Texas Fishing License: Requirements, Cost, and Age Limits (2026)

An angler generally needs a fishing license with the appropriate freshwater or saltwater endorsement to fish in Texas public waters. The age, historic, state-park, private-water, and Free Fishing Day exemptions are listed separately.

The resident Freshwater Package costs $30.

The resident Saltwater Package costs $35.

The standard resident All-Water Package costs $40.

The resident-only Year-from-Purchase All-Water Package costs $47. It runs from the purchase date through the end of that purchase month in the next license year, unlike standard packages that expire on August 31.

The nonresident Freshwater Package costs $58.

The nonresident Saltwater Package costs $63.

The nonresident All-Water Package costs $68.

A resident one-day All-Water License costs $11 and the nonresident version costs $16. It covers fresh and salt water for the selected day, and no freshwater or saltwater endorsement is required.

A Texas resident age 65 or older who was born on or after January 1, 1931, may buy a senior package for $12 freshwater, $17 saltwater, or $22 all-water. This is a discount, not a license exemption.

Texas residents and nonresidents younger than 17 do not need a fishing license.

A Texas resident born before January 1, 1931, does not need a fishing license. This exemption is separate from the reduced-price senior packages for residents born on or after that date.

No fishing license or endorsement is required while fishing on Texas state park property or in waters completely enclosed by a state park. Park entry fees and other fishing regulations, including bag and length limits, still apply.

No fishing license is required on waters completely enclosed within private property. You still need the landowner's permission to enter and fish the property.

TPWD offers a free Disabled Veteran Super Combo package to a resident or nonresident veteran who has qualifying loss of use of a foot or leg, or a VA disability rating of at least 50%, and receives federal compensation. VA proof stating the disability rate is required.

Texas waives recreational fishing-license and endorsement requirements on the first Saturday in June. In 2026, Free Fishing Day was June 6.

Effective August 3, 2026, each buyer age 17 or older must be physically present and show valid identification. A Texas resident uses an unexpired Texas driver license or personal ID. Applicants using identification from TPWD's listed states, Washington, D.C., or a U.S. territory need an unexpired REAL ID or an accepted identity document alongside a non-REAL ID.

TPWD charges a $5 administrative fee for online and phone transactions.

The $12 Lake Texoma License covers both the Texas and Oklahoma waters of Lake Texoma without an additional fishing license from either state. It is valid only on Lake Texoma and expires December 31 following issuance, not one full calendar year after purchase.

In Arkansas waters of the Red River, Arkansas requirements apply. TPWD presents this as a jurisdiction rule, not fishing-license reciprocity.

In Oklahoma waters of the Red River, Oklahoma requirements apply. Between Denison Dam and Shawnee Creek, a Texas license covers fishing from the Texas bank, while an Oklahoma license is required to wade-fish or fish from a boat. Lake Texoma has its own license option.

Properly licensed residents of Texas or Louisiana, residents exempt by age, and holders of a valid nonresident license from either state may fish shared boundary lakes and rivers inland from the line across Sabine Pass between Texas Point and Louisiana Point. Fish landed in Texas remain subject to Texas bag and length limits.