1 over 24 in (UDWR-distinctive — no minimum length encourages harvest of non-native walleye, but only 1 fish over 24 in / day protects trophy fish); 6 / day, only 1 over 24 in at Willard Bay; no limit at Lake Powell (encouraged-removal invasive — harvested fish may not be released) | No minimum length, but only 1 walleye over 24 in / day (UDWR caps trophy fish rather than setting a minimum — contrasts with traditional walleye states' 14-15 in min) |
| Kokanee salmonCompare across states → | Open year-round on listed kokanee reservoirs (Strawberry + Flaming Gorge + Fish Lake + Causey + Porcupine); no possession statewide Sept 10 – Nov 30 spawning closure | Counted within the statewide 4 / day combined trout limit (trout + kokanee salmon + Arctic grayling); no possession Sept 10 – Nov 30 | No statewide minimum |
| Brook troutCompare across states → | Open year-round; high-country Uinta Mountains + Boulder Mountain (Aquarius Plateau) lakes are Utah's premier brook trout waters | 4 / day combined trout (trout + kokanee + grayling); the Uinta Mountains bonus brook trout limit was removed for 2026 | No statewide minimum |
| Yellow perchCompare across states → | Open year-round statewide; winter ice-fishing peak on Pineview + Fish Lake + Mantua + Hyrum | 50 / day no statewide minimum | No statewide minimum |
Notable water-body special regulations
Joint ID/UT reciprocal compact; endemic Bear Lake cutthroat trout 1 / day with 22 in min TROPHY MANAGEMENT (endemic Bonneville cutthroat subspecies — Oncorhynchus clarkii utah — found nowhere else in the world); Bonneville cisco late-January – early-February dipnetting-through-ice season for endemic salmonid (country's only ice-fishing-by-dipnetting season for an endemic species); Bonneville whitefish + Bear Lake whitefish no daily bag limit; lake trout (Mackinaw) 4 / day no min
WY/UT joint reciprocal compact on the boundary reservoir; IGFA all-tackle world-record brown trout 33 lb 10 oz Flaming Gorge UT-side 1979 by Robert L. Bringhurst (held IGFA world record 1979-1992); UT state-record lake trout 51 lb 8 oz Flaming Gorge 1988; trout 4 / day combined; lake trout no creel/possession limit on fish 28 in and smaller (reclassified nongame Jan 1 2025 to suppress small-laker overpopulation, protecting kokanee) with only 1 over 28 in in possession; kokanee salmon within the 4 / day combined trout limit (no possession Sept 10 – Nov 30); smallmouth bass 6 / day combined + 12 in min
Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam
Trout 4 / day combined; one of country's two densest wild trout reaches (8-12,000 catchable trout per mile) alongside Bighorn MT tailwater + Miracle Mile WY; Section A from the dam to Little Hole: artificial-fly-and-lure only + catch-and-release on cutthroat; Section B + C downstream of Little Hole: 4 / day combined trout with 1 / day brown trout 15 in min TROPHY MANAGEMENT
UT/AZ joint reciprocal compact on the boundary reservoir (anglers fishing the main stem may use UT or AZ license); striped bass 0 / day catch-and-release-only encouraged removal (UDWR-distinctive — striped bass managed as encouraged-removal invasive species — no daily bag minimum below 20 in, harvest encouraged); smallmouth + largemouth bass 6 / day combined no minimum (UDWR-distinctive); no limit on walleye (UDWR-distinctive — managed as encouraged-removal non-native species, harvested fish may not be released; follow the regulations of whichever state's license you fish under); channel + blue catfish 8 / day combined; black crappie 25 / day no min; mandatory boat inspection at all AIS-positive entry points (quagga mussel detection 2012)
Bonneville cutthroat 1 / day with 22 in min TROPHY MANAGEMENT (UDWR-managed wild Bear Lake-strain Bonneville cutthroat — released annually from Whiterocks State Fish Hatchery); kokanee salmon within the 4 / day combined trout limit (no possession Sept 10 – Nov 30); rainbow trout 8 / day; lake trout 4 / day no min; cutthroat-rainbow hybrid 1 / day with 22 in min TROPHY
Trout 4 / day combined; Middle Provo from Jordanelle Dam to Deer Creek Reservoir + Lower Provo from Deer Creek Dam to Utah Lake: 1 / day brown trout + 15 in min TROPHY MANAGEMENT — artificial-fly-and-lure only on Middle + Lower Provo + barbless single-hook required
Trout 4 / day combined; smallmouth + largemouth bass 6 / day combined + 12 in min; kokanee salmon within the 4 / day combined trout limit (no possession Sept 10 – Nov 30) — recurring USA Bass tournament venue
Trout 4 / day combined; smallmouth + largemouth bass 6 / day combined + 12 in min; walleye 10 / day, only 1 over 24 in; channel catfish 8 / day
Lake trout 4 / day no min with mandatory harvest of fish under 22 in (UDWR-distinctive small-Mackinaw suppression program — promotes 28+ in trophy fishery); rainbow trout 8 / day; splake hybrid 4 / day; brown trout 4 / day; cutthroat 0 / day catch-and-release-only on Bonneville cutthroat conservation reaches
Walleye 10 / day, only 1 over 24 in; white bass 12 / day no min; channel catfish 8 / day no min; largemouth bass 6 / day + 12 in min; June sucker (Chasmistes liorus) ESA endangered species protection — must release any sucker caught
Walleye 6 / day, only 1 over 24 in — Utah's flagship walleye fishery; smallmouth bass 6 / day + 12 in min; channel catfish 8 / day no min; bluegill + crappie 50 / day combined no min; brown trout no daily bag limit (UDWR-distinctive — Willard Bay browns managed as encouraged-harvest forage-control)
Walleye 10 / day, only 1 over 24 in; smallmouth bass 6 / day + 12 in min; brown trout 4 / day combined trout
Walleye 10 / day, only 1 over 24 in; yellow perch 50 / day no min; channel catfish 8 / day no min
Sand Hollow + Quail Creek Reservoirs
Largemouth + smallmouth bass 6 / day combined + 14 in min Sand Hollow TROPHY MANAGEMENT (one of country's premier desert-reservoir bass fisheries); trout 4 / day combined
Kokanee salmon within the 4 / day combined trout limit (no possession Sept 10 – Nov 30); UDWR kokanee broodstock-source fishery; trout 4 / day combined; lake trout 1 / day no min
North + Middle + South Fork Provo + Weber + Logan + Blacksmith Fork
Trout 4 / day combined; Bonneville cutthroat 0 / day catch-and-release-only on listed UDWR-managed conservation reaches; brown trout 1 / day with 15 in min on listed TROPHY MANAGEMENT reaches
Federal USFWS jurisdiction overlay for ESA-listed Virgin River chub + woundfin — must release any non-game native fish caught; trout 4 / day combined on stocked Virgin River reservoirs (Kolob + Quail Creek + Sand Hollow trout overlay)
Scofield Reservoir (Carbon County)
UDWR cutthroat / tiger-trout protective slot — trout 4 / day combined, but no more than 2 may be cutthroat or tiger trout under 15 in and no more than 1 a cutthroat or tiger trout over 22 in (all cutthroat + tiger trout 15–22 in must be released); trout may not be filleted (heads + tails left attached in the field); central-Utah high-elevation trophy-trout reservoir (vs the unrestricted 4 / day statewide trout default)
Panguitch Lake (Garfield County)
UDWR cutthroat / tiger-trout protective slot — trout 4 / day combined, but no more than 2 may be cutthroat or tiger trout under 15 in and no more than 1 a cutthroat or tiger trout over 22 in (all cutthroat + tiger trout 15–22 in must be released); southern-Utah high-elevation trophy-trout lake on the Dixie National Forest (vs the unrestricted 4 / day statewide trout default)
Joes Valley Reservoir (Emery County)
UDWR trophy-trout reservoir — limit 1 trout over 18 in (counts toward the statewide trout limit); nationally known tiger trout + splake fishery on the Wasatch Plateau, far stricter than the 4 / day statewide trout default
Minersville Reservoir (Beaver County)
UDWR trophy-trout reservoir — limit 1 trout over 22 in, all trout 22 in or smaller released immediately upon catch; artificial flies and lures only (vs the 4 / day, bait-allowed statewide trout default)
UDWR panfish-management lake — limit 15 bluegill, only 5 of which may exceed 8 in; limit 50 bullhead; no limit on common carp; one of the country's most renowned trophy-bluegill waters in the Uinta Basin (vs the statewide panfish defaults)
Mammoth Creek (Garfield County)
UDWR protective-slot stream — limit 2 trout between 10 and 15 in (all trout under 10 in or over 15 in released immediately); artificial flies and lures only; headwater of the Sevier River near Panguitch (vs the 4 / day, bait-allowed statewide trout default)
Kolob Reservoir (Washington County)
UDWR trophy-trout reservoir — limit 2 trout, which must be under 15 in or over 22 in (all trout 15–22 in released); artificial flies and lures only from Jan 1 through the third Saturday in May and from the second Saturday in September through Dec 31; high plateau above Zion (vs the 4 / day statewide trout default)
Lost Creek Reservoir (Morgan County)
UDWR size-structured trout reservoir — limit 4 trout or kokanee salmon combined, no more than 3 trout under 15 in and no more than 1 trout over 22 in; trout + salmon may not be filleted; northern-Utah reservoir off the Weber River drainage (vs the unrestricted 4 / day statewide trout default)
UDWR trophy-trout lake — limit 1 trout or Arctic grayling over 22 in regardless of species (counts toward the statewide trout limit); Dixie National Forest high lake on the Markagunt Plateau, far stricter than the 4 / day statewide trout default
UDWR splake sublimit — limit 2 splake (counts toward the statewide trout limit); Uinta Mountains High Country reservoir at the head of the Lake Fork drainage (the statewide trout default sets no splake-specific limit)
Stateline Reservoir (Summit County)
UDWR lake-trout-managed reservoir — limit 4 trout or kokanee salmon, no more than 1 a lake trout over 22 in; bonus limit of 4 kokanee salmon (up to 8 trout total if at least 4 are kokanee); high North Slope Uinta border water (vs the 4 / day statewide trout default)
Newcastle Reservoir (Iron County)
UDWR wiper-management reservoir — limit 2 wiper (white bass × striped bass hybrid); southern-Utah irrigation reservoir on the Pinto Creek drainage, a species-specific limit not in the statewide default
Gunlock Reservoir (Washington County)
UDWR bass / crappie-management reservoir — limit 100 black crappie; limit 6 largemouth bass of any size; no limit on smallmouth bass (encouraged removal); desert reservoir on the Santa Clara River near St. George (vs the statewide bass + panfish defaults)
Currant Creek (Wasatch County)
UDWR gear-restricted stream — artificial flies and lures only (vs the bait-allowed statewide default); the Currant Creek Reservoir tailwater + tributary feeding the Strawberry drainage
Strawberry River (Duchesne and Wasatch Counties)
UDWR gear-restricted stream — artificial flies and lures only (vs the bait-allowed statewide default); the river reach distinct from the upstream Strawberry Reservoir; no overnight camping on Division land
Huntington Creek (Emery County)
UDWR gear-restricted blue-ribbon trout stream on the Wasatch Plateau — Right Fork limit 2 trout, artificial flies only; Left Fork artificial flies and lures only (vs the 4 / day, bait-allowed statewide trout default)
UDWR liberalized-harvest reservoir — limits for all species are DOUBLE the statewide limits listed (a higher-allowance override, the opposite of a restrictive special reg); warmwater fishery on the Sevier River drainage
Calder Reservoir (Uintah County)
UDWR trophy-trout reservoir — limit 1 trout over 22 in, all trout 22 in or smaller released immediately upon catch; artificial flies and lures only; Uinta Basin water near Vernal (vs the 4 / day, bait-allowed statewide trout default)
Red Fleet Reservoir (Uintah County)
UDWR panfish-management reservoir — limit 50 bluegill, green sunfish, black crappie and yellow perch combined, of which no more than 20 may be black crappie; northeastern-Utah reservoir near Vernal (vs the statewide panfish defaults)
Stansbury Lake (Tooele County)
UDWR bass-protection community lake — CLOSED to the possession of largemouth bass (all must be released); limit 10 bluegill, green sunfish and black crappie combined; limit 2 channel catfish; Tooele Valley fishery (vs the statewide bass + panfish + catfish defaults)
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a fishing license to fish in Utah?
- Yes. Utah requires residents and non-residents alike to hold a valid fishing license, with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. Buy directly from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR); resident and non-resident fees are listed in the tables above.
- How much is a fishing license in Utah?
- Resident fees range from $15.00 (resident youth (12-17) annual reduced) to $90.00 (resident lifetime senior 65+); Non-resident fees range from $20.00 (non-resident 1-day fishing) to $90.00 (non-resident annual fishing). The full breakdown — annual, multi-day, senior, and lifetime options — is in the license-fee tables above, and you can compare Utah against every other state on the license-fee comparator.
- What fish can you catch in Utah?
- Utah anglers most commonly target Cutthroat trout, Rainbow trout, Brown trout, Lake trout (Mackinaw), Walleye, Kokanee salmon, and others. Each species sets its own season, daily bag, and size or slot limit — compare them in the species table above, or open a species page for the full 2026 rule.
- When does fishing season open in Utah?
- It depends on the species — Utah sets a separate season for each. Warmwater fish like bass, catfish, and panfish are open year-round in most of the state, while trout, walleye, salmon, and other cold-water or migratory species have dated seasons. The season column in the table above shows each one, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) can shift dates by emergency order.
- Are there special fishing rules on specific Utah waters?
- Yes. 37 named Utah waters carry regulations that differ from the statewide rule, including Bear Lake, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam, and 34 more. See the notable water-body special regulations above for the exact rule on each.
Official source
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) is the authoritative source for Utah fishing regulations. Always verify rules before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override published booklets.
Visit official Utah fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources's emergency-order feed — check it before any Utah trip during the active season.