All reciprocal license agreements listed below refer to both boat and bank anglers.
Buggs Island (Kerr) and Gaston
Virginia or North Carolina state fishing licenses and permits are honored on those waters lying east of Union Street Dam on the Dan River in Virginia and the mouth of Difficult Creek on the Staunton River of Kerr Reservoir to the Gaston Dam on the Roanoke River, including all tributary waters accessible by boat from the main bodies of the reservoirs, or from the Island Creek sub-impoundment. Note: North Carolina regulations apply on North Carolina portions of these waters. Virginia regulations apply in Virginia waters.
Blue Ridge Parkway
Virginia and North Carolina licenses are honored on all Parkway waters. Note: Virginia regulations apply in Parkway waters in Virginia except where noted herein or in federal regulations.
New River
Virginia or North Carolina state fishing licenses and permits are honored on the mainstream portion lying between the confluence of the North and South Forks of the New River in North Carolina (Alleghany County) downstream to the confluence of the New and Little rivers in Virginia (Grayson County).
Potomac River
Virginia has reciprocal license agreements for three sections of the Potomac River, one above the District of Columbia and two below the District of Columbia. License requirements are different for these sections.
- Upper Potomac River [above Little Falls (upper border with the District of Columbia) to the West Virginia border/state line]: Resident anglers with state freshwater licenses in Virginia or Maryland may fish the Potomac River and from both banks.
- Middle Potomac and its Tidal Freshwater Tributaries (between Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Rt. 301): Valid Virginia freshwater and saltwater (excluding county licenses), Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and Maryland Bay sport licenses are all honored on the mainstem Potomac and Maryland tributaries up to the demarcation lines (see below); all of these same licenses, except the Virginia saltwater licenses, are honored on the Virginia tributaries up to demarcation lines (see below).
Virginia tributaries up to the following demarcation lines:
- Accotink Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge
- Aquia Creek: First bridge above Aquia Harbor Marina
- Chopawansic: Rt. 1 Bridge
- Choptank: Causeway
- Dougue Creek: Rt. 235, Mt. Vernon Memorial Parkway
- Four Mile Run: Rt. 1 Bridge
- Hunting Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge
- Little Hunting Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge
- Neabsco: Rt. 1 Bridge
- Occoquan River: Fall Line
- Pohick Creek: Rt. 611 (Colchester Road)
- Potomac Creek: Rt. 608 Bridge
- Powells Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge
- Quantico Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge
Unnamed bays and tributaries accessible by gas-powered boats
Maryland tributaries up to the following demarcation lines:
- Anacostia River: Downstream of Northeast Branch Bridge at northbound lane of Alternate Rt. 1 Bladensburg Road, and Northwest Branch Bridge at southbound lane of Rhode Island Avenue
- Piscataway Creek: Downstream of Rt. 224 Bridge (Livingston Rd.)
- Henson Run: Downstream of Oxon Hill Road Bridge
- Nanjemoy Creek: Downstream of Rt. 6 (Trappe) Bridge
- Port Tobacco Creek: Downsteam of Rt. 6 Bridge
- Mattawoman Creek: Downstream of Rt. 225 Bridge
Unnamed bays and tributaries accessible by gas-powered boats
- Lower Potomac River (between its mouth and the Rt. 301 Bridge): Valid Virginia saltwater (excluding county licenses), Maryland Bay sport, or Potomac River Fisheries Commission licenses are honored in the main stem. In Virginia tributaries below 301, Virginia freshwater and saltwater, and Potomac River Fisheries Commission licenses are honored.
Note: Maryland regulations apply for the Upper Potomac River and the Maryland Potomac River tributaries (call 1-800-688-3467 for current Maryland regulations). Note: Potomac River Fisheries Commission regulations are enforced in the Potomac mainstem between the lower District of Columbia border and the mouth of the Potomac (call 1-804-224-7148 or 1-800-266-3904 or visit the PRFC website for current PRFC regulations).
Waters between the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Little Falls are controlled by D.C., and a D.C. fishing license is required.
South Holston Reservoir
Any person possessing a valid Tennessee or Virginia resident freshwater fishing license, or who is legally exempt from those license requirements, and possessing the South Holston Reservoir License may fish in the Tennessee and Virginia impounded waters of South Holston Reservoir. Virginia residents fishing in South Holston Lake in Tennessee must have a Virginia resident license and South Holston Reservoir Permit (or Tennessee nonresident fishing license); under the age of 13—no license or permit required. The annual cost of the South Holston License is currently $21. The South Holston License is valid in all impounded portions of the reservoir below full pool elevation of 1,730 feet, including the confluence of the Middle Fork and South Fork Holston rivers and the South Fork Holston River upstream to the Route 710 Bridge at Alvarado, Virginia. The South Holston License is not valid for possession of trout.
In addition to the South Holston License, a valid resident Tennessee trout fishing license or a valid resident Virginia trout fishing license is required to fish for trout and to possess trout on South Holston Reservoir. All anglers shall abide by the laws of the state in which they are fishing as to manner and means of taking fish. Size restrictions and creel limits shall be as follows:
| Species | Restrictions | Creel (Harvest) Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth & smallmouth bass | No smallmouth less than 15 inches | 5 per day |
| Spotted bass | No minimum size | No daily limit |
| Walleye | No walleye less than 18 inches | 5 per day |
| Crappie | No crappie less than 10 inches | 15 per day |
| Trout | No minimum size–only 2 lake trout per day | 7 per day |
| White bass | No harvest–all white bass must be released | |
| Catfish | Only 1 catfish over 34 inches | 20 per day |
| Bluegill | No minimum size | 50 per day |
| Rock bass | No minimum size | 20 per day |
| Trotlines* | 100 hooks per angler | |
| Jugs* | 50 per angler | |
| Limb-lines* | 15 per angler |
*All trotlines, limb-lines, and jugs must be tagged with angler’s name/address or license number.