2026 regulation year
Lees Ferry 2026 — Arizona Fishing Regulations
Arizona statewide rules apply unless overridden below.
Last updated
Lees Ferry carries a special-regulation overlay on top of Arizona's 2026 fishing rules. Verify the agency booklet before launching: in-season changes are not yet wired to this page.
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State-level special regulation
Colorado River tailwater from Glen Canyon Dam down to Lees Ferry / Navajo Bridge — one of the West's premier trophy rainbow trout tailwaters; trout 2 / day, artificial flies and lures only; the upstream dam-to-Ferry reach is the blue-ribbon wild-rainbow fishery (the Colorado River below Navajo Bridge to Separation Canyon carries unlimited-trout regulations instead)
Source: Arizona special-water list
Official source
Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) publishes the authoritative 2026 Arizona fishing regulations. Special-regulation lakes and rivers are listed in the agency booklet — always verify before fishing.
Visit official Arizona fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Arizona Game and Fish Department's emergency-order feed — check it before any Arizona trip during the active season.
Other special-regulation waters in Arizona
- Apache Lake
- Apache Lake + Canyon Lake + Saguaro Lake
- AZGFD Community Fishing Program
- Bartlett Lake
- Becker Lake
- Big Lake
- Big Lake + Crescent Lake + Sunrise Lake + Lyman Lake + Hawley Lake
- Canyon Lake
- Colorado River main stem
- East Fork Little Colorado River + Bear Wallow Creek
- Fool Hollow Lake + Upper/Lower Lake Mary
- Hurricane Lake
Frequently asked questions
- What special fishing regulations apply at Lees Ferry?
- Lees Ferry carries one special-regulation overlay that overrides Arizona's statewide 2026 rules. It reads: "Colorado River tailwater from Glen Canyon Dam down to Lees Ferry / Navajo Bridge — one of the West's premier trophy rainbow trout tailwaters; trout 2 / day, artificial flies and lures only; the upstream dam-to-Ferry reach is the blue-ribbon wild-rainbow fishery (the Colorado River below Navajo Bridge to Separation Canyon carries unlimited-trout regulations instead)." Every overlay on this water body is listed in full above.
- Do I need a fishing license to fish Lees Ferry?
- Yes. Lees Ferry is in Arizona, so a valid Arizona fishing license is required just as it is anywhere else in the state, issued by Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). The special regulations on this page change the bag, size, slot, or gear rules for Lees Ferry; they do not waive the license requirement. Free-fishing days and youth exemptions follow the statewide Arizona rules.
- Do Lees Ferry's special rules replace Arizona's statewide limits?
- Only where they conflict. Arizona's statewide 2026 regulations apply on Lees Ferry by default; the overlays above replace the matching statewide rule for the species or gear they name, while everything not specifically overridden still follows the statewide rule. When a water-body rule and the statewide rule disagree, the water-body rule wins.