Ontario Fishing Licenses
Fishing in Ontario requires that residents or non-residents have proper licensing. An Ontario fishing license consist of two items: an Outdoors Card (plastic) and a fishing license tag that accompanies the Outdoors Card. The Ontario fishing license may be obtained through the Outdoor Card Centre of Ontario.
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Licensing
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An Ontario Outdoors Card by itself is not an official fishing license; it must be accompanied by a fishing license tag (which will be affixed to the card or will accompany the card). According to Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, "For Canadian residents, a complete and valid license to fish consists of: a Canadian resident Outdoors Card plus a valid fishing tag for Canadian residents." Fishing license tags must be purchased along with the Outdoors Card through the Outdoors Card Centre.
Requirements
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Ontario residents must apply for an Outdoors Card and pay for a fishing license tag in order to get a full fishing license. In order to obtain a fishing tag, residents must send in a form of valid payment to purchase the fishing tag (which will be included in the Outdoors Card application form). The application can take up to four to six weeks to be processed. However, residents will be mailed a temporary fishing license that is valid immediately.
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Non-Residents
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In order to fish, non-residents must have an Outdoors Card and fishing license tag. Non-residents can have the "Non-Canadian Resident Temporary Fishing Outdoors Card and Application" and fishing license tag form mailed to them by contacting the Outdoor Cards Centre or by picking them up from other license issuers across the providence (such as from the Ogoki Frontier Base Camp in Ontario). Non-resident cards and fishing tags can take up to six weeks to process. While the application and fishing tag are processing, a temporary fishing card will be sent to non-residents and will be valid immediately.
Where to Apply
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To request an application for an Outdoors Card, contact the Outdoors Card Centre at 800-667-1940. Residents can renew their Outdoors Cards and pay for their fishing tags online at the The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Store. To make a purchase at the MNR online store, you must have your Outdoors Card's number and your date of birth. The Ministry of Natural Resources states that non-residents who have never had an Outdoors Card can purchase a "Canadian Resident Temporary Fishing Outdoors Card and Application" from one of more than 1,800 license issuers across the province.
Expiration
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An Outdoors Card is valid for three years. After that, residents and non-residents are contacted via mail by the Outdoors Card Centre to renew their expired licenses. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Sciences recommends renewing the card once the renewal package is received (this package is automatically mailed out to residents in the fall of the year in which the card expires). Residents are directed to the Outdoors Card website where they can renew the card with a payment. Card renewals can done by calling the Outdoors Card Centre.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit fishing 1 image by Sorin Alb from Fotolia.com
