Pay lakes in Massachusetts

Yes. Massachusetts law requires anglers 15 and older to hold a freshwater fishing license to fish any inland waters; no explicit exemption for licensed aquaculture/fee-fishing waters was found.

Massachusetts licenses pay lakes through its Class 3 Aquaculture License (propagator's license) under 321 CMR 4.09 / M.G.L. c.131 s.23; Class 1 Private Waters License, run by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife). The license rule depends on the lake holding that state license, so ask the lake if you are unsure.

"A person shall not fish in any inland waters of the commonwealth, unless he is a minor under fifteen years of age, nor hunt or trap any bird or mammal except as otherwise provided in sections four, fourteen, fifteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-three and thirty-seven without first having obtained a sporting, hunting, fishing, or trapping license."

Source: M.G.L. c.131 s.11 Licenses; requirements; fees, checked November 2026. Compare every state on our pay lake license rules page.