Anybody Ever Get Caught Without Their License?

[CTBassin860]

Never been asked but always have it in my bag.I wish we had 5 year licences in Mass.

[dwh4784]

Never once been checked living and fishing in Washington state all my life. But I've been checked twice in Idaho. They apparently care about poaching over there. Here, not so much.

[Bluebasser86]

2 hours ago, iceintheveins said:

I've forgot it a couple times but they said just make sure to have it next time. One made me quit fishing but the other said I could keep fishing since he knew me. Getting caught without one is a $100 fine around here first offense and 5 or 10 points on your license (20 points means a suspension). I think the whole confiscating gear is HORRIBLE and of questionable constitutionality, but they generally only do that for severe offenses, of which I think it's fine UPON conviction. If you get your stuff taken, even temporarily, for not having a license (unless you're a habitual offender), the punishment DOES NOT fit the crime.

Confiscating gear for fishing without a license isn't a punishment, the fishing gear is evidence to a crime just like any other time a crime is committed. It's up to the judge to hand out the punishment they deem fit. 

[Senko lover]

lol it's weird seeing your thread from 2014 come back haha. 

[N Florida Mike]

Never been caught without it. Here in Florida you must get a freshwater license when you turn 16 I was a bit rebellious so I didnt get one until I was 21. And fished 2-3 times a week or more.Once a friend and me were fishing a local creek and came around a bend and " the man " came around a bend up the creek at the same time at idle. My friend said Oh crap ,and turned into a convenient smaller creek that was right there.When we got in there we took off and went way back.He didnt follow.

That was the only close call I remember.

When I was 21, we were going to fish Orange lake in N central Fl. I decided to get a license before we went.We go to the lake and were launching at marjorie rawlings park.I was standing on the dock and here comes the Alachua county  

" man " with those reflecting sunglasses and Dudley do right hat.He says " I need to see your license boy " and I started grinning,then chuckling.He did NOT like that. He asked me why I was laughing.I told him I had just got my license for the first time ever THAT DAY.

He was not amused,but I did not get a ticket.

Don't take this the wrong way.After that I became a stickler for obeying game and fish laws.Most of it I agree with anyway,as it helps preserve the resource.And I taught my son that too. 

I honestly believe I will not be blessed with fish and game if Im breaking the law. And its very likely I will be cursed  if I dont. Tickets arent cheap here in Fl.

And I dont want the government getting any more of my money than they already have to.!!! ?

[Gundog]

  Here in PA about 5 yrs ago they started selling licenses in 1, 3 and 5 yr increments. Best thing they could have done. I'm not sure why other states don't follow suit.

  Funny story about being stopped by the Guppy Patrol. About 4 years ago I was fishing along the Susquehanna river in February. It was too cold for any action but I had cabin fever and didn't care. After about an hour without a bite I packed up my tackle and started walking back to the road. I look ahead and 2 guys in green vests are walking towards me. I knew right away who they were and what they wanted. The 2 Waterways Conservation Officers stopped me and asked to see my license. In PA your fishing license must be worn in plain view so that it can be seen when fishing. Mine was on the back of my fishing vest so I started taking off my vest. While doing so I accidentally poked one of the WCO's in the face with the tip of my fishing rod. The other WCO was laughing too hard to check my license, he just told me to have a nice day. 

[CTBassin860]

32 minutes ago, Gundog said:

  Here in PA about 5 yrs ago they started selling licenses in 1, 3 and 5 yr increments. Best thing they could have done. I'm not sure why other states don't follow suit.

  Funny story about being stopped by the Guppy Patrol. About 4 years ago I was fishing along the Susquehanna river in February. It was too cold for any action but I had cabin fever and didn't care. After about an hour without a bite I packed up my tackle and started walking back to the road. I look ahead and 2 guys in green vests are walking towards me. I knew right away who they were and what they wanted. The 2 Waterways Conservation Officers stopped me and asked to see my license. In PA your fishing license must be worn in plain view so that it can be seen when fishing. Mine was on the back of my fishing vest so I started taking off my vest. While doing so I accidentally poked one of the WCO's in the face with the tip of my fishing rod. The other WCO was laughing too hard to check my license, he just told me to have a nice day. 

Thats pretty funny.I would love it if Mass did multi year.Id gladly pony up for 5 years to not have to worry about it.I remember having the pin on license as a kid.

[david in va]

 When I was in my teens , I fished a lot with my Dads first cousin Jake. One year we got checked 4 times by the same warden. On one occasion he walked over a mile to check us. Now I live in a county where the population is only 12,ooo people. I know he had to know we had our license.

 However Jake ate what he caught and he was lucky he never got caught with too small of Bass.

If you fish without a license you should get fined in my opinion.

David

[A5BLASTER]

I forgot mine once and only once and it cost me a 250 to pay the ticket.

 

Here in Louisiana they can run your name and see if you have one or not but that don't matter our law states it most be on your person.

 

 

[Jar11591]

Sometimes I get checked 5 times in a season. Other years, like last year, I don't get checked at all. Regardless, I always have my fishing license. 

[BassAssassin726]

I fish mostly private lakes and quarries but I still always get my license for the times when I fish public land. It's not worth the trouble of possibly getting a citation or even worse getting your gear confiscated. 

[.ghoti.]

Clinton Lake, in central Illinois, has the most aggressive bunch of crappie cops I've ever seen. I quit fishing there twenty year ago. I was checked for license every time I fished. Every time, dozens of times per year, for about ten years. Even had the same one check me five days in a row.

 

The final straw was my last trip to that lake. Was below the spillway. There were two others there fishing when here comes the same wing nut who had checked me five days in a row. One dude had a basket almost completely full. Mostly crappie, but several under-size bass and walleye. The crappie limit was 15, if memory serves, and he was way over that. The wingnut released all of the fish, most of which were dead, and sent him on his way, with no ticket. The other dude had no license. He was also sent on his way, with no ticket.

 

I had a license, and no fish, but got a ticket for fishing in a restricted area. The fence marking the restricted area had been removed due to damage, and hadn't been replaced. 

 

Go figure.

[gim]

In Minnesota it has to be on your person.  In 20 years of fishing and hunting here, I have never once run into a Conservation Officer.  Granted, most of my hunting is on private land so I wouldn't expect to see one there, but I fish regularly on Mille Lacs and deer hunt in a federal forest so I should have run into one there at some point.  My father and I got stopped once on Lake Minnetonka in May but that was the Hennepin County Water Patrol that was looking for PFDs, watercraft registration, and a fire extinguisher.  I run into DNR interns and surveyors quite a bit but they don't have any enforcement authority, they're just asking questions and gathering information from us.

A MN resident angling license is 22 bucks a year here.  That's pretty dirt cheap to fish for a year, although I don't ice fish and there are closed game fish seasons until May in the spring.

[edfitzvb]

This year I turned 66 and bought a LIFETIME fishing license in VA for less than I had been paying per year. From now on I can fish freshwater, saltwater, and trout all over the state of VA without needing to check the expiration date on my license. One of the perks of old age

[papajoe222]

I left my wallet in my car and was stopped in Wisconsin one time. DNR wanted to fine me, but had no way of IDing me. They were going to confiscate my boat and gear.

I pointed out all they needed to do was run my boat registration. The idiots were able to get it and my DL information from another state but couldn't get my info from their own department. 

[RoLo]

I don't recall any instance when I wasn't carrying a valid resident or nonresident fishing license.

In fact, I sometimes hope that someone would ask me to produce my fishing license, but it's yet to happen.

So in theory at least, I could've fished in FL, GA, SC, TN, NJ, PA, NY, WS, MI, Ontario & Quebec

without ever buying one fishing license  

 

On the other hand, I've been asked for my boat registration a number of times,

my boat numbers have been run, and my safety equipment has been requested on many occasions,

but no one ever asked to see my fishing license.

 

Roger

 

 

[Neil McCauley]

I usually get asked 3-4 times a season on my lake, so there's not much choice.

One time though I was backpacking 5-6 mi to a pond and had my rod/reel with me for the hell of it. Ran into a DEC officer hiking the opposite direction. Asked where I was going and I stupidly said to fish XYZ Pond. Asked for my fishing license which I didn't have. Since I wasn't fishing but clearly planning to do so 5 miles up the trail he made me stash my rod off behind a tree to pick up on my way back. Came close to not finding where I left it later. Strange experience.

[StevesBass]

Indiana now recognizes an electronic copy so I keep a paper copy in my wallet and I have a copy saved on my phone.   Might want to check if your state does the same.

[frosty]

1 hour ago, StevesBass said:

Indiana now recognizes an electronic copy so I keep a paper copy in my wallet and I have a copy saved on my phone.   Might want to check if your state does the same.

I've got a copy on my phone, but I'm going to print it, I don't need the headache that's sure to come up when the file won't load or the phone battery dies. 

 

Ive never fished without a license, it used to be $8.75 when I had to start getting them at 16, now it's over $19. I had a CO get a little nervous when I set my stuff down when I saw him coming to dig out my stuff, he thought I was going to run for the woods. I told him I'm to fat to outrun him, we were just going to have to fight it out 

[Falkus]

Have been stopped by several times in the past by this Conservation Officer at the lake that I practice. I alwasy whip out my licence and all of that. He would check me for the first three years. After that, He stopped asking me for my licence since He knew that I always have it...

 

Few years ago, He stopped by at the pier that I was at with another guy that I never met. I just arrived 15 mins and CO appears.  

 

This CO was chitchatting for a while then asked him for his licence.

When he was done, He turned around and was making statements like this: 

 

"What about him, why are you asking for mine when you didn't ask him, That is not right". The CO was like "STFU, I know this man and I wouldn't be surprised that he would pop one in a few mins". He got some plenty of pictures to prove it.  

 

*3 seconds later*

 

*Boom* - Just caught 3lber bass on Chatterbait and looked at the CO, I said "POW !"

 

CO: *looking at him* "See man, I told ya" and he walked out .... 

[geo g]

One time I, along with a fellow coach, were fishing a small, seldom used canal in the middle of the everglades.  L28 is a small canal off US41, there are 7 weirs, that you can only float a small shallow draft boat over.  We were way out there at the end of the seventh weir, and never saw another person all day.  Suddenly a helicopter was circling above and landed on the levee bank.  The wildlife officer got out, and waded through tall sawgrass up to his waist, separating the weeds as he moved toward us..  He called my buddy to come over in his boat, asked if we had any weapons, and then asked to see our license.  Then he checked our coolers, and made us open the live well.  When he was done, I asked him if he did all this just to check our license?  He stated, someone had been poaching gators, and cutting off their tails for several months.  He was checking to see if we were the poachers.  Brave guy walking through 10 feet of thick weeds, in snake and gator infested waters.

[JustJames]

One of my fishing friend told me this story, he was fishing at some local lake, he caught pretty good size bass, a guy walked by and offer to take his picture with the bass, after said and done the guy show him a badge and asked for his license.

 

BTW, I've been ask twices this year even though I fish a private lake (state fishing required).

[Bankbeater]

I have been checked, but I always have my license folded up in my wallet.

[soflabasser]

Wish there was more enforcement in the places I fish,especially in the Everglades.I often see people with buckets full of small bass and there seems to be very few officers working this part of the State.As for having my license checked,it happens often when I am saltwater fishing but I haven't had my freshwater license checked in at least 2 years.

[jakebrake]

never....then again, I have never been asked.

 

my only interaction with f&g was on a rifle range....and, I was only a bystander...Thank God.