Montana quotes a hundred dollars for a season fishing licence and charges a visitor a hundred and seventeen fifty, because the Conservation Licence and the invasive species pass are compulsory alongside it. The number worth knowing is the other one: a single day is thirty-one fifty and five days seventy-three fifty, all-in. For a week on the Madison or the Bighorn the five-day is the honest buy.
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 Montana
The licence year runs 1 March to the end of February.
| Licence | Length | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| One day | 1 day | $14.00 |
| Five days | 5 days | $56.00 |
| Season fishing | Annual | $100.00 |
Add the compulsory extras: Conservation licence $10.00, Aquatic invasive species prevention pass $7.50. That is why the headline figure on this page is higher than the licence alone.
Fees verified against FWP on 2026-09-11.
Annual or short-term?
The annual visitor licence costs $117.50. The cheapest short option is $31.50 for 1 day. That puts the break-even at about 4 trips: fish Montana 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 26 Montana waters daily, with live flow, tides and conditions. A sample:
- Madison River — Madison County
- Bighorn River — Yellowstone County
- Gallatin River — Gallatin County
- Fort Peck Lake — Valley County
- Flathead Lake — Lake County
- Rock Creek — Lake County
- Bitterroot River — Missoula County
- Georgetown Lake — Granite County
- Canyon Ferry Lake — Broadwater County
- Clark Fork River (Missoula) — County
Questions
How much is a non-resident fishing licence in Montana?
$117.50 for the year. A Montana resident pays $31.00 for the same thing, which is the gap most visitors are checking.
Is the annual or a short-term licence better value in Montana?
The cheapest short-term option is $31.50 for 1 day. At that rate the annual pays for itself on about the 4th trip, so below that the short-term licence wins.
Can I buy a Montana licence before I travel?
Yes. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks sells online, so you can buy before you leave home and screenshot the confirmation. Cell service is unreliable where the fishing is good.
Why is a Montana non-resident licence more than the listed $100?
Because the licence is one of three compulsory items: $100.00 licence, $10.00 Conservation Licence and $7.50 invasive species pass, for $117.50. Our figures include all three.
Does my Montana licence cover Flathead Lake?
Not the reservation half. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes licence the Flathead Reservation separately, and a state licence does not cover it.