Montana Fishing License
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP)
Contact
- Address
- 1420 East Sixth Avenue, P.O. Box 200701
Helena, MT 59620-0701 - Main office
- 406-444-2535
- Licensing
- 406-444-2950
- fwpgen@mt.gov
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 8am-5pm MT
- Website
- fwp.mt.gov
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 18
- Of which specialty
- 6
- Cheapest listed licence
- $4.00
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
Children age 11 and younger need no license to fish in Montana, although all other rules still apply. The AIS Prevention Pass is free for anglers age 15 and younger. Discounted or free licenses exist for residents with disabilities, blind residents (lifetime license $10), and Purple Heart recipients.
Specialty licences 6
Extra items an angler must hold on top of the base licence. These are the ones most often missed — a base licence alone does not cover them.
| Licence | Type | Who needs it | Applies to | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing Contest PermitFee not published on the FWP fishing licenses page loaded this session. | Permit | Organisers of a fishing event with 30 or more participants or prizes exceeding $500 | Any · short-term · all | Not published |
| Bull Trout Catch CardFree. Must be obtained before fishing and returned as directed by FWP. | Harvest / catch record card | Anglers fishing for bull trout on the three designated bull trout waters. One area per angler. | Any · season · all | Freestill required |
| Resident Paddlefish TagHeld in addition to a fishing license, Conservation License and AIS Prevention Pass. FWP's 2026 fee sheet does not break the tag out by river or by harvest vs catch-and-release option. | Harvest / catch record card | Residents harvesting paddlefish; mandatory harvest reporting within 48 hours | Resident · season · all | $6.50 |
| Nonresident Paddlefish TagHeld in addition to a fishing license, Conservation License and AIS Prevention Pass. | Harvest / catch record card | Nonresidents harvesting paddlefish; mandatory harvest reporting within 48 hours | Non-resident · season · all | $75.00 |
| Angler AIS Prevention Pass (Resident)Created by the 2017 Montana Legislature to fund aquatic invasive species prevention. Free for youth age 15 and younger. | Access or habitat fee | MANDATORY for all Montana residents age 16 and older who fish in Montana. Must be purchased along with the fishing license. | Resident · annual · 16+ | $2.00 |
| Angler AIS Prevention Pass (Nonresident)Free for youth age 15 and younger. | Access or habitat fee | MANDATORY for all nonresidents age 16 and older who fish in Montana. Must be purchased along with the fishing license. | Non-resident · annual · 16+ | $7.50 |
Every licence and fee 18
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 12 | ||||
| Conservation License (Resident, under 18 or age 62+) PREREQUISITE. Same prerequisite role as above, at the youth/senior rate. | Resident | annual | 12-17 and 62+ | $4.00 |
| Resident 2-Day Fishing License Residents wanting a short-term license valid two consecutive calendar days Base fee alone; same $5 for every resident age category. FWP's 2026 fee sheet prints bundled totals of $9.00 (ages 12-15), $11.00 (ages 16-17 and 62+) and $15.00 (ages 18-61). | Resident | 2-day | 12+ | $5.00 |
| Conservation License (Resident, ages 18-61) PREREQUISITE. Everyone age 12 and older must hold a Conservation License before FWP will sell them any fishing license, and it is also what grants access to most state lands including fishing access sites, wildlife management areas and state trust lands. No Montana fishing license can be issued without it. Sold with every fishing license purchase; the bundled totals below include it. | Resident | annual | 18-61 | $8.00 |
| Conservation License (Nonresident) PREREQUISITE. Nonresidents must hold a Conservation License before any Montana fishing license can be issued to them. Distinct from the $50.00 Nonresident Base Hunting License, which is a hunting prerequisite and is not required for fishing. | Non-resident | annual | 12+ | $10.00 |
| Resident Blind Lifetime Fishing License Montana residents who are blind | Resident | lifetime | all | $10.00 |
| Resident Season Fishing License (senior, age 62+) Resident anglers age 62 and older Base fee alone. FWP's 2026 fee sheet prints a bundled total of $16.50 ($10.50 + $4 Conservation License + $2 AIS pass). | Resident | season | 62+ | $10.50 |
| Resident Season Fishing License (youth, ages 12-17) Resident anglers age 12 through 17 Base fee alone. FWP's 2026 fee sheet prints a bundled total of $14.50 for ages 12-15 ($10.50 + $4 Conservation License, AIS pass free under 16) and $16.50 for ages 16-17 ($10.50 + $4 + $2 AIS pass). | Resident | season | 12-17 | $10.50 |
| Nonresident 1-Day Fishing License Nonresidents fishing for one day Base fee alone. FWP's 2026 fee sheet prints a bundled total of $31.50 ($14 + $10 + $7.50). | Non-resident | 1-day | 12+ | $14.00 |
| Resident Season Fishing License (ages 18-61) Montana residents age 18 through 61 fishing Montana waters, for the March 1 - February 28 license year This is the base license fee alone. Total out the door for a resident 18-61 is $31.00 once the $8 Conservation License and $2 AIS Prevention Pass are added, which is the figure printed on FWP's 2026 license fee sheet. | Resident | season | 18-61 | $21.00 |
| Nonresident 5-Day Fishing License Nonresidents fishing five consecutive calendar days Base fee alone. FWP's 2026 fee sheet prints a bundled total of $73.50 ($56 + $10 + $7.50). | Non-resident | 5-day | 12+ | $56.00 |
| Nonresident Season Fishing License Nonresidents fishing Montana waters for the full license year Base fee alone. FWP's 2026 fee sheet prints a bundled total of $117.50 ($100 + $10 Conservation License + $7.50 AIS pass). | Non-resident | season | 12+ | $100.00 |
| Resident Disabled Season Fishing License (ages 18-61) Qualifying residents with disabilities FWP's 2026 fee sheet prints a bundled total of $20.50 for this category. The base license component alone was not printed separately, so no base price is asserted here. Eligibility criteria were not on a page loaded this session. | Resident | season | 18-61 | Not published |
| Permit 1 | ||||
| Fishing Contest Permit Organisers of a fishing event with 30 or more participants or prizes exceeding $500 Fee not published on the FWP fishing licenses page loaded this session. | Any | short-term | all | Not published |
| Harvest / catch record card 3 | ||||
| Bull Trout Catch Card Anglers fishing for bull trout on the three designated bull trout waters. One area per angler. Free. Must be obtained before fishing and returned as directed by FWP. | Any | season | all | Freestill required |
| Resident Paddlefish Tag Residents harvesting paddlefish; mandatory harvest reporting within 48 hours Held in addition to a fishing license, Conservation License and AIS Prevention Pass. FWP's 2026 fee sheet does not break the tag out by river or by harvest vs catch-and-release option. | Resident | season | all | $6.50 |
| Nonresident Paddlefish Tag Nonresidents harvesting paddlefish; mandatory harvest reporting within 48 hours Held in addition to a fishing license, Conservation License and AIS Prevention Pass. | Non-resident | season | all | $75.00 |
| Access or habitat fee 2 | ||||
| Angler AIS Prevention Pass (Resident) MANDATORY for all Montana residents age 16 and older who fish in Montana. Must be purchased along with the fishing license. Created by the 2017 Montana Legislature to fund aquatic invasive species prevention. Free for youth age 15 and younger. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $2.00 |
| Angler AIS Prevention Pass (Nonresident) MANDATORY for all nonresidents age 16 and older who fish in Montana. Must be purchased along with the fishing license. Free for youth age 15 and younger. | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $7.50 |
Fees as published by Montana FWP and read on 4 September 2026. Agencies change fees without notice and vendors add issuing charges, so confirm the current price at the point of sale. We do not reproduce seasons, limits or gear rules — see the agency's regulations page for those.
Notes on this listing
PREREQUISITE STRUCTURE VERIFIED AND MODELLED. FWP's own fishing licenses page states that most Montana anglers must obtain three things: a Conservation License, a base fishing license, and the Angler AIS Prevention Pass. The Conservation License is carried here as category 'base' with required_for spelling out that it is a prerequisite for every fishing license FWP sells and also the state-lands access credential; the AIS Prevention Pass is carried as category 'access' as a mandatory bundled surcharge in both resident and nonresident versions. PRICE MODEL: the price field holds the BASE component from the fishing licenses page, and the notes field records the bundled all-in total printed on FWP's 2026 license fee sheet. The two reconcile exactly in every case - resident 18-61 $21 + $8 + $2 = $31.00; resident 12-15 $10.50 + $4 + $0 = $14.50; resident 16-17 and 62+ $10.50 + $4 + $2 = $16.50; resident 2-day 18-61 $5 + $8 + $2 = $15.00; nonresident season $100 + $10 + $7.50 = $117.50; nonresident 1-day $14 + $10 + $7.50 = $31.50; nonresident 5-day $56 + $10 + $7.50 = $73.50 - which is strong confirmation that both sources are current for 2026. NONRESIDENT CONSERVATION LICENSE: $10 per FWP's conservation license page. The $50.00 'Nonresident Base' line on the fee sheet is the nonresident base HUNTING license and is not a fishing prerequisite; do not conflate the two. Montana has no trout stamp. The disabled resident season license and the fishing contest permit have null prices because only a bundled total (disabled) or no fee at all (contest) was published on the pages that loaded. FREE FISHING DAYS: left null - no official FWP page stating Montana's 2026 free fishing weekend dates was loaded this session, and the date is not asserted from memory.
About Montana FWP
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is the agency that issues fishing licences in Montana and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $4.00 to $100.00 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 6 specialty items to watch for, including the Fishing Contest Permit, Bull Trout Catch Card, Resident Paddlefish Tag and the Nonresident Paddlefish Tag. These are separate purchases and a base licence does not cover them.
The fee table below was read from official sources on 4 September 2026. We list what each item is called, who needs it and what it costs, and link out for the rules themselves — seasons, limits and gear regulations live on the agency’s own page and change too often to mirror.