Don’t let the snow, ice and cold get you down.
The beginning of spring fishing is right around the corner.
It starts with the new license year on March 1, the unofficial kick-off of our seasonal piscatorial festivities, followed by the release of the Kentucky Fishing & Boating Guide and Fishing Forecast and Tips, later in the month. These annual publications, available online and in hard copy, detail fishing regulations for the new year and provide anglers with the status of fisheries in Kentucky’s lakes, tailwaters and rivers.
How and Where to Buy Fishing Licenses
Identification is required to buy a fishing license. Purchasers are required to provide their name, address, date of birth and Social Security number.
Only sport fishing licenses are sold online. Commercial fishing licenses must be purchased in Frankfort, at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) central office.
Since fishing licenses can’t be purchased over the telephone at this time due to a technical issue, the two options open to anglers are buying their fishing licenses online or in person.
Visit the the KDFWR online licensing and permit site to renew online.
When purchasing licenses online, anglers will be issued a printable license image, but will not receive a paper license or permit in the mail. Fold up the paper license and keep it in your wallet or tackle box.
An authorization number will also be provided to serve in lieu of a printed license. Anyone using an authorization number as proof of license must carry a photo ID while fishing.
KDFWR accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover as forms of payment for fishing licenses and permits.
One big advantage of buying your fishing license online is you establish a “My Profile” page of the KDFWR website so you can go back and reprint your license, if it gets lost or damaged.
Licenses and permits can be purchased in person in all 120 Kentucky counties at about 900 locations, including some country stores, some hardware stores, some county clerks offices, local hunting and fishing businesses, and some chain stores that sell outdoor sporting goods.
KDFWR offers a searchable list of Kentucky license vendors by county.
Unless license-exempt, anglers must fill out and carry a valid fishing license or authorization number, and a photo ID while fishing.
Current Sport Fishing License/Permit Costs:
Resident:
A resident is defined as any person who has established permanent and legal residence in Kentucky, and resided in Kentucky for 30 days immediately prior to applying for a license, full-time students enrolled in an educational institution for at least six months, or military service personnel on permanent assignment in Kentucky.
• An annual resident fishing license is $23.
• A three-year fishing license, for residents only, is $55.
• A joint married couple’s annual fishing license is $42.
• A one-day fishing license is $7 for a resident.
• A senior fishing license (65 years of age and older) is $12 for a resident.
Nonresident:
• A non-resident annual fishing license is $55.
• A one-day fishing license is $15 for a nonresident.
• A seven-day nonresident fishing license is $35.
Trout Permit:
A trout permit is $10 for both residents and non-residents. Anglers must possess a trout permit, in addition to a fishing license, if they intend to creel trout.
License Exempt Anglers
License exempt anglers include:
• Resident and nonresident youth ages 15 and younger are not required to purchase a fishing license or trout permit to fish.
• Resident owners of farmlands, their spouses and dependent children fishing on their lands.
• Tenants engaged in work and residing on farmlands, their spouses and dependent children.
• Resident servicemen on furlough for more than three days may fish statewide without a license, but must carry proper identification and papers showing furlough status.
Free Fishing Weekend
Every year, there is free fishing on the first weekend in June.
On these free fishing days, no license (including the trout permit) is required of residents or nonresidents to fish any Kentucky waters. All other fishing regulations remain in effect.
Detailed fishing regulations are published annually in the Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide, available online, or in hard copy, wherever fishing licenses are sold.
The current guide can be viewed online at fw.ky.gov.
Buy your 2022-2023 fishing license now and you’ll have extra incentive to “wet a line” when temperatures begin to moderate. Fishing licenses make great gifts too. Think spring!