2026 regulation year
Virginia Fishing Regulations 2026 — License Fees, Seasons, Bag Limits
Last updated
Virginia is one of the most-diverse East Coast fishing destinations — freshwater is administered by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR), saltwater by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), and an angler fishing tidal Chesapeake or Atlantic-coast waters typically needs the VMRC Saltwater Fishing Licence in addition to (or instead of) a VDWR freshwater licence. Smith Mountain Lake — a 20,000-acre AEP impoundment on the Roanoke + Blackwater Rivers — is a recurring Bassmaster Open venue and one of the most-fished trophy striper + largemouth lakes in the Mid-Atlantic. Lake Anna (a 13,000-acre nuclear-cooling reservoir for the North Anna Power Station) holds a year-round 'hot side' striped bass + largemouth fishery thanks to thermal discharge. Buggs Island Lake (Kerr Reservoir, 48,900 acres VA/NC boundary) and Lake Gaston (VA/NC boundary on the Roanoke) anchor the southern Virginia reservoir tier. The James River from Iron Gate to Richmond is one of the East Coast's premier stream smallmouth fisheries; the Shenandoah River main stem + North + South Forks add to the smallmouth tier; and the Rapidan River within Shenandoah National Park is the state's flagship native brook trout headwater. Mossy Creek (Augusta County) is the legendary limestone spring creek with a 0.6-mile fly-fishing-only catch-and-release reach by free VDWR permit. Chesapeake Bay striped bass (locally 'rockfish') is the saltwater headline — VA tightened the bag and slot to a single fish per day after the ASMFC stock-rebuild plan.
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License fees
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resident annual freshwater fishing | $23.00 | |
| Resident annual saltwater (VMRC Saltwater Fishing Licence) | $18.00 | |
| Resident annual combination (fresh + salt + trout) | $63.00 | |
| Resident annual trout licence (add-on) | $23.00 | |
| Resident 5-day freshwater | $14.00 | |
| Resident senior (65+) lifetime freshwater | $8.00 | One-time fee — VA residents only |
| Resident youth (under 16) | Free | Not required under age 16 |
| Resident active-duty military / disabled veteran | Free | Free — eligibility required |
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident annual freshwater fishing | $47.00 | |
| Non-resident annual saltwater (VMRC Saltwater Fishing Licence) | $25.00 | |
| Non-resident annual trout licence (add-on) | $30.00 | |
| Non-resident 5-day freshwater | $14.00 | |
| Non-resident 1-day freshwater | $7.00 | |
| Non-resident 1-day saltwater | $5.00 | |
| Non-resident youth (under 16) | Free | Not required under age 16 |
Buy directly from Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (freshwater) + Virginia Marine Resources Commission (saltwater). Fees may include processing surcharges at point of sale.
Top species — season, bag, size
| Species | Season | Daily bag | Size / slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bassCompare across states → | Year-round most waters; James River + Shenandoah River + New River trophy stream fisheries | 5 / day combined black bass (largemouth + smallmouth + spotted) | 11 in min statewide; 14 in min on listed trophy stream reaches (James River + Shenandoah River + New River sections) |
| Largemouth bassCompare across states → | Year-round most waters | 5 / day combined black bass | 12 in min statewide; 14 in min Smith Mountain Lake + Lake Gaston + Buggs Island + listed reservoirs |
| Striped bass (rockfish)Compare across states → | Landlocked reservoirs year-round; Chesapeake Bay tidal recreational season per VMRC notice (typically May 16 – Dec 31) | Inland reservoirs: 2 / day combined striped + hybrid striped (4 / day on listed waters). Chesapeake / coastal: 1 / day per VMRC | Inland: 20 in min striped; 14 in min hybrid striped. Chesapeake Bay tidal: 20–28 in slot. Atlantic Ocean: 28–31 in slot (ASMFC harmonized) |
| Trout (rainbow + brown + brook)Compare across states → | Year-round most stocked waters; Mossy Creek + Rapidan special-regulation reaches | 6 / day combined trout (stocked waters); 0 / day catch-and-release reaches | 7 in min stocked trout statewide; native brook trout reaches 9 in min on some reaches, catch-and-release on others; trout licence required |
| WalleyeCompare across states → | Year-round most waters | 5 / day combined walleye + sauger | 18 in min New River + Claytor Lake; 15 in min Philpott Lake + Smith Mountain Lake + statewide elsewhere |
| Blue catfishCompare across states → | Year-round; invasive in the tidal James / York / Rappahannock / Potomac systems — VDWR + VMRC encourage harvest | 20 / day statewide; no daily limit on the tidal James River, Lake Gaston, and all rivers below the fall line | No statewide length limit; only 1 blue catfish per day over 32 in on the tidal James + Lake Gaston + Buggs Island/Kerr |
| Channel catfishCompare across states → | Year-round | 20 / day (channel + white + flathead catfish); no daily limit on all rivers below the fall line | No statewide length limit; South Holston Reservoir only 1 catfish per day over 34 in |
| Crappie (black + white)Compare across states → | Year-round | 25 / day in aggregate (black + white combined); no daily limit Lake Gaston + New River; 15 / day South Holston Reservoir | No statewide minimum; 9 in min Buggs Island/Kerr + Briery Creek + Sandy River; 10 in min Flannagan + South Holston reservoirs |
Notable water-body special regulations
20,000-acre AEP impoundment of Roanoke + Blackwater Rivers; recurring Bassmaster Open venue; 14 in min largemouth, 5 / day combined black bass; 20 in min striped + 4 / day; year-round fishery
13,000-acre Virginia Power nuclear-cooling reservoir (North Anna Nuclear Power Station); thermal-discharge 'hot side' holds open-water striped bass + largemouth year-round; 20 in min striped, 4 / day; 14 in min largemouth, 5 / day combined
48,900-acre Roanoke River impoundment — largest reservoir wholly or partly in Virginia; VA/NC reciprocal under joint-management agreement on open water; 14 in min largemouth, 5 / day combined; 20 in min striped, 2 / day
Lake Gaston (VA/NC boundary, Roanoke River)
20,300-acre Roanoke River impoundment downstream of Buggs Island; VA/NC reciprocal under joint-management agreement; 14 in min largemouth, 5 / day combined; 20 in min striped, 2 / day; recurring Bassmaster Open venue
Premier stream smallmouth fishery — 14 in min, 5 / day combined black bass on listed reaches; 11 in min, 5 / day on remaining reaches; catch-and-release of smallmouth under 14 in encouraged
James River (tidal, Richmond to mouth)
Tidal water — VMRC Saltwater Licence required below the I-95 fall line; spring anadromous striped bass run from Chesapeake to Richmond; striped bass per VMRC slot + season; largemouth + flathead catfish in upper tidal reaches
Shenandoah River main stem + North Fork + South Fork
Stream smallmouth flagship across the entire Shenandoah Valley; 11 in min, 5 / day combined; native brook trout in headwater tributaries (separate trout licence + reach-specific rules)
Trophy stream smallmouth boundary water with NC and WV; 14 in min, 5 / day combined; 18 in min walleye, 5 / day combined walleye + sauger; one of the East Coast's premier wild stream smallmouth + walleye fisheries
4,500-acre New River impoundment near Radford; 18 in min walleye, 5 / day; 11 in min smallmouth, 5 / day combined black bass; striped bass 20 in min, 4 / day
Legendary limestone spring creek — 0.6-mile fly-fishing-only catch-and-release ONLY reach by free VDWR permit; native + holdover brown trout; artificial flies + barbless hooks; permit required for the regulated reach
Flagship native brook trout headwater — catch-and-release artificial-lures-only year-round within Shenandoah National Park boundary; one of the East Coast's most-celebrated native brook trout streams
Chickahominy River + Chickahominy Lake (New Kent / Charles City Counties)
Premier Eastern Virginia largemouth + crappie water; 14 in min largemouth, 5 / day combined; 25 / day crappie, no statewide minimum; tidal lower reaches require VMRC Saltwater Licence
Philpott Lake (Franklin / Henry / Patrick Counties)
2,880-acre Smith River impoundment; 15 in min walleye, 5 / day; 11 in min smallmouth, 5 / day combined; trophy walleye + smallmouth + striped bass
Premier cold-water trout tailwater below Philpott Dam — 12 in min brown trout, 2 / day; rainbow trout 7 in min, 6 / day; year-round; trout licence required
2,530-acre Allegheny Highland reservoir; stocked rainbow + brown trout year-round with trout licence; lake trout established; 25 / day crappie, no statewide minimum; 10 / day yellow perch; smallmouth + largemouth + walleye
South Holston River + Tennessee border tributaries
TN/VA boundary tailwater — VA Trout Licence covers VA bank; spinning + fly fishing both permitted; wild brown trout + stocked rainbow; coordinate with TN regs for cross-boundary fishing
Potomac River (VA main stem + tributaries)
Boundary water with Maryland — Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) administers tidal Potomac below Little Falls; freshwater fishing licence from either state honored on the non-tidal Potomac upstream; tidal striped bass + largemouth + catfish
Tidal anadromous striped bass + American shad spring run; VMRC Saltwater Licence required below the fall line at Fredericksburg; freshwater largemouth + smallmouth upstream
York River + Pamunkey + Mattaponi
Tidal York River system — VMRC Saltwater Licence required; striped bass spring spawning waters; closed reaches during spring spawn per VMRC notice; trophy spotted seatrout + flounder in lower York
Chesapeake Bay (Virginia portion)
VMRC Saltwater Licence required; striped bass 20–28 in slot, 1 / day during recreational season (typically May 16 – Dec 31); red drum 18–26 in slot, 3 / day; spotted seatrout 14 in min, 4 / day; summer flounder 16.5 in min, 4 / day; cobia 40 in min, 1 / day during open VMRC season
VMRC Saltwater Licence required; ASMFC harmonized 28–31 in striped bass slot, 1 / day; red drum 18–26 in slot, 3 / day; summer flounder + spotted seatrout per VMRC notice; cobia open per VMRC summer notice
Eastern Shore tidal creeks (Accomack / Northampton Counties)
VMRC Saltwater Licence required; premier inshore red drum + spotted seatrout + flounder; tidal seaside marsh creeks; bayside Chesapeake creeks under Chesapeake Bay slot + bag rules
Whitetop Laurel Creek (Washington County)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation trout water — year-round no-kill (0 trout in possession) on the designated reaches (first railroad trestle above Taylor Valley downstream to the mouth of Green Cove Creek, plus the Straight Branch reach); single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait; a wild + holdover rainbow / brown / native brook trout stream paralleling the Virginia Creeper Trail
St. Marys River (Augusta County)
VDWR special-regulation native brook trout water — 9-inch minimum size limit on the stream and its tributaries above the gate near the George Washington National Forest property line; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait; a designated wilderness wild brook trout fishery
Stewarts Creek (Stewarts Creek WMA, Carroll County)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation wild trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) across ~4.5 miles of Stewarts Creek and its two major tributaries inside Stewarts Creek WMA; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait; a native brook trout fishery
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) on Big Snake Creek below Hall Ford and Little Snake Creek below the Routes 922/674 junction downstream to Route 58; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait
North Fork Moormans River (Albemarle County)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation wild trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) from the head of Sugar Hollow Reservoir upstream into Shenandoah National Park; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait; a native brook trout headwater
Roaring Fork (Tazewell County)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation wild trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) upstream from the Beartown Wilderness Area boundary in the Jefferson National Forest; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait; a native brook trout stream
North Creek (Botetourt County)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) upstream from a sign at the North Creek Campground in the Jefferson National Forest; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) from the Cowpasture River confluence upstream to the Coursey Springs Hatchery discharge; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait
Beaver Creek (Sugar Hollow Park, Bristol)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) on Beaver Creek within Sugar Hollow Park in the City of Bristol; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait
Little Stony Creek at Hanging Rock (Scott County)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) from the falls downstream to the Hanging Rock Recreation Area sign in the George Washington National Forest; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait (distinct from the Giles County Little Stony Creek, which carries a 9-in wild-trout regulation)
South River at Waynesboro (Augusta County)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation urban trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) through downtown Waynesboro, from the Second Street Bridge upstream ~2 miles to the Wayne Avenue Bridge; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait (a separate upper South River reach is fly-fishing-only with a 20-in minimum, 1 fish/day)
Dan River below Townes Dam (Patrick County)
VDWR Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation trout water — year-round no-kill (0 creel) between Townes Dam and the Pinnacles Hydroelectric Powerhouse; single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait; access requires a permit from the licensed hydro operator (a separate upstream Dan River reach below Talbott Dam carries a 16-in / 2-fish trophy regulation)
Big Tumbling Creek (Clinch Mountain WMA, Smyth County)
VDWR seasonal Catch-and-Release Only special-regulation trout water inside Clinch Mountain WMA (mountain foot to Briar Cove Bridge, plus Laurel Bed Creek to the dam) — from Oct 1 until 5 days before the fee-fishing season it is no-kill, single-point-hook artificial lures only, no bait; during the first-Saturday-in-April through Sept 30 fee season it operates as the Clinch Mountain Fee Fishing Area (daily permit, 6 trout/day)
Buffalo Creek (Rockbridge County)
VDWR special trophy-trout regulation — 16-inch minimum size, 2 trout/day, single-point-hook artificial lures only (no bait); from the Collier's Creek confluence upstream 2.9 miles to the North/South Buffalo confluence; a free written landowner permit (Go Outdoors Virginia) is required
Jackson River Hidden Valley (Bath County)
VDWR special trophy-trout regulation on the foot-access Hidden Valley reach — 16-inch minimum size, 2 trout/day, artificial lures only (no bait); from the Forest Service swinging bridge upstream ~3 miles; stocked catchable trout, trout licence required Oct 1–June 15 (distinct from the Jackson River tailwater below Gathright Dam)
Roaring Run (Botetourt County)
VDWR special trophy-trout regulation — 16-inch minimum size, 2 trout/day, artificial lures only (no bait); on the ~1-mile section between the third foot bridge and the county line in the Jefferson National Forest
VDWR Delayed Harvest trout water on the Gathright/Virginia Power dam tailwater — from the Route 600 bridge below the dam downstream 1.5 miles; Oct 1–May 31 artificial lures only, catch-and-release (no trout or bait in possession); June 1–Sept 30 standard stocked-trout regulations (6/day)
VDWR Delayed Harvest urban trout water — from Lake Barcroft Dam downstream 1.2 miles to the Alexandria city-line sign; Oct 1–May 31 artificial lures only, catch-and-release (no trout or bait in possession); June 1–Sept 30 standard stocked-trout regulations (6/day)
Passage Creek (Warren / Shenandoah Counties)
VDWR Delayed Harvest trout water — from the Shenandoah/Warren county line downstream ~1 mile through the Front Royal Fish Hatchery property; Oct 1–May 31 artificial lures only, catch-and-release (no trout or bait in possession); June 1–Sept 30 standard stocked-trout regulations (6/day)
VDWR Delayed Harvest trout water in the George Washington National Forest — from the Lynchburg-reservoir/forest boundary downstream 2.7 miles toward Buena Vista; Oct 1–May 31 artificial lures only, catch-and-release (no trout or bait in possession); June 1–Sept 30 standard stocked-trout regulations (6/day)
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a fishing license to fish in Virginia?
- Yes. Virginia 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 Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (freshwater) + Virginia Marine Resources Commission (saltwater); resident and non-resident fees are listed in the tables above.
- How much is a fishing license in Virginia?
- Resident fees range from $8.00 (resident senior (65+) lifetime freshwater) to $63.00 (resident annual combination (fresh + salt + trout)); Non-resident fees range from $5.00 (non-resident 1-day saltwater) to $47.00 (non-resident annual freshwater fishing). The full breakdown — annual, multi-day, senior, and lifetime options — is in the license-fee tables above, and you can compare Virginia against every other state on the license-fee comparator.
- What fish can you catch in Virginia?
- Virginia anglers most commonly target Smallmouth bass, Largemouth bass, Striped bass (rockfish), Trout (rainbow + brown + brook), Walleye, Blue catfish, 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 Virginia?
- It depends on the species — Virginia 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 Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (freshwater) + Virginia Marine Resources Commission (saltwater) can shift dates by emergency order.
- Are there special fishing rules on specific Virginia waters?
- Yes. 42 named Virginia waters carry regulations that differ from the statewide rule, including Smith Mountain Lake, Lake Anna, Buggs Island Lake, and 39 more. See the notable water-body special regulations above for the exact rule on each.
Official source
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (freshwater) + Virginia Marine Resources Commission (saltwater) is the authoritative source for Virginia fishing regulations. Always verify rules before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override published booklets.
Visit official Virginia fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources's emergency-order feed — check it before any Virginia trip during the active season.