Washington Fishing Compliance Checklist
Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Fees verified for 2026. Generated by FishFig — informational only, not legal advice.
1 · What license do you need?
| Angler | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| Resident | $55.35 |
| Non-resident | $124.65 |
Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — 2026 Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet (wdfw.wa.gov). (2026). Verify the exact product and any one-day or short-term options with the agency.
2 · Size & bag limits
| Species | Min size | Bag limit | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass | — | 5 | WDFW 2026 Sport Fishing Rules. |
| Rainbow Trout (general) | — | 5 | WDFW 2026 Sport Fishing Rules (special regs on many waters). |
3 · Required stamps & report cards
WDFW 2026: resident combination (fresh+salt+shellfish) $55.35; resident freshwater $29.50; nonresident combination $124.65. Many fisheries require catch record cards (salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut, Puget Sound crab).
4 · Legal citations
- WDFW 2026 Sport Fishing Rules.
- WDFW 2026 Sport Fishing Rules (special regs on many waters).
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — 2026 Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet (wdfw.wa.gov). (2026)
5 · Who to contact
State agency & contact
Licenses, regulations, and stocking are set by the agency below. When FishFig can’t verify a figure, contact them directly.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
FishFig is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Verify every figure with the agency before purchasing a license, keeping fish, or relying on stocking data.
6 · Work the checklist in this order
Read the sections on this sheet in sequence, because each one can invalidate the one before it. The license comes first: without a current one, nothing else on the sheet matters. The limits come second, and they are statewide defaults. The stamps and report cards come third — a species endorsement or a harvest card can be required on top of the license, and holding the license alone does not satisfy it. The waterbody-specific rules come last, and they win: where a named lake, river section, or zone has its own size, slot, bag, or season rule, that rule replaces the statewide default on this sheet.
Two habits catch most of what a printed sheet cannot. Fill in the water you actually intend to fish before you leave, and check that specific water’s current regulation rather than relying on the statewide line. And photograph or write down the tag, date, and location of anything you keep that may fall under a reporting requirement — the obligation usually attaches to the fish, not to the license, so a fully licensed angler can still be out of compliance for failing to register a catch inside the window.
This sheet is deliberately narrow. It states the fees and statewide limits FishFig can attribute to a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) publication, and it names the agency for everything else, rather than printing a number that may already be out of date. In-season closures, emergency orders, drawdowns, and special-regulation waters are published by the agency and are not tracked here.
7 · Limits, reporting and inspection rules tracked for Washington
Every figure below is read from FishFig's verified Washington data layer and names its source. Where a value could not be verified it reads "verify locally" rather than a placeholder number.
Size and bag limits tracked for Washington
Washington has 12 statewide limits resolved in this tool — Bluegill, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Common Carp, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass and Muskellunge (Muskie), among 12 in the tracked set. Each entry below carries the agency citation it came from.
Bluegill: bag No daily limit (sunfish); season Year-round. Citation: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — 2026–27 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (Statewide Freshwater Species Rules).
Brook Trout: bag No daily limit (Eastern Brook Trout); season Year-round; No minimum size.. Citation: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — 2026–27 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (Statewide Freshwater Species Rules).
Brown Trout: bag 5 daily (lakes, no min); 2 daily (rivers, 8 in min); combined 5; season Year-round (lakes); Sat before Memorial Day – Oct 31 (rivers). Citation: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — 2026–27 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (Statewide Freshwater Species Rules).
Common Carp: bag No limit; season Year-round (during open game-fish/salmon seasons). Citation: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — 2026–27 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (Statewide Freshwater Species Rules).
Channel Catfish: bag 5 daily (lakes/ponds/reservoirs); rivers/streams: no daily limit; season Year-round. Citation: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — 2026–27 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (Statewide Freshwater Species Rules).
Crappie: bag No daily limit; season Year-round. Citation: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — 2026–27 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (Statewide Freshwater Species Rules).
These are statewide general rules only. Slot limits, special-regulation waters, catch-and-release stretches, and zone-by-zone seasons override them — and a general rule that is absent from this list is not the same as no restriction. Confirm the rule for the exact water you are fishing with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) before keeping a fish.
Mandatory harvest reporting in Washington
Washington requires mandatory harvest reporting or registration for specific species. The tracked rule set covers salmon/steelhead/sturgeon/halibut/Puget Sound Dungeness crab.
Reporting window: Record catch immediately upon retention; return Catch Record Card by deadline (approx. April 30). How to report: Physical Catch Record Card notched/recorded immediately, or electronic eCRC via MyWDFW app (eCRC available from April 1, 2026). Citation: WDFW Catch Reporting / WAC 220-310-020
A reporting requirement usually attaches to the fish, not the license: you can be fully licensed and still be out of compliance for failing to register a tagged or sensitive species within the stated window. Record the tag number and the date before you leave the water.
Boat inspection and invasive species rules in Washington
Washington has a tracked aquatic-invasive-species requirement for boaters: AIS Prevention Permit.
Watercraft not registered in Washington, seaplanes, and commercial transporters of specified vessel types must purchase an AIS prevention permit (valid one year).
Citation: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Permit.
Free fishing days in Washington
Reported license-free dates for 2026: June 6–7, 2026. Most states waive the license only, not the rules — size and bag limits, gear restrictions, seasons, and any required report card still apply, and some states still require a free or zero-cost license to be issued before you fish.
Reported for 2026 by public aggregators and may not match the official state schedule. Always confirm the current year’s dates and any species/stamp exceptions with the agency before planning.
Source: Compiled from 2026 public Free-Fishing-Day roundups (modefreefinds.com, heyitsfree.net, fishkillflea.com). Not an official source — verify with the state agency. (compiled 2026-08-29).
Always confirm current fees, seasons, and closures with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) before fishing. This checklist is a planning aid and may not reflect in-season changes.