Texas fishing license, 2026-27
TPWD sells packages rather than a bare license, and the one a Galveston angler needs is the saltwater package: a fishing license, the saltwater endorsement and the red drum tag in one. Every package runs to August 31, whenever you buy it. This page works out which one you actually need.
Last checked 29 October 2026 against the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.Packages run from the day you buy it through August 31.
What age do you need a Texas fishing license?
You need a Texas fishing license from age 17.
Anglers under 17 need no license, resident or not. A Texan born before January 1, 1931 needs none either. TPWD writes license. The same document is often called a fishing licence.
Do seniors need a Texas fishing license?
Yes, but a Texas resident aged 65 or older pays $17 for the saltwater package instead of $35.
The senior rate is for residents only, and only for those born on or after January 1, 1931; anyone born earlier needs no license. A non-resident pays $63 at any age.
Do kids need a fishing license in Texas?
No: anglers under 17 need no Texas fishing license.
Bag limits, size limits and closed seasons still apply to a child exactly as they do to an adult.
Do you need a saltwater fishing license in Texas?
Yes: fishing Texas salt water needs a fishing license plus the saltwater endorsement, which every saltwater and all-water package includes.
The freshwater package alone does not cover Galveston Bay or the Gulf. The all-water package ($40 for a resident) covers both. The one-day all-water license needs no endorsement.
TPWD: fishing licenses and packages. TPWD: endorsements and tags
What does a Texas saltwater fishing license cost?
A resident pays $35 for the saltwater package in 2026-27, and a non-resident pays $63.
Packages run from the day you buy it through August 31. A one-day all-water license is $11 for a resident and $16 for a visitor.
Where do you buy a Texas fishing license?
Buy it online from TPWD, by phone, or from a license retailer such as a tackle shop or sporting goods store.
Buying online or by phone gives you a receipt that is valid to fish at once, and the license itself arrives later. Carry it, or the receipt, while you fish.
TPWD: fishing licenses and packages. TPWD: buy a license online
Do you need a license?
Required from age 17, on a pier as much as on a boat. Pick by where you will stand, not by what you hope to catch.
Pier, jetty or beach
The Galveston Fishing Pier, the jetties, the seawall groins and the surf.
Saltwater package
$35 resident, through August 31
Boat or kayak, bay or Gulf
Galveston Bay, the ship channel and the offshore reefs and rigs.
Saltwater package
Red drum tag included
A single day
Visiting, or trying it once before buying the season.
One-day all-water license
$11 resident, $16 non-resident
Under 17
Anywhere in the state, any water.
No license needed
Bag and size limits still apply
Texas has no pier exemption, and no shoreline license.
A Galveston angler on a public pier, a jetty or the beach needs the same saltwater package as one on a boat. The freshwater package alone does not cover the bay: salt water needs the saltwater endorsement, which the saltwater and all-water packages already include.
Fishing Florida too? Its rules are different, starting with a free shoreline license for residents. See the Florida fishing license guide.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
What it costs
Season packages
| License | Resident | Senior resident 65+ | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saltwater package | $35 | $17 | $63 |
| All-water package | $40 | $22 | $68 |
| Freshwater package | $30 | $12 | $58 |
- Anglers under 17 need no license. Neither does a Texan born before January 1, 1931.
- The senior price is for Texas residents aged 65 or older. Non-residents pay the non-resident price at any age.
- A saltwater or all-water package includes the saltwater endorsement and a red drum tag. The freshwater package does not let you fish salt water.
- Packages run from the day you buy through August 31, whatever the date of purchase.
One-day and year-from-purchase
| License | Resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| One-day all-water | $11 | $16 |
| Year-from-purchase all-water | $47 | — |
- The one-day license needs no endorsement and comes with one red drum tag at no extra charge.
- The year-from-purchase package runs to the end of the month you bought it in, a year later, so a summer purchase is not cut short on August 31. Residents only.
Fees can change with each license year. Check TPWD: fishing licenses and packages for the current figures before you buy.
The endorsement and tags
A Texas package is a license plus an endorsement plus tags. The saltwater endorsement is what lets you fish salt water; the red drum tag is what lets you keep the one big redfish a year.
Saltwater endorsement
- On its own
- $10
Required on top of a fishing license to fish the public salt water of Texas. Already inside every saltwater and all-water package, so only buy it alone if you started with a freshwater package.
Red drum tag
- With the endorsement
- Included
- Bonus tag
- $3
Needed to keep one red drum longer than 28 inches in a license year. Tag the fish as soon as you keep it. A bonus tag allows one more oversize red drum.
Spotted seatrout tag
- With the endorsement
- Included
Needed to keep one oversize spotted seatrout in a license year. Comes with the saltwater endorsement.
Tag a red drum before you carry on fishing. TPWD: endorsements and tags.
How to buy one
- Go to TPWD online license sales, call TPWD, or buy over the counter from a license retailer: most tackle shops, bait camps and sporting goods stores.
- Pick the package. The saltwater package covers Galveston Bay and the Gulf. Take the all-water package if you also fish lakes and rivers, and the year-from-purchase package if you are buying late in the summer.
- Check you are 65 or older and a resident before choosing the senior package. Visitors pay the non-resident price at any age.
- Carry it. An online or phone purchase gives a receipt that is valid to fish at once. Keep the license or the receipt on you.
What a license does not give you
A license is permission to participate. It says nothing about what is open today. Sitting on top of a perfectly valid license:
Size and bag limits. Red drum and spotted seatrout have slot limits, and southern flounder has a closed season in the fall. TPWD prints a limit for every species.
Federal waters. Past nine nautical miles off Texas, federal rules apply to reef fish. Red snapper, gag and amberjack seasons are set federally and are often shorter than the state's.
In-season changes. TPWD and NOAA Fisheries change seasons during the year. The printed Outdoor Annual is a starting point, not the current state.
Check current rules with TPWD saltwater regulations, and browse fishing spots across Texas to see conditions and forecasts for where you are headed.
Free Fishing Day. One day a year, Saturday 6 June 2026, you can fish without a license or endorsement. Bag and size limits still apply.
This page is a plain-language reference, not legal advice, and fees and rules change. TPWD is the authority. Every figure here links back to the page it came from. Verified 29 October 2026.
Common questions
Do I need a license to fish in Texas?
From age 17, yes. Anglers under 17 need no license, and neither does a Texan born before January 1, 1931. Salt water also needs the saltwater endorsement, which every saltwater and all-water package includes.When does a Texas fishing license expire?
Every package runs from the day you buy it through August 31, whatever the date you buy it. A package bought in July lasts six weeks. The year-from-purchase all-water package exists for that reason: it runs to the end of the month you bought it in, a year later.What is the red drum tag for?
Texas allows one red drum over 28 inches per license year, and only with the tag attached. The tag comes with the saltwater endorsement, and a bonus tag costs $3. Red drum inside the slot need no tag.Do I need a license on a Galveston pier?
Yes. Texas has no public pier exemption. Some private piers sell day passes, but the pass is not a fishing license, so carry your own.Are there free fishing days in Texas?
One a year, the first Saturday in June: Saturday 6 June 2026. No license or endorsement is needed that day, but bag and size limits still apply.I have a Florida or Louisiana license. Does it work in Texas?
No, with one narrow exception: a Louisiana resident aged 65 or older who holds a valid Louisiana recreational fishing license needs no Texas license. Everyone else needs TPWD's.
License sorted. Now pick the day.
Live conditions, tides and 14-day fishing forecasts for Galveston Bay and the Texas coast.