How Much Does a Montana Fishing License Cost in 2025?

What is the license cost for a nonresident (out of state)?

The Montana fishing license cost for a nonresident for an entire season of fishing is $117.50. There are many different fees that contribute to the total cost of the license. See full breakdown of costs below:

• Conservation License
• All Nonresidents: $10
• Angler Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Pass (AISPP)
• All Nonresidents: $7.50
• Standard Fishing License (total includes licenses above)
• One Day - total cost
• All Nonresidents: $31.50
• Five Days - total cost:
• All Nonresidents: $73.50
• Full Season- total cost
• All Nonresidents: $117.50

What is the license cost for a resident (in-state)?

If you are a resident, your total fee for an entire season of fishing will likely be $31.

• Conservation License
• Youth 12-17: $4
• Adult 18-61: $8
• Senior 62+ : $4
• Angler Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Pass (AISPP)
• All Residents: $2
• Standard Fishing License (total includes licenses above)
• 2 Days
• Youth 12-17: $11
• Adult 18-61: $15
• Senior 62+ : $11
• Full Season
• Youth 12-17: $16.50
• Adult 18-61: $31
• Senior 62+ : $16.50

Does everyone need a license to fish in Montana?

Fishing licenses are required for every angler over 11 years old. It is very important for a person to purchase a license before fishing in Montana. Failing to obtain a license can have serious consequences. A conviction for fishing without a licence in Montana can lead to many penalties that can be avoided with legal compliance.

Why do I need a fishing license?

Revenues from licenses are critical to supporting Montana’s conservation efforts. State funded wildlife management is critical in sustaining the ecosystems of Montana rivers. Without these efforts, fly fishing would not be possible. GUIDE-X greatly appreciates the work of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks that allows us all to #fishfriendly. In 2021, General Licenses (hunting, fishing, and conservation) generated $71,641,621 and accounted for 71.3% of total state special revenue and 54.4% of total funding for the Montana FWP. [1]

What types of fishing licenses are required?

Montana requires anglers to purchase three separate licenses to fish legally - all of these licenses are purchased at the same time through the FWP website:

• Conservation License
• Angler Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Pass (AISPP)
• Standard Fishing License

How do I purchase a fishing license?

Regardless of where you purchase your license, you'll pay the same amount.

(Recommended) Purchase a Montana Fishing License Online

Before you can hit the water, you'll need to purchase a fishing license. We recommend purchasing a license online from the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) website. Once you make your purchase, you can screenshot your license or print it off and bring it along. The advantage of purchasing your license online is keeping it on your phone and skipping any day of stops to purchase your license (get out to the river faster!).

If you need to purchase a license for yourself and your immediate family, you'll need to make these purchases in separate transactions, and screenshot or print out licenses for each individual.

Note: You will have to select date ranges when choosing the Two Day or Ten Day fishing license option, be sure you select a date range that includes the date(s) of your booking!

Purchase a Montana Fishing License from A License Provider

You can also purchase a license once you arrive in Montana from local fly shops.

What do I do with my fishing license?

When you purchase a license, you will receive an ALS#. Any place you book your fishing trip with will require you to report this number to them either upon booking your trip or before fishing.

If you are booking your trip through GUIDE-X, you will be asked for this number during the booking process. If you do not have your ALS# At the time of your booking, your guide will require you to provide the number before the day of your trip.

How do I book a trip through GUIDE-X?

We handle the entire booking process online! You can pick your river, and your guide. Learn more about the GUIDE-X process from end-to-end here.

How does fishing affect Montana?

The fishing and hunting industries are a massive value-add to Montana's economy. Despite being low impact (only 5-6% of nonresident visitors participate in hunting and/or fishing), these categories make up the fourth highest spending category for Montana (behind fuel, lodging, and dining). In 2017, $1.3 billion was generated by visitors using outfitting services. Each of these visits spends roughly $481 per day, of which 48% is spent on the outfitter or guide, while the other 52% is spread across lodging, dining, shops and other local services.[2]

References

• 1) “52010 - Department Of Fish, Wildlife, And Parks SUMMARY Agency Biennium Comparison.” Montana Department Of Fish, Wildlife, And Parks, 2021, leg.mt.gov/content/Publications/fiscal/Session-2021/SubCom-C/Section-C-print.pdf.
• 2) Sage, Jeremy L., et al. “Montana's Outfitting Industry - 2017 Economic Contribution and Industry-Client Analysis.” ScholarWorks at University of Montana, scholarworks.umt.edu/itrr_pubs/376/.