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United States · AR
Arkansas
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC)
Rules change by area and can change mid-season. We explain what the rules mean and always link you to the official source — we never copy a limit table and call it current.
Licences — what you need
- • A fishing licence is required; a trout permit is required to fish in designated trout waters and to keep trout anywhere.
- • Border agreements cover shared waters with Missouri, Tennessee/Mississippi (Mississippi River), Oklahoma and Texas/Louisiana lines.
How the rules are organized
- • Statewide rules plus an extensive list of special regulations by water — the White, Little Red and Norfork tailwaters have famous slot and catch-and-release sections.
- • Free fishing is offered on AGFC family/community fishing locations under posted site rules.
Good to know — common mistakes
- • The trout tailwater slot sections are strictly enforced — a legal fish in the general stretch can be illegal in the special-regulation area a mile away.
- • The trout permit is needed on trout water even for catch-and-release anglers in designated waters.
- • Snagging for paddlefish and other species is season- and water-specific — prohibited on many waters.
- • Alligator gar are protected with a permit-based framework — never assume a gar can be kept.
Official links
Fishing locations covered in this guide
This page is a plain-language summary, not the law. Regulations change — including in-season by official notice — and if anything here disagrees with the official source, the official source governs.
AnglerPlan is an information service, not a regulator. If anything here disagrees with an official source, the official source wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.