What Age Do You Need a Fishing License in Tennessee?

In Tennessee, you need a fishing license starting at age 13. Children 12 and under fish for free in Tennessee’s public waters, whether they live in the state or are visiting. From 13 through 15, residents can buy a discounted junior license, and at 16 the full adult license kicks in.¹

Under 13: No License Needed

Resident children under 13 don’t need any license to fish public waters in Tennessee, and non-resident children 12 and under are also exempt.¹ A young child can pick up a rod and fish anywhere the public is allowed without paperwork or fees.

If you plan to fish regularly with a very young child, some families buy a lifetime sportsman license for the child early, when the price is lowest. It runs $320 for a child under 3, $659 from ages 3 through 6, and $988 from 7 through 12. That license covers every sport fishing, hunting, and trapping privilege for life, with no supplemental permits ever required.² For a casual fisher, the free-under-13 rule is all you need.

Ages 13 to 15: Junior License

Once a child turns 13, Tennessee starts requiring a license. Residents aged 13 through 15 pay $9 for a junior hunting, fishing, and trapping license. That single license covers sport fishing, hunting, and trapping with no supplemental permits, so a teenager with the junior license is fully covered for all three activities.³

Non-resident children aged 13 through 15 can buy a junior combination hunt/fish license for $10.³

Resident teens in this age range also get a bonus: during the week following the annual Bobby Wilson Free Fishing Day (the first Saturday in June), residents aged 13 through 15 can fish for free.¹

Age 16 and Up: Full Adult License

At 16, Tennessee treats you as an adult for fishing purposes, and the junior rate goes away. Resident adults have several options depending on where and how you fish:

1-day fishing, no trout (ages 13–64): $6
1-day fishing, all species including trout (ages 16–64): $11
County of residence fishing, no trout (ages 13+): $10
Annual combination hunt/fish (ages 16–64): $33
Annual trout supplemental, added to a base license: $21
Annual sportsman, all-inclusive (ages 16–64): $165

The cheapest annual option, the $10 county-of-residence license, restricts you to fishing in your home county with natural bait only. No minnows, no artificial lures. If you fish outside your home county or use lures, you’ll want the $33 combination hunt/fish license instead. Adding trout waters to any base license means either buying the all-species 1-day license or adding the $21 annual trout supplemental.

Non-residents 16 and older pay more, and Tennessee doesn’t offer a non-resident 1-day license. The shortest non-resident permit is 3 days at $20 without trout or $40 with trout. A non-resident annual license runs $49 without trout and $98 with trout.³

Senior Ages: 65 and Older

Age also matters on the older end. Tennessee residents who were 65 or older before March 1, 1991, can fish, hunt, and trap without any license. Very few people still qualify, since it requires being born before March 1926. Anyone claiming this exemption should carry proof of age and Tennessee residency while fishing.¹

Residents who turned 65 after that cutoff aren’t fully exempt, but they pay sharply reduced rates. The annual senior citizen hunt/fish/trap license is $4, and a permanent senior citizen license covering hunting, fishing, and trapping for life costs a one-time $49.³ The lifetime sportsman license, which most adults pay $1,976 for between ages 13 and 50, drops to $329 at age 65.²

Free Fishing Day for All Ages

Age rules pause once a year. Tennessee’s annual Bobby Wilson Free Fishing Day, held on the first Saturday in June, lets anyone fish public waters without a license regardless of age or residency. In 2025 the date was June 7. Residents aged 13 through 15 can then continue fishing free through the following week.¹

What Happens If You Fish Without One

Once you’re 13 or older and don’t fall under a specific exemption, fishing without a valid license in Tennessee is a Class C misdemeanor. Fines range from $10 to $50, and a court can impose up to 30 days in jail in some cases. If a court has revoked your fishing privileges and you fish anyway, the penalties climb to a mandatory jail sentence of at least 10 days and a fine starting at $25. The dollar amounts are modest, but a misdemeanor conviction stays on your record. That’s the real cost of skipping a license that starts at $6.

How to Buy a License at Any Age

The quickest way to buy a Tennessee fishing license is online through the TWRA portal at GoOutdoorsTennessee.com. You create a customer account, pick your license type, and get a digital copy you can keep on your phone. New customers, resident or non-resident, need to set up the account before their first purchase.⁴

You can also buy in person at authorized retailers across the state, including sporting goods stores, bait and tackle shops, some county clerk offices, and TWRA regional offices. Annual licenses run for 365 days from the purchase date, not on a calendar year. A license bought on March 15 expires on March 15 the following year. Some permits, like the migratory bird permit, have fixed expiration dates regardless of purchase date, so check the effective dates before checkout.⁴

1
Justia. Tennessee Code 70-2-201 – Sportsman License
2
eRegulations. License Fees – Tennessee Fishing
3
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. License Structure and Fees
4
Go Outdoors Tennessee. Go Outdoors Tennessee Online Licensing System