Fishing License – What the heck?

We live on a lake in central Minnesota. The fishing is excellent on our lake and as a result we have house guests on a regular basis that come to fish. Recently a high school friend of my husband’s came for the weekend and brought along a female companion and her 17 year old son. On Saturday morning we got in the boat to go fishing. We had been trout fishing for an hour when the 17 year old hooked a fish. He was very excited and told us that he had never fished before. We took pictures and released the fish. Out of curiosity I asked him if he had bought a fishing license. By the blank look on his face I could tell that he did not have one in his pocket. His mother then said that she had bought a license two years ago so she did not think she needed another one.

My husband had everyone reel up their lines and we headed towards a marina that sells bait and fishing license. We explained that you need to buy a new fishing license every year. Neither the mom nor her son thought that they would go fishing again this season, so the bait shop owner suggested that they purchase a one day permit. This was less expensive than buying a one year resident’s license.

To purchase a fishing license you need to show a driver’s license or some sort of identification that verifies that you are a resident of the state where you are getting the fishing license. The reason for this is that non-residents are charged a higher fee, especially in states where fishing and tourism adds to the economy. In our state you have the choice of a one day, a 3 day license or a 10 day license. These are available to residents as well as non-residents.

There is also the standard annual permit that the majority of the people buy. The annual fishing license is valid from March 1st of the year it is purchased until the last day of February of the next year. If you are buying a license on February 15th, you need to purchase another one on March 1st. Many people get confused by this because they assume that they are covered for a full year, no matter when they purchase the license. My husband and I purchase a combination husband and wife sportsman’s license. With this license we can both fish and he can hunt small game. By buying the combination license we save money and my husband does not have to worry about carrying two permits.

Some people feel that it is too expensive to buy a fishing license for one day of fishing, but the fines that you have to pay if you get caught fishing with out one are very steep. It is well worth the investment and the time that it takes to get.

Once everyone had their permits we went back on the lake. We did not catch another fish that day, so I guess the first one really was beginners luck.