When License Is Lost While Fishing, Can I Keep the Fish?

February 11, 2010

Question: I had a unique set of circumstances occur this weekend. I was fishing at our local lake and had placed my license on when I departed from the dock. I caught a few fish and had one catfish on the stringer. About mid-morning when I was removing a jacket I noticed my license was gone. I panicked and went back to all the spots I had fished looking for my license. No luck. So here I sat in a boat, with fish and no license. What should I have done? (Ken B.)

Answer: Unfortunately, if you no longer had a valid fishing license in your possession, then it was not legal for you to continue fishing. You should have released any live fish you had in possession and stopped fishing as soon as you realized you no longer had a fishing license. Assuming fishing licenses were sold at the lake, you could have purchased a one-day license in order to continue fishing. If you still had the receipt for your license, you could have obtained a duplicate license at a DFG licensing agent.

Although it wouldn’t have helped you then, the fishing license display law will change on March 1. You will no longer be required to display your license, and you’ll probably find it to be much more secure in your wallet.