Arkansas charges visitors sixty dollars against ten dollars fifty for a resident, one of the sharpest ratios in the country. The three-day trip licence at thirty dollars is the one most visitors should be looking at, because it is half the annual and covers a long weekend on the White or the Little Red. The trout permit is extra either way, and visitors pay double for it.
What you will pay
The calculator opens on the visitor rate. Change the length to see what a short trip costs instead.
Every visitor fee in Arkansas
Annual licences run by calendar year.
| Licence | Length | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident three-day trip | 3 days | $30.00 |
| Non-resident annual fishing | Annual | $60.00 |
Fees verified against AGFC on 2026-09-11. Fees from the eRegulations edition of the official Arkansas fishing guidebook.
Annual or short-term?
The annual visitor licence costs $60.00. The cheapest short option is $30.00 for 3 days. That puts the break-even at about 2 trips: fish Arkansas fewer times than that in a year and the short-term licence is the cheaper buy.
Worth doing the sum rather than defaulting to the annual, which is what most visitors buy out of habit.
What you are buying access to
We track 18 Arkansas waters daily, with live flow, tides and conditions. A sample:
- Lake Ouachita — Garland County
- Greers Ferry Lake — Cleburne County
- Bull Shoals Lake — Boone County
- White River — Desha County
- Beaver Lake — Washington County
- Norfork Lake — Baxter County
- DeGray Lake — Clark County
- Little Red River — Cleburne County
- Lake Hamilton — Garland County
- Millwood Lake — Little River County
Questions
How much is a non-resident fishing licence in Arkansas?
$60.00 for the year. A Arkansas resident pays $10.50 for the same thing, which is the gap most visitors are checking.
Is the annual or a short-term licence better value in Arkansas?
The cheapest short-term option is $30.00 for 3 days. At that rate the annual pays for itself on about the 2nd trip, so below that the short-term licence wins.
Can I buy a Arkansas licence before I travel?
Yes. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sells online, so you can buy before you leave home and screenshot the confirmation. Cell service is unreliable where the fishing is good.
Do I need a trout permit as a visitor to Arkansas?
To keep trout, yes: $20.00 for a non-resident against $10.00 for a resident, on top of the licence. The White River tailwaters are trout water, so most visiting anglers need it.
Is the Arkansas three-day licence worth it?
For a single trip, clearly: $30.00 against $60.00 for the year. Two trips and the annual wins.