Fishing

Fishing in Minnesota

Discover 74 state parks offering fishing in Minnesota

🐟 Minnesota Fishing License at a Glance

Resident Annual $25

Non-Resident Annual $51 ($46 + $5 surcharge)

Youth Under 16 free (residents; non-residents with a licensed parent)

Senior 90+: not needed (residents)

Trout Stamp $10 trout/salmon stamp (not needed under 18, from 65, or with a 24- or 72-hour license)

🎉 Free Fishing Days Residents only: Take a Kid Fishing weekends with a child under 16 (next: January 16-18, 2027, ice fishing) and Mother's Day weekend for mothers

Short-term licenses R 24-hour $12, 72-hour $14; NR 24-hour $14, 72-hour $36, 7-day $43 (incl. surcharge) R = resident, NR = non-resident

Residents may fish without an angling license when shore fishing or wading on state-owned land in a state park, and on lakes lying completely inside a park, but not on waters that need a trout stamp. Non-residents need a license there too. The license year runs March 1 to the end of February and every license carries a $1 issuing fee. Prices are from the 2026 Minnesota fishing regulations.

Official Minnesota Fishing Info →

Checked against the official agency, September 2026. Fees and dates change yearly — always confirm current rates and free-fishing dates via the official link above before purchasing.

74 State Parks

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Minnesota State Parks with Fishing

Afton State Park

Arrowhead State Trail

Banning State Park

Bear Head Lake State Park

Beaver Creek Valley State Park

Big Bog State Recreation Area

Blufflands State Trail: Harmony-Preston Valley Segment

Blufflands State Trail: Root River Segment

Camden State Park

Caribou Falls State Wayside

trees beginning to bud over a river in a state park near rochester mn

Carley State Park

Cascade River State Park

Charles A. Lindbergh State Park

Crow Wing State Park

Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area

Des Moines River Valley State Trail

Devils Track Falls State Wayside

Father Hennepin State Park

Flandrau State Park

Forestville / Mystery Cave State Park

Fort Snelling State Park

Franz Jevne State Park

Garden Island State Recreation Area

George H. Crosby Manitou State Park

Glacial Lakes State Park

Dead tree in water against sunset at Lake Arrowhead State Park

Glacier Lakes Trail

A State Park bridge over a river with trees on either side.

Glendalough State Park

Goodhue Pioneer State Trail

Great River Ridge State Trail

Hayes Lake State Park

Heartland State Trail

Hinckley Fire State Monument

Interstate State Park

Itasca State Park

John A. Latsch State Park

Judge C. R. Magney State Park

Kadunce River State Wayside

Kilen Woods State Park

La Salle Lake State Recreation Area

Lake Bemidji State Park

Lake Bronson State Park

Lake Carlos sandy beach with canoe and forest Minnesota

Lake Carlos State Park

+13

Lake Louise State Park

Lake Maria State Park

Lake Shetek State Park

Soudan Mine headframe with Lake Vermilion and fall colors Minnesota

Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park

Maplewood State Park

McCarthy Beach State Park

cattails along the shore of a lake in a state park near nisswa minnesota

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

Minnesota River State Trail

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area

Mississippi Blufflands State Trail

Monson Lake State Park

Moose Lake State Park

sunset over the lake at a state park near rochester mn

Myre-Big Island State Park

+10

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

Old Mill State Park

Paul Bunyan State Trail

Red River State Recreation Area

Rice Lake State Park

Sakatah Lake State Park

Savanna Portage State Park

Scenic State Park

Schoolcraft State Park

dock on a pond at a state park near nisswa minnesota

Sibley State Park

Split Rock Creek State Park

St. Croix Islands State Recreation Area

Temperance River State Park

Tettegouche State Park

Vermilion Falls Trail

Whitewater State Park

Wild River State Park

William O’Brien State Park

Zippel Bay State Park

Other Places with Fishing in Minnesota (Not State Parks)

These places are run by a county, city, federal agency, another state agency, a tribe or a private owner, not by Minnesota’s state park system. State park passes, rules and reservations may not apply, so check with the operator before you go.

Big Fork State Forest

Run by the Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry

Horace Austin State Park

Run by the City of Austin

Kaplan Woods State Park

Run by the City of Owatonna

Little Elbow Lake Tribal Park

Run by the White Earth Nation

Pine Tree Park

Run by the City of Blackduck

Underground cave pool reflecting stalactites and stalagmites at Forestville Mystery Cave State Park Minnesota

Ramsey State Park

Run by the City of Redwood Falls

Rum River State Forest

Run by the Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry

Toqua Lakes State Park

Run by Big Stone County

❓ Fishing in Minnesota — FAQ

Do you need a fishing license in Minnesota state parks?

Residents often do not, non-residents do. Minnesota law: "A resident may take fish by angling without an angling license: (1) when shore fishing or wading on state-owned land within a state park," and from a boat or through the ice on waters lying completely inside the park. "The exemption from an angling license does not apply to waters where a trout stamp is required." (Minnesota Statutes 97A.445, as of September 2026)

Are there free fishing days in Minnesota?

Yes — Residents only: Take a Kid Fishing weekends with a child under 16 (next: January 16-18, 2027, ice fishing) and Mother's Day weekend for mothers. On free fishing days no license is required; confirm the dates with the official Minnesota agency before your trip.