Cruising West Coast Do I need a fishing license?

[Santana2]

I am going to cruise from WA State to San Diego offshore 3 miles plus. Do I or people with me need fishing license for WA State, Oregon, Calif. Thanks. We will be cruising day and night and all offshore.

[Yeti]

The short answer as it pertains to California: Yes

The details as they pertain to California (and there are MANY) can be found in pdf format below:

https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.a...=140188&inline

[Adelie]

My understanding is that if you have fishing rods aboard without a license you can be cited for poaching whether you have caught anything or even intend to use the equipment.

And I'll bet the limit of enforcement is the EEZ which is 200nm out.

[Calif.Ted]

Pretty sure Adelie is correct, US regulates "natural resources" out to 200nm EEZ.
https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/csdl/mbound.htm#eez

[SDChristian]

Originally Posted by Adelie

My understanding is that if you have fishing rods aboard without a license you can be cited for poaching whether you have caught anything or even intend to use the equipment.

And I'll bet the limit of enforcement is the EEZ which is 200nm out.

They should call it a fishing rod license. Not surprising, as I live here in CA

[Roy M]

what do you need a rod for? A spool of line, some hooks or a jig, and a shock absorber. Thrown in a bucket with a rag on top. sitting next to the stern pulpit (pushpit for the limeys). Toss the jig, catch the fish, eat well, sell the rods to some less knowledgeable types.

[Calif.Ted]

This is the local Fish and Game boat in my harbor, Navy surplus, better believe it's fast and got range.

[marlin driver]

Originally Posted by Adelie

My understanding is that if you have fishing rods aboard without a license you can be cited for poaching whether you have caught anything or even intend to use the equipment.

And I'll bet the limit of enforcement is the EEZ which is 200nm out.

Don't confuse the issue with bad information. Fishing licenses are required if you fish. No license is required to carry rods or other fishing tackle. You can have a boat full of gear and fish & game won't care unless you are fishing. By the way, if you don't have a rod on the boat and are fishing with a string and a piece of cheese, you better have a license or you will be cited.

I fish 50 miles off shore (CA) on a fairly regular basis and a license is definitely required. I would imagine OR and WA are exactly the same.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

This is the local Fish and Game boat in my harbor, Navy surplus, better believe it's fast and got range.

Ah, "liscensed poachers". AKA "Revenuers" as Granny Clampett would say. Or in this case Neo Revenue Cutters.

[fatherchronica]

I watched Fish and Game do a training session in Ventura Harbor a few years back. They had three " actors/scofflaws" sitting, we thought, handcuffed across a stern seat. They waved 2 shotguns and a handgun around and yelled obsenities and threats for a half hour. These are the same guys who would likely board you in California for a friendly inspection. I wonder what the laws are concerning gathering flying fish off of your deck. We did it a lot when I was a kid. Then they sort of disappeared in Southern California. I read they are coming back and I wonder if that is due to the news a couple years back that the nations supply of DDT that was dumped between Long Beach and Avalon in the early seventies was unexpectedly begining to degrade.

[Santana2]

What ever happened to fishing for food, survival, cruising way off shore does that mean you need a license for every state that may be there if you were to go ashore? What if I am cruising to Galapagos Islands, and I don't plan on going ashore anywhere. and I am cruising 5 miles offshore? Where do they draw the lines???
This trip can take 10 days to maybe as much as a month, anchoring at all the Islands along the way?
What about age, does that matter. I am 77 do I still need a license for all those states while cruising way offshore?
I think that is stupid and there must be more to this.
I thought if you were cruising way offshore that was open water? What if I am 100- 200-300 miles offshore, does Oregon still want me to pay for a fishing License, just because I am going through their waters? Same with WA State? Is there a boundary somewhere? Does every one on board need a license or just me if I am the only one fishing?
If you fish with dynamite they leave you alone. No fishing poles. No license.

How about just one license to fish anywhere????

Sorry I don't mean to sound so cynical but??? I think the state are???

[Cheechako]

Has anyone ever heard of someone in a sailboat being accosted for fishing traveling down the coast? I havent.

[1Sunseeker]

To fish or not to fish, is a license required? That seems to be the question. I would place three telephone calls to the Fish and Game folks in each state I intend to pass through. Get the real scoop from the folks who should know. Then honk on, it's a sleigh ride going South.

[Scot McPherson]

If you are _fishing_ or if you _have fish_ you must have a license. Boating with Rods in your rod holders does NOT constitute fishing.

[Scot McPherson]

Originally Posted by 1Sunseeker

To fish or not to fish, is a license required? That seems to be the question. I would place three telephone calls to the Fish and Game folks in each state I intend to pass through. Get the real scoop from the folks who should know. Then honk on, it's a sleigh ride going South.

I am guessing you will need to get non-resident day passes, you pay for the number of days you will be fishing with a start date and a stop date.

i.e. you get a 3 days license today, it's good until the end of your 3rd day after buying it.