2026 regulation year

Wyoming Fishing Regulations 2026 — License Fees, Seasons, Bag Limits

Last updated May 30, 2026

Wyoming runs a single-agency regulatory system through the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) covering all inland freshwater fisheries — Wyoming is a fully landlocked Rocky Mountain state operating the country's most concentrated native cutthroat trout system. Wyoming carries four distinct native cutthroat subspecies (Yellowstone cutthroat, Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat, Bonneville cutthroat, Colorado River cutthroat) on separate drainages, plus the country's premier Yellowstone Lake native Yellowstone cutthroat fishery + NPS lake trout suppression program. Wyoming operates a distinctive two-tier license framework: every angler 14+ must hold both a Wyoming Conservation Stamp ($21.50 res / $21.50 NR — annual base-authority stamp required for fishing + hunting + every outdoor pursuit) PLUS a Wyoming Fishing License ($27 res annual / $102 NR annual) — WGFD is one of only state agencies with a same-fee Conservation Stamp across resident and non-resident anglers (a deliberate revenue-equalisation choice). Yellowstone National Park (2,219,791-acre NPS federal park on the WY/MT/ID tri-state corner — 96 percent in Wyoming, 3 percent in Montana, 1 percent in Idaho — the country's first national park, established 1872) carries the federal NPS jurisdiction overlay — anglers fishing inside YNP must hold a separate NPS Yellowstone National Park Fishing Permit ($40 3-day / $55 7-day / $75 season) in addition to or instead of the WGFD license (NPS permit valid park-wide, WGFD license valid on YNP-portions of the boundary waters with Wyoming). Yellowstone Lake (132 sq mi natural lake inside YNP at 7,732 ft elevation — country's largest natural lake above 7,000 ft + country's largest high-altitude natural lake by surface area) carries the country's premier native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) fishery — NPS-administered with WGFD scientific collaboration on the aggressive lake trout suppression program (~400,000 lake trout removed annually via NPS contract gillnetting to protect the native Yellowstone cutthroat population which collapsed 90 percent after illegal lake trout introduction in 1994). The Snake River (1,078-mile river from the headwaters at the Continental Divide in YNP through Jackson Lake + Grand Teton NP + Jackson Hole + Hoback + South Fork Snake at Alpine WY downstream to the WY/ID line at Alpine WY — heads through Idaho + Oregon + Washington downstream to the Columbia River confluence) is the singular Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii behnkei — distinct WY-endemic subspecies) river — Jackson Hole + Hoback + Greys River + South Fork Snake reach is the country's premier Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat fishery (the fine-spotted cutthroat is endemic to the upper Snake River drainage in Wyoming — found nowhere else in the world). The North Platte River (716-mile river from the headwaters in the Park Range CO through the Carbon County WY reach + Saratoga + Pathfinder Reservoir + Alcova Reservoir + Casper to the WY/NE line at Henry NE) carries the Grey Reef tailwater (12-mile blue-ribbon reach below Grey Reef Dam from the dam at Alcova WY downstream through Government Bridge + Trapper's Route — country's premier trophy wild rainbow + brown trout tailwater, 8-10 lb fish landed annually) + the Miracle Mile (5.5-mile blue-ribbon reach between Kortes Dam tailwater and Pathfinder Reservoir — country's most concentrated wild brown + rainbow + Snake River cutthroat trout reach, ~12,000 catchable trout per mile during runoff). The Green River (730-mile river from the headwaters at the Wind River Range through the Pinedale + Big Sandy + Fontenelle Reservoir + Seedskadee NWR + Flaming Gorge Reservoir at the WY/UT line — heads through Utah + Colorado downstream to the Colorado River confluence at Canyonlands NP UT) carries the Flaming Gorge Reservoir (91 sq mi reservoir on the Green River — USBR Flaming Gorge Dam built 1962 — country's premier inland trophy brown + lake trout fishery, IGFA all-tackle world-record brown trout 33 lb 10 oz Flaming Gorge UT-side 1979 + WY state-record lake trout 50 lb 0 oz Flaming Gorge 1995) — Flaming Gorge straddles the WY/UT boundary and is administered under the long-standing WY/UT joint reciprocal compact (Sweetwater + Sublette + Uinta Counties WY + Daggett County UT). Bighorn Lake / Yellowtail Reservoir (71-mile Bighorn River impoundment behind USBR Yellowtail Dam built 1966 — Big Horn County MT + Big Horn County WY — NPS-administered Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area) is the WY-portion 14-mile reach of the 71-mile Bighorn River impoundment + MT/WY joint reciprocal compact on the main stem. The Wind River (185-mile river from the headwaters at the Wind River Range through Dubois + Crowheart + Riverton + Boysen Reservoir at Boysen State Park + Wind River Canyon to Thermopolis WY where the river name changes to the Bighorn River) carries the singular Wind River Range high-lakes + Boysen Reservoir + Wind River Canyon trout fishery. Boysen Reservoir (19,560-acre Bighorn River headwaters reservoir — USBR Boysen Dam built 1952 — Fremont County) carries Wyoming's flagship walleye + brown trout + rainbow trout + perch fishery. The Wind River Range (100-mile north-south range with ~1,300 high-altitude alpine lakes above 9,000 ft — country's most concentrated high-altitude trout lake system in the lower 48) carries native Colorado River cutthroat + golden trout + brook trout + rainbow + lake trout backcountry fishery in the Bridger-Teton + Shoshone National Forests + Wind River Indian Reservation tribal waters. The Bear River (491-mile river from the headwaters in the Uinta Mountains UT through the SW WY reach in Lincoln + Uinta Counties downstream to Bear Lake on the ID/UT line) carries the native Bonneville cutthroat trout subspecies in the SW WY drainage. WGFD statewide standard: trout 6 / day combined trout (rainbow + brown + brook + cutthroat + golden + lake + tiger) on most waters + 18 in min on listed Quality Management waters; cutthroat trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only on YNP + Yellowstone Lake (federal NPS rule) + most listed Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat reaches (Snake + South Fork + Hoback + Greys + Salt River wild reaches catch-and-release-only) + listed Colorado River cutthroat reaches in Wind River Range; walleye 6 / day no statewide minimum on most waters + 15 in min on listed Quality Management waters (Boysen + Flaming Gorge + Glendo + Keyhole + Seminoe + Pathfinder); largemouth + smallmouth bass 6 / day combined + 12 in min on listed Quality Management waters; channel catfish 6 / day combined no min statewide; brook trout 16 / day statewide (WGFD-distinctive liberalized limit separate from the 6 / day combined trout limit, set to reduce stunting in overpopulated high-mountain lakes); yellow perch 50 / day in combination with other panfish statewide (yellow perch + crappie + bluegill + pumpkinseed + green sunfish + rock bass + black bullhead + stonecat + freshwater drum — WGFD-distinctive, one of country's higher panfish bag limits alongside ND + SD + the Great Lakes states); kokanee salmon limits set water-by-water (Flaming Gorge 3 / day within the 4 / day combined trout limit under the joint WY/UT reciprocal compact, reduced from 4 effective Oct 2024); paddlefish 0 / day catch-and-release-only statewide (WGFD does not have a paddlefish snag-fishing season — paddlefish are a Species of Concern in WY). WGFD stocks ~5 million trout annually statewide via the Story Fish Hatchery + Wigwam Fish Hatchery + Boulder Fish Hatchery + Auburn Fish Hatchery + Daniel Fish Hatchery + Speas Fish Hatchery + Tillett Springs Fish Hatchery — WGFD operates one of the most extensive hatchery systems in the West. Wyoming-distinctive non-resident fee structure: $102 NR annual + $14 NR 1-day + $27 NR 5-day + $0 NR free fishing day on the first Saturday of June (WGFD-distinctive — one of country's most generous free-fishing days alongside Idaho's second-Saturday-of-June program). NR fees are among the highest in the Rocky Mountain West but reflect the trophy-class native cutthroat + tailwater + reservoir fishery quality.