Pay lakes in Virginia
Virginia has 19 pay lakes; 6 stock trout; listed day prices run $80.
Find a pay lake in Virginia by name or town
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Do you need a fishing license at a pay lake in Virginia?
It depends. No Virginia fishing license is needed to fish at a privately owned facility that holds a DWR propagation (catch-out) permit and allows public fishing; otherwise (unpermitted pay ponds, stocked public streams) the normal license is required, except guests of a private pond owner.
Virginia licenses pay lakes through its Permit to Possess, Propagate, Buy and Sell Certain Wildlife (Fisheries) / Sunfish catch-out pond permit under Code of Virginia § 29.1-417(B), run by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). The license rule depends on the lake holding that state license, so ask the lake if you are unsure.
"Where the permittee allows public fishing from its facilities, if the fee provided for in subsection A has been paid, no license shall be required to fish from such a facility."
Source: Code of Virginia § 29.1-417(B); see also § 29.1-301(C): 'A guest of the owner of a private fish pond shall not be required to have a fishing license to fish in such pond.' and DWR sunfish permit form https://dwr.virginia.gov/forms-download/PERM/permit-sunfish-propagation.pdf ('Sunfish Catch-out Ponds (no fishing license required) $50.00'), checked November 2026. Compare every state on our pay lake license rules page.
More pay lake states
Browse catfish pay lakes, trout pay ponds or see what pay lakes cost.