Wyoming Fishing Regulations for Fly Anglers

Everyone 14 and older needs a valid Wyoming fishing license to fish any public water in the state. You can buy a license online at Wyoming Game & Fish Department or at most sporting goods stores and license agents around the state.

Wyoming offers both resident and non-resident licenses. Visitors have flexible options:

• Annual non-resident license — best value if you'll fish more than a week.
• 5-day non-resident license — good for a typical destination trip.
• 1-day non-resident license — for a quick stop on a road trip through Wyoming.
• Combination licenses — bundle fishing with hunting or other tags if you do both.

Here's some good news: unlike several neighboring states, Wyoming does not require a separate trout stamp. All trout fishing — rainbows, browns, cutthroats, brookies, and lake trout — is included with your base fishing license.

That means a single non-resident annual license ($100-something, depending on the year) covers everything from the Grey Reef tailwater to high-alpine cutthroat lakes in the Wind Rivers. No stamp upgrades, no special permits for specific species. Compared to states that tack on $10–$30 trout stamps on top of the base license, Wyoming keeps it simple.

Most Wyoming waters are open year-round. The Grey Reef, the North Platte through Casper, the Bighorn below Boysen, and the Snake River below Jackson all fish through every season — including winter, when tailwaters and spring creeks stay open and ice-free.

There are exceptions, and they're worth knowing:

• High mountain lakes — many alpine lakes have seasonal closures or are inaccessible during winter regardless of regulation.
• Spawning closures — certain tributaries close October 1 through December 31 during the brown trout spawn. Check the local section regs before fishing small feeder streams in fall.
• Yellowstone National Park waters — the park has its own permit system and a defined season (typically late May through early November). Wyoming licenses are not valid inside the park.

Wyoming's headline trout rivers each have their own specific rules. These change, so always verify before your trip — but here's the general lay of the land for the rivers featured on this site:

• Grey Reef / North Platte — designated sections are artificial flies and lures only with reduced bag limits and size restrictions in trophy water. The trophy section is the heart of the Reef's reputation; keep no more than the posted limit and only within the slot.
• Snake River (Jackson Hole) — home to the Snake River Fine-spotted Cutthroat, a native subspecies. Catch-and-release is strongly encouraged, and several sections in Teton County are catch-and-release only. Check the Teton County regulations page in the WGFD brochure.
• Bighorn River — trophy sections have specific size and bag limits, often allowing only fish above or below certain length thresholds. Verify the current slot before keeping anything.
• All other waters — generally fall under the standard statewide trout regulations described below.

Wyoming's general statewide trout limit is 6 fish per day, with no minimum size on most waters. That's noticeably more generous than many neighboring states — but the trophy and special-regulation waters override the general limit.

• General trout — 6 fish/day, no size limit on most waters.
• Trophy sections — Grey Reef, Bighorn, and several others have reduced limits and size restrictions. Always verify the posted regulation at the access point.
• Cutthroat trout — some areas (especially Snake River drainage and select Yellowstone-region waters) are catch-and-release only to protect native populations.

Buy licenses and read the current year's full regulations at wgfd.wyo.gov. The annual fishing regulations brochure is available as a free PDF download and in print at any license agent. WGFD also publishes region-specific regulation summaries that are easier to reference than the full statewide brochure.