Alabama Fishing License and Regulations

• Residents 16 years of age and under 65 who fish with rod and reel, hook and line, or from a boat in public waters; not required to fish with ordinary hook and line only from the bank in the county of legal residence.resident, fresh water
• Nonresidents 16 years of age and older, in any public water regardless of tackle used.nonresident, fresh water
• A saltwater fishing license is required for all persons fishing or possessing fish in saltwater areas of Alabama; residents and nonresidents under 16 exempt; residents 65 and over exempt; residents may fish from a licensed public fishing pier in inside waters without a license; also required for cast net, gig, bow, crab trap or spearfishing.salt water
• Residents 65 years of age and over are exempt from buying freshwater and saltwater fishing licenses (must carry proof of residence and age); residents 65 and over fishing saltwater must register in the Saltwater Angler Registry each year. Residents 64 years of age buying a license are issued it on a lifetime basis.residents 65 and older
• Gulf Reef Fish Endorsement required for anyone 16 and older possessing, taking or attempting to take gulf reef fish listed in Rule 220-3-.46; no exemptions ($10.00 annual; lifetime $220.00).Gulf reef fish

Official 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest (ADCNR, eRegulations edition), license and fee page, read November 1, 2026.

Lifetime fees as printed in the Official 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest (ADCNR, eRegulations edition), read November 1, 2026.

• It is illegal to take, catch or kill, or attempt to take, catch or kill any game fish by any means other than ordinary hook and line, artificial lure, live bait, troll or spinner in any of the public waters of this State. It is ­unlawful to use electrical devices, explosives, poisons or firearms to take fish of any species from these waters.legal tackle
• There is no restriction on the number of rods used by anglers in most Alabama public water bodies with the following exceptions. No more than three rods and reels, or poles, or any combination thereof may be used on Weiss or Neely Henry Reservoir at any time. No more than two rods and reels, or poles, or any combination thereof may be used in the Sipsey Fork River from Lewis Smith Dam to the conflrods
• All species of bream may be used as bait as long as a person does not have in his ­possession total bream numbers in excess of the daily creel limit, regardless of size, and they are ­harvested legally by hook and line. Other game fish species may not be used for bait.bream as bait
• The spearing of nongame or commercial fish solely for the purpose of sport in all waters of this state, both fresh and salt, is legal provided that the person engaged in the act of ­spearing is completely submerged and ­possesses the appropriate sport fishing and spearfishing licenses. This license is issued by the Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries Division, Marine Resources Division and online. Forspearfishing
• It is unlawful to take fish by snagging on the Chattahoochee River or its impoundments, the Tennessee River or its impoundments, and State-owned public fishing lakes. Further, it is unlawful to take or attempt to take fish by snagging within 800 feet of any dam on the Coosa River or its impoundments.snagging
• Fishing with jugs is permissible in most Alabama public water bodies with a sport fishing license, if required. Jugs are not required to be labeled with angler identification and there is no limitation on the number of jugs used. All jugs must be removed from the water at the end of the fishing trip. Fishing with jugs is illegal in State-owned PFLs (see Public Fishing Lakes).jugs
• Fishing with limb lines is permissible in most Alabama public water bodies with a sport freshwater fishing license. They are not required to be labeled with angler identification and cannot be left unattended for more than 48 hours. Fishing with limb lines is illegal in State-owned PFLs (see Public Fishing Lakes).limb lines
• It is illegal to fish a trotline or snag line, set line, commercial fishing net, slat boxes or wire baskets within one-half mile below any lock, dam or powerhouse. All recreational licensed fisherman utilizing trotlines are limited to 100 hooks total. All trotlines must have a plastic or metal tag attached containing the owners name and either their address, fishing license number, conservation IDtrotlines
• Wire baskets may be used only in certain counties to harvest nongame fish for personal ­consumption only. Persons holding a ­commercial fishing license may not fish with wire ­baskets. No fish taken in wire baskets may be sold or offered for sale. All game fish taken in the ­baskets must be immediately returned to the water. All baskets must be clearly marked with the valid wire basket license numbaskets
• Commercial or nongame fish may be ­legally taken by gigs or hand grabbling by persons possessing a valid sport fishing license. It shall be illegal to use any treble hook or any barbed hook for gigging or grabbling. Only a single barbless hook may be used.gigs and noodling
• Bowfishing with any longbow, recurve bow, compound bow or crossbow using barbed arrows attached by line to the bow, float, vessel or shooter is legal for the taking of commercial or non-game fish. A sport fishing license is required.bowfishing
• It is legal for licensed anglers to take minnows, shad, and certain suckers from specific public waters by the use of a cast net, minnow jug, minnow basket, not to exceed 24 inches in length, 12 inches in ­diameter, with funnel entrance not more than one inch in diameter, dip net or minnow seine, the length of which shall not exceed 25 feet and the width or depth of which shall not exceed 4 feet fminnows and shad

General freshwater rules in the Official 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest (ADCNR, eRegulations edition), read November 1, 2026.