U.S. wide fishing licence

[wayne offord 0]

I am considering getting into truck driving, one thing that would sway me is the ability to fish different areas.... would this be costly? I live in Canada, but would be driving US all the time.

 

[add147 0]

I am not aware of a national fishing license per say but what do I know. I am from Texas and you must have a state fishing license if fishing in Texas waters. Now if I fish the Red River which is the border between Oklahoma and Texas you must have an Oklahoma fishing license even if you are on the Texas side of the river. The Red River is considered Oklahoma fishing waters with the exception of a short span of water that is below the Texoma Dam where Texans can fish on the Texas side with a Texas fishing license. I think I am correct on that scenario.

[vicrider 0]

As much as the idea of a US license has been pushed the states with the best fishing don't want their revenue shared with states that have no fishing draw. Yes, it would be an expensive proposition and I would think your best bet would be to pick up 1 day or 3 day licenses for the state you want to fish, maybe a season's license in a state or two you'll hit regular and fish regular. Considering most state's out of state fees hover around the $50 mark plus separate trout stamps, musky stamps, bass stamps, maybe carp stamps are coming. Good luck. Great thought but when my kid was over roading he didn't have time to do much of anything and when we did sit idle it's hard to find transportation unless you want to drive your rig into a gravel parking lot.

[vicrider 0]

You are correct in that agn. The SOUTH bank of the Red River is considered the OK border. I do not know why the OK/TX line is not down the center of the river and the whole thing has been disputed for over 200 years now and will probably change again in the future. Texoma Lake is divided and you can fish either side with a Texoma license but only your state's side with your state's license.

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Just get a lifetime license for each state you fish in.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Thankfully fishing licenses have to a large degree stayed within the realm of states' rights. There is a national marine fisheries register which anyone fishing salt water is supposed to do, and it may have a fee or it may be rolled into a state's saltwater license if it has one. I can't remember correctly. It seems to me when I bought a week long non-resident virginia saltwater license last year it was automatically registered ($10 I think, maybe $12). Non-resident license fees can be cheap or ridiculous. For many years a non-res NY license was $70, but a few years ago they actually DROPPED the cost to $50, and there are no additional stamps. That is about the only thing I know of which NY does right. As has been stated, you need to watch out for stamps and other things like Indian Reservation licenses. Near "home" on the Kinzua reservoir, I fish an area right on the Taxsylvania/New York border, but the NY border is actually not NY it is the Seneca Nation so my non-resident NY license doesn't count there. They can be real pricks about it too- I have an acquaintance who actually got his boat and all his gear confiscated for fishing across the UNMARKED state line there several years back. As far as I know it is still tied up in litigation trying to get it back. Anyway, just do some basic research and have fun. It isn't nearly as expensive as fishing in other parts of the world.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Just get a lifetime license for each state you fish in.

 

Most states which I am familiar with do not offer a "lifetime" license until you are at least 60, and most of them not til 65.

[Swamp Fly 0]

 

Just get a lifetime license for each state you fish in.

 

Most states which I am familiar with do not offer a "lifetime" license until you are at least 60, and most of them not til 65.

 

Florida does have a lifetime license and it is a great deal if you are young. Firstly up until a certain age you can buy it at a reduced cost (great gift) and secondly it is still a lot cheaper until some age (I worked it out at one time but don't remember). After you hit that age you are better off buying until you hit 65 (when you don't need one). It's over 1k at full price and i don't think it is available for non FL residents. When I last researched it, most of the funds collected whet right back onto the water (especially from stamps) here in FL (that my have changed a dozen times since then). One of the few "fees" I really don't have an issue with if that still hold true.

 

Out of state licenses can get pricey. I know that in some states it can cost over $350 (years ago) for everything just to hunt whitetail from out of state.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

As already noted each state is an island to itself as far as fishing licenses go (and usually we're also talking separate licenses for freshwater and saltwater purposes...). There is are a few bright spots though -particularly if you use fishing guides... My state, Florida, and a few others allow professional guides to purchase a yearly license that covers everyone on their boat (mine is for up to four anglers....) so that visiting anglers don't need to worry about any license at all.. I pay over $200 each year for that license and most who know about it agree that's it's a pretty good deal...

 

If you know of other states that does something similar for their visiting anglers using guide services I'd like to hear about it....

[mikechell 0]

If you have a regular route, you'll soon learn which States you spend the most time in.

 

Most truck drivers I know (and I know a few) don't have any free time when they are on the road. You drive to location, you drive back. Sleep, drive, sleep, drive. Drive four days, get a three day weekend, and you'll be ... okay. You won't get rich, but you'll pay bills. You'll spend a LOT of time on the road if you want to bankroll a retirement.

 

Having said all that ... when you start getting set routes, you'll learn which States you get time to fish. Annual, non-resident fishing licenses aren't too expensive, so you can get one for each of those States.

[Bimini15 0]

it makes sense to me that each state is on its own. Distances in this country are huge and not too many fisherman from central Iowa, to mention a state, are going to take a quick trip to Illinois to fish for an evening.

My frame of reference is Spain, which has a very similar system, except for the fact that distances are so much shorter and you can be in three different "states" if you drive for 2 hours in the right direction. On top of that, you can't just stop at a gas station or a WalMart and get a fishing license when you cross the state line. Everything there is very official and you basically need to have an agent/friend or plan to spend a day on destination getting your papers in order, maybe in two different states.

[JSzymczyk 0]

 

 

Just get a lifetime license for each state you fish in.

 

Most states which I am familiar with do not offer a "lifetime" license until you are at least 60, and most of them not til 65.

 

Florida does have a lifetime license and it is a great deal if you are young. Firstly up until a certain age you can buy it at a reduced cost (great gift) and secondly it is still a lot cheaper until some age (I worked it out at one time but don't remember). After you hit that age you are better off buying until you hit 65 (when you don't need one). It's over 1k at full price and i don't think it is available for non FL residents. When I last researched it, most of the funds collected whet right back onto the water (especially from stamps) here in FL (that my have changed a dozen times since then). One of the few "fees" I really don't have an issue with if that still hold true.

 

Out of state licenses can get pricey. I know that in some states it can cost over $350 (years ago) for everything just to hunt whitetail from out of state.

 

What if someone buys a lifetime resident license when they are young, then ends up living in another state? They're no longer a resident of Florida, does their "lifetime" license still apply?

 

Hunting licenses are always way more expensive for nonresidents. Most folks who live in normal states don't even understand that in others such as pennsylvania, the game commission and the fish commission are two totally separate, unrelated agencies. There is no "Fish and Game Department" here. Non-resident hunting licenses in the states I've been can get prohibitively expensive very quickly.

[Poopdeck 0]

Agree with Mike. It's a tough industry. If you want to make money it's sleeping and driving. It's not an easy way to earn a living and if your not driving all your doing is paying the bills. There will never be a nationwide fishing license by itself. There may one day be a nationwide license in addition to state licenses but never a stand alone one license for all.

[flytire 0]

from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website

 

Note: Lifetime licenses remain valid for use in Florida even if the license holder moves out of the state.

 

http://myfwc.com/license/recreational/lifetime-licenses/

[mikechell 0]

Hunting licenses SHOULD be prohibitively expensive. It's one thing to go do some fishing, as most people who fish in other States are mostly catch and release anglers. It's quite another to go do some hunting. I don't care where you are, there are only so many available game animals out there. Human populations continue to increase, animal populations (for most species) continue to fall. There's no such thing as "Catch and release hunting"!

 

 

And before some one says, "photography" ... you don't need a hunting license for that.