Tasmania Fishing Licence

Tasmanian Inland Angling Licence. Read from IFS Tasmania on 2026-09-23, schedule season 2026-27 (1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027).

Angling in Tasmania’s inland waters, lakes and rivers, for the 2026-27 season, unchanged from 2025-26. Sea fishing does not need a general licence; licences exist for particular sea fisheries (rock lobster, abalone, scallops, nets, whitebait) through NRE Tasmania.

What it costs

Licence1 rod2 rods
Adult, one seasonA$96.00A$115.50
Senior, one seasonA$76.00A$85.50
Pensioner, one seasonA$52.50A$62.00
Young adult (18 to 21), one seasonA$52.50A$62.00
80+ years angler, one seasonA$29.00A$38.50
Junior (14 to 17), one seasonFreeFree
Adult, five seasonsA$480.00A$578.00
Senior, five seasonsA$382.00A$431.00
Pensioner, five seasonsA$264.50A$313.50
80+ years angler, five seasonsA$145.00A$192.50
28 daysA$76.00A$85.50
7 daysA$49.00A$58.50
48 hoursA$29.00A$38.50

Prices in AUD, the same for residents and visitors. The 2026-27 schedule, read on 23 September 2026, is identical to the 2025-26 one; the licence period runs from 1 August to 31 July. Re-read each July.

Do you need a fishing licence in Tasmania?

Concessions. Senior: Seniors Card holders issued by states and territories. Pensioner: Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holders, including Services Australia and Department of Veterans’ Affairs cards. Young adult: 18 to 21. 80+ years angler: 80 and over. The card must be shown when buying.

Exemptions. Children under 14 do not need an angling licence. Juniors aged 14 to 17 need one, and the Tasmanian Government keeps it free this season.

A second rod added to an existing licence costs A$19.50 for an adult, A$9.50 for the concession and short-term types and nothing for a junior; a replacement licence A$3.50; a whitebait licence A$39.00 (A$29.00 at 80 and over).

How to buy it

From the IFS website, Service Tasmania and licensed tackle stores; new licences and renewals cost the same.

Buy from the agency or its official portal, linked in the sources below. A site that adds a processing fee on top of the agency price is a reseller.

Two systems on one island

Tasmania splits its licensing between the water types. Inland, the Inland Fisheries Service sells an angling licence that every angler from 14 upwards needs to fish the lakes and rivers, and the island’s trout fishery is what that licence is really about: the Central Plateau lakes, the Derwent and its tributaries, the lowland rivers. In the sea, NRE Tasmania licenses particular fisheries rather than the act of fishing, so a line dropped off a Hobart jetty or a St Helens beach needs no paper, while a rock lobster pot, a dive for abalone, a scallop dredge or a set net does.

The inland price list

The inland licence is unusual in being sold for one rod or two, and the second column is not a rounding: an adult pays A$96.00 to fish one rod for the 2026-27 season and A$115.50 to fish two, the same figures as the season before. Seniors with a Seniors Card, pensioners with a concession card, young adults from 18 to 21 and anglers over 80 each have their own line, down to A$29.00 for a one-rod licence at 80 and over. A five-season licence is available at every level for people who know they will be back, and juniors from 14 to 17 fish free this season by decision of the state government, while children under 14 need nothing at all. Short-term licences cover a visit: A$29.00 or A$38.50 for 48 hours, A$49.00 or A$58.50 for seven days and A$76.00 or A$85.50 for 28 days, one rod or two.

What to check before the season

The inland season opens in August and the licence and fees follow it, so this schedule is the 2026-27 one, read on 23 September 2026 and identical to the year before; it is re-read each July when the service publishes the next. The licence is one thing and the water rules are another: bag limits, minimum sizes and the closed waters are in the Tasmanian Inland Fishing Code the service publishes each season, and the sea rules, including the licensed species seasons, live on the Fishing Tasmania site. Both are linked from the sources block below with the date we read them.

Common questions

How much is a Tasmanian trout licence?

For the 2026-27 season an adult one-season licence is A$96.00 for one rod or A$115.50 for two rods; seniors pay A$76.00 or A$85.50, pensioners and young adults 18 to 21 pay A$52.50 or A$62.00, and anglers 80 and over pay A$29.00 or A$38.50. Short-term licences run from A$29.00 for 48 hours to A$76.00 for 28 days with one rod.

Do children need a fishing licence in Tasmania?

Under 14, no. From 14 to 17 a junior licence is required, and it is free this season.

Do I need a licence for sea fishing in Tasmania?

Not a general one. Tasmania licenses specific sea fisheries, such as rock lobster, abalone, scallops, nets and whitebait, through NRE Tasmania; ordinary line fishing in the sea is not on that list.

What does the two-rod licence mean?

The inland licence is sold for one rod or two: with a two-rod licence you may fish two rods at once where the rules allow it, which is why every price comes in two columns.

Where to use it: the Tasmania waters we cover

Every Tasmania water on this site carries a daily report and links back to this page. The Tasmania hub has today's verdicts side by side; all Australia waters are filterable by type and species.

HobartSt HelensGreat LakeBurnieFlinders IslandArthurs LakeDevonportLake BarringtonBronte LagoonLake BurburyLake CrescentLake SorellDee LagoonLake EchoLake King WilliamLittle Pine LagoonMeadowbank LakeLake PedderPenstock LagoonPine Tier LagoonLake St ClairWoods LakeLake GordonDerwent River below MeadowbankSouth Esk River at PerthSouth Esk River at LlewellynMacquarie River near RossMeander River at DeloraineMersey River at LienaLeven RiverHuon River at JudburyTyenna RiverBichenoTriabunnaBruny IslandStrahanStanleyBridportScamanderDunalleyLake AugustaLake CatagunyaLake CethanaCluny LagoonLake GairdnerLaughing Jack LagoonLake MackenzieLake MackintoshLake MargaretLake MurchisonLake PaloonaLake ParanganaLake PiemanLake PlimsollLake RepulseLake RoseberyLake RowallanShannon LagoonLake TrevallynTungatinah LagoonWayatinah LagoonNorth Esk River at BallroomElizabeth River at Campbell TownForth River below the WilmotClyde River at BothwellBreak O’Day River at Killymoon BridgeGeorge River above St HelensInglis River at FlowerdaleDuck River at ScotchtownArthur River below the Rapid RiverCoal River at RichmondRingarooma River at MoorinaGreat Forester River at Prosperity RoadSwan River at The GrangeMontagu River at Stuarts RoadOuse River at AshtonNive River at Gowan BraeShannon River at HermitageSt Pauls River above the South EskSouth Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridgeJordan River at MauricetonEsperance River at DoverLake River at ParknookArm River above the MerseyCam River above SomersetRingarooma River above Branxholm

Licences in the other states and territories

Where this page's numbers come from

Inland Fisheries Service (freshwater) and NRE Tasmania (sea)
https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/the-rules/angling-licence
Read on 2026-09-23; the agency dates its schedule season 2026-27 (1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027). Every figure on this page is quoted from that page.
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Founder and editor
Written and checked against the source above. The text is by the site's author and has not yet been reviewed by an Australian angler or editor.