Arkansas Trout Fishing Regulations Guide

Everyone 16 and older needs a valid Arkansas fishing license to fish for trout, plus a separate Arkansas Trout Permit required in addition to the fishing license. Licenses and permits are issued by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) — buy online, at AGFC offices, or at authorized retailers.

• Annual resident fishing license — approximately $10.50.
• Trout Permit — approximately $10.00. Required in addition to the fishing license to fish for or possess trout in Arkansas.
• Resident total to fish for trout — approximately $10.50 + $10.00 = approximately $20.50.
• Non-resident — annual non-resident fishing license + the same trout permit. Verify current non-resident pricing on the AGFC site.

One of the things that makes Arkansas tailwater fishing distinctive is the year-round trout season on every major trout water in the state. The dam-release tailwaters stay cold through the southern summer and warm enough to fish through winter — Mammoth Spring on the Spring River discharges rock-steady ~270 CFS at a constant 58°F year-round. There is no spring opener and no fall closure on Arkansas trout water.

The AGFC imposed emergency trout regulations in early 2026 to protect trout populations during a hatchery shortage. These rules are tighter than the standard regulations and apply to the major tailwater fisheries. Verify the current rules at agfc.com before fishing — emergency regs are subject to change as the hatchery situation evolves.

• Bull Shoals tailwater (White River) and Norfork tailwater (North Fork) — 2 rainbow trout under 14″ only. All other trout species (brown, cutthroat, brook) must be released immediately. No brown trout may be kept.
• Greers Ferry tailwater (Little Red River) — 2 trout of any species; any trout over 14″ must be released immediately.
• Spring River and Crooked Creek — Standard trout regulations apply; the emergency rules above do not currently apply to these waters. Verify current rules before fishing.

Arkansas is a southern state with summer surface-water temperatures well above what trout can survive. The state holds trout because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built dams across the Ozarks in the mid-twentieth century, and those dams release cold water from the bottom of the reservoirs. Trout are stocked and (in some sections) reproduce in the cold water below the dams.

• Bull Shoals Dam (White River, 1951) — created the largest tailwater trout fishery in the South.
• Norfork Dam (North Fork River, 1944) — short, intensely productive cold-water tailwater that joins the White just downstream.
• Greers Ferry Dam (Little Red River, 1962) — produced the world-record 40 lb 4 oz brown trout in 1992. Heavy hydropeaking — CFS swings 200 to 5,000+ within hours.
• Mammoth Spring (Spring River) — natural cold-water source rather than a dam release. Discharges rock-steady ~270 CFS at 58°F year-round.

On May 9, 1992, Rip Collins was fishing the Little Red River below Greers Ferry Dam when he hooked and landed a brown trout that weighed 40 pounds, 4 ounces — the largest brown trout ever caught with a rod and reel, anywhere on Earth. The IGFA all-tackle world record stood for decades and put Greers Ferry on the global fly fishing map. The Little Red still holds trophy-class browns; under the current emergency regulations, any brown over 14″ must be released.

Buy licenses, the trout permit, and read the current regulations (including any active emergency regulations) at agfc.com. The AGFC publishes generation schedules for the major tailwater dams; check the schedule before driving to the White, Norfork, or Little Red — heavy generation can make a section unwadeable on short notice.