VA · Trout (brook, brown and rainbow)
Virginia trout (brook, brown and rainbow) limits
Virginia never closes trout season. The statewide rule is 6 trout a day, none under 7 inches. Delayed harvest streams are catch-and-release with artificial lures from Oct. 1 to May 31, urban program waters drop to 4 a day, and fishing designated stocked water from Oct. 1 to June 15 takes a separate trout license.
Verified 2026-10-27Limits at a glance
Regulation period: January 2026 through Dec. 31, 2026 (trout season itself is open year-round).
Daily limit
6 trout per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo trout under 7 inches
Daily limit
Catch-and-release only; no trout in possession
DatesOct. 1 – May 31
Size ruleArtificial lures only, and no bait may be carriedFrom June 1 through Sept. 30 these streams fall back to the ordinary stocked-water rules.
Daily limit
4 trout per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleNo trout under 7 inchesA trout license is needed here only from Nov. 1 through Apr. 30.
Daily limit
3 trout per day
DatesApr. 1 – June 15 (youth-only period)
Size ruleNo trout under 7 inches
Daily limit
6 trout per day
DatesOpen all year
Size ruleBrook trout 9 inches minimum; brown and rainbow trout 7 inches minimumSingle-point-hook artificial lures only. Streams not open to harvest are catch-and-release; brown trout may not be released.
Daily limit
7 trout per day, no more than 2 lake trout
Size ruleNo minimum lengthA Virginia trout license is required to fish for or keep trout here.
Watch for
- Designated stocked trout waters need a trout license on top of a freshwater license from Oct. 1 through June 15. From June 16 through Sept. 30 no trout license is needed there.
- On stocked trout water you must stop once you reach the daily limit, a trout put on a stringer or in a cooler counts and cannot be swapped, and angling hours run from 5 a.m. to one hour after sunset.
- Many wild-trout and special regulation streams set their own limits and some need a free landowner permit card; Mossy Creek (Augusta County) is one.
- Fee fishing areas (Clinch Mountain, Crooked Creek, Douthat) need a daily permit as well as a license.
- Residents and nonresidents under 16 need neither a fishing license nor a trout license.
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Virginia · Trout
Quick answers
What is the daily limit for trout (brook, brown and rainbow) in Virginia?
Statewide (waters without a special rule): 6 trout per day. Size rule: No trout under 7 inches. Other waters and date windows have different rules; see the table. Verify with Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Which regulations do these Virginia figures come from?
January 2026 through Dec. 31, 2026 (trout season itself is open year-round), as published by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Last verified 2026-10-27.