UTERLouisiana fishing regulations are set by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and published by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), on one page for saltwater finfish and one for freshwater finfish. Anglers 18 and older need a Basic license, plus a Saltwater license for salt water; offshore species also need a free Recreational Offshore Landing Permit; and Louisiana itself sets the private red snapper season in state and federal waters.
This guide explains how LDWF's rules fit together. It doesn't list bag limits, size limits or season dates, because those change, sometimes mid-season by Commission action. Use the LDWF page linked in each section as your source the day you fish.
Where the rules live
LDWF keeps the rules on three pages that matter most to rod-and-reel anglers:
- Recreational saltwater finfish: speckled trout, redfish, black drum, flounder, sheepshead, mackerel, cobia, tripletail, the reef fish and sharks.
- Red snapper: the season, which LDWF sets and updates.
- Recreational freshwater finfish and crawfish: bass, crappie, bream, catfish, white bass, striped bass and the lake exceptions.
LDWF also prints a yearly regulations booklet, and its seasons and regulations page links to everything. When we read the pages line by line on November 5, 2026, a couple of reef fish rows on the saltwater page disagreed with each other (grouper seasons, triggerfish in August, the amberjack closing day). If you see something that doesn't add up, call LDWF before you keep the fish. Our own data takes the stricter reading in those cases and flags them for a human to recheck.
Licenses and the offshore permit
For anglers 18 and older, LDWF's licenses are:
- A Basic Fishing License for fresh water.
- A Basic plus a Saltwater license for salt water.
- A free Recreational Offshore Landing Permit (ROLP) to possess certain offshore species. In our data that covers red snapper, the other snappers, grouper, amberjack, cobia, triggerfish and almaco jack. When we read LDWF's page, it wasn't needed for anglers under 18 or for people fishing on a paid charter.
LDWF's licenses and permits page has the current list, exemptions and prices.
Inshore salt water
Louisiana's marsh is the reason people come, and most of its inshore fish are open year-round in state waters. That doesn't mean there are no rules:
- Speckled trout: a minimum and a maximum, with a small number of fish over the maximum allowed in the bag. LDWF changed trout limits in recent years, so don't rely on what you remember.
- Redfish: a slot with none kept over the top of it. Possession of red drum in federal waters is prohibited.
- Black drum: a slot, with a rule about one larger fish.
- Flounder: closed for part of the fall, as the fish move out of the marsh to spawn. Check LDWF for this year's dates.
- Sheepshead: when we read the page, no size or bag limit.
- Charter captains and crew may not keep trout, redfish, or several reef fish while running a charter.
LDWF also describes how much you may hold on land versus on the water for trout (a bag on the water, more at home over a multi-day trip). Read that note if you fish several days from a camp.
Offshore: reef fish and the 9-mile line
For Gulf reef fish (snappers, groupers, amberjack, triggerfish), Louisiana's state waters reach 9 nautical miles, the boundary the Gulf Council uses for reef fish. For most other species, state waters end at 3 nautical miles, and past that federal rules apply. Our federal-water layer uses both lines.
Red snapper: Louisiana sets it
Louisiana is one of the Gulf states that manages its own private-angler red snapper season. LDWF says the Commission sets the private recreational and state charter season "in Louisiana's state and federal waters (out to 200 nautical miles)", so the LDWF page, not NOAA's, is the one to read for dates. When we checked on November 5, 2026, LDWF listed the 2026 season as closed. Seasons and bag limits can change during the year, so check before every trip. Federal water also has gear rules (circle hooks, a descending device or venting tool) that apply out there.
Everything else offshore
For grouper, amberjack, triggerfish, cobia and the rest, LDWF's page says seasons and regulations may differ in federal waters. Check both LDWF and NOAA's Gulf page. Some groupers close in state waters past the 20-fathom line for part of the year, and the reef fish share aggregate bags (a grouper aggregate, a snapper aggregate, a reef fish aggregate). Goliath grouper may not be taken at all.
Sharks
LDWF lists a combined limit for Atlantic sharpnose and bonnethead, and when we read it, no size or bag limit on blacktip and bull sharks in state waters. Rules differ in federal water, and shark finning is prohibited. Identify the shark before you decide anything. Our shark ID guide helps with the Gulf species.
Fresh water: statewide rules and named lakes
LDWF's statewide freshwater rules cover black bass (largemouth and spotted bass together), striped and hybrid bass, white bass, crappie, bream, catfish (blue, channel and flathead in one aggregate, with a minimum size and an allowance for some undersized fish), bowfin (choupique), freshwater drum (gaspergou) and paddlefish. Below US 90 in coastal Louisiana, the possession rules for black bass are different from the rest of the state. Then come the named waters:
- Toledo Bend Reservoir and the Sabine above it, shared with Texas, with its own black bass, crappie, white bass and catfish limits.
- Caddo Lake, with a protected slot for largemouth.
- False River in Pointe Coupee Parish.
- The lower Atchafalaya Basin, Grassy Lake, Lake Palourde, Lake Verrett and associated waters, with new bass and crappie limits that took effect August 1, 2026. LDWF defines the area by roads and levees.
Paddlefish rules include a gear restriction (no snagging) and areas where harvest is prohibited, including boundary waters with Texas.
How fish are measured
Most Louisiana inshore limits are total length. Mackerel, cobia, amberjack, triggerfish and hogfish are measured by fork length, and paddlefish by lower-jaw fork length. LDWF's pages say which applies to which fish.
How Fish Scouter shows Louisiana rules
We entered LDWF's saltwater, red snapper and freshwater pages by hand, with Toledo Bend, Caddo, False River and the Atchafalaya Basin as named-water exceptions. In the app, each fish sheet carries a rules card for where you are: open, closed to harvest, catch and release, or unknown; the size, bag, vessel limit and permits (the ROLP shows on the offshore species); the next change; and LDWF named as the source with the day we checked.
It fails safe. A row more than 30 days old, or one whose LDWF page our daily check sees change, shows as unknown with no numbers and a line to check LDWF. Past state waters, red snapper keeps LDWF's rule (because LDWF's page covers federal water too), and other fish show NOAA's rule or point to NOAA. Every card says: for education only, rules change, always confirm with LDWF before you keep a fish. It never judges a logged catch.
You'll find the same cards on our public guides, such as redfish in the Louisiana marsh, speckled trout, flounder, red snapper off Louisiana, largemouth in Louisiana fresh water and crappie.
Checklist
- Basic license, plus Saltwater for the coast (age 18 and older).
- Going offshore? Get the free ROLP and read LDWF's red snapper page.
- Read the saltwater page for trout, reds and flounder before every trip.
- Fishing a big lake or the Atchafalaya? Check its own rules.
- Know which length the fish is measured by.
For timing, read our best time to fish the Louisiana marsh and redfish vs black drum guides, or browse the Louisiana marsh page.
Fish Scouter puts tides, the forecast, the spots and each fish's rule on one screen, for the marsh, the rigs and the lakes. Try Fish Scouter free.