Fishing is a sport that is loved by many, especially those of us who enjoy life by the water. It’s a way to bond, to relax, and to enjoy nature. But, it’s also a sport that involves wildlife, which means that you will need a license to legally fish in most places. Water and paper licenses, however, don’t mix too well.
What should you do if your fishing license got wet? Don’t panic, but don’t do anything that could get you in trouble. If you are stopped, you still have options. Most states will allow you to reprint your license or look it up online these days.
If you’re about to head out to a nice fishing trip, it’s a good idea to know how to handle this common licensing mishap. This guide will give you a good idea of how to handle a wet license
What Should You Do If Your Fishing License Got Wet?
The first thing you should do if your fishing license got wet, is to try to dry it off and keep it safe. If it’s too damaged to read, you still have other options available to you that can help you avoid a fine.
The general process should be:
- Dry off your license and try to do damage control.
- Look up your fishing license online and try to find a printer.
- Get your local fishing app if you can.
- If all else fails, rebuy your license.
What Happens If You Just Don’t Bring A Fishing License To Your Outing?
Fishing licenses exist for a reason, and that’s to help rangers conserve the environment by setting a limit on the number of fishermen at a given location. Licenses also may give you a maximum amount of fish caught per day, which helps keep aquatic life numbers high. The revenue generated from the sale of licenses go directly towards conservation and restoration.
Because these laws are made to protect our environment, our parks take them seriously. Failure to furnish a fishing license can easily get you a hefty fine and confiscated equipment. Multiple transgressions can also lead to jail time and fishing bans in certain states.
So, if you were thinking of skipping out on that license, think twice.
What Are The Chances Of Getting Caught Without A License?
A lot of people who find themselves without a fishing license tend to wonder whether or not they can take a risk and sneak away without being stopped. Truthfully, it’s a gamble. When you don’t have a license, you’re putting yourself in a position that can get you in trouble.
The question of how much of a risk it can be, though, is varied. Each park has its own wildlife rule enforcement groups. Some are well-staffed, while others barely have anyone helping them out.
Generally speaking, parks with a reputation for their wildlife will be far more likely to keep a close eye on fishermen than parks that aren’t. Moreover, popular parks will have more enforcement than little-known regions.
Do I Need To Carry My License With Me All Day?
This all depends on the state you’re in and what kind of fishing you’re doing. The majority of state and local parks will require fishermen to carry the license with them throughout the fishing trip just in case they get asked for a game license by officials.
Where Are The Safest Places To Carry My License?
With wet paper, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That’s why it’s a good idea to reduce the chances of wetting your license by using these tips:
- Wear a lanyard with a waterproof pouch for it. This is the best way to guarantee your license won’t get wet and will remain with you at all times.
- Keep a backup copy on your phone, and keep your phone in your car. There are apps that can help you prevent a fine and carry your license. Of course, you can also keep your phone on you with a waterproof pouch if you feel like it.
- If you’re on a boat, have a designated storage box for your licenses and phones. This can make a world of difference, especially if it’s a waterproof model.
- Don’t leave it in a place where it can fly away. Paper is really light. It only takes one good gust of wind or one tilt of a boat to make paper fly off into a large puddle of water. If you leave your license out, make sure to secure it with weights.
- If your state allows it, consider laminating your license. This is a good way to waterproof your fishing license. That being said, this option is not always legal.
What To Do If You Misplace Your License
If you can’t find your license, then you’re going to have to treat it as if it’s damaged beyond repair. So, that means you will need to do damage control, open an app on your phone, and maybe reprint your license.
Doing Damage Control
If you just got a huge splash on your license, don’t panic. Instead, do what you can to get it dry and assess the situation. Good drying ideas include:
- Placing it on a park bench, weighted with a stone, in the sun. This will let you air-dry your license.
- Putting it close to a low-grade heater to warm it up. Just weigh it down and make sure it doesn’t catch fire.
- Leaving it in a hot car. The car’s heat will often dry it well enough.
Once it’s dry, you can do what you can to figure out your next steps by figuring out how bad the damage to your license is.
Is It Salvageable?
If you can still read most of the license, chances are that park staff will not give you a hard time for your wet license. They know that fishing can be a watery sport, and most of them are fairly understanding about that.
However, not all wet licenses are salvageable. If your license is torn, unreadable, or not even recognizable, you’re going to need to come up with a way to recover your license pretty soon.
How To Behave When It Happens
Aside from doing what you can to dry out your license, you’re going to have to figure out what to do about local law enforcement. These are the biggest questions to consider:
Should You Tell A Ranger?
In most cases, approaching a ranger station and explaining the situation won’t do you any harm. If anything, they’ll offer you a printer where you can get a replacement license or let you buy a license right then and there.
If You’re On A Boat, Should You Dock?
Boating trips that have wet fishing licenses can be pretty crazy. Surprisingly, most law enforcement officials are more relaxed with boating trips than they are with regular fishing trips. So, docking might not be a must.
If anything, just have fun on the boat and dock when you feel like you want to call it a day. If you’re fishing by the beach on a boat, there’s virtually no chance you’ll be stopped.
Should You Stop Fishing?
It all depends on your situation. If you entered the park with a license and got it soaked, you might still be able to enjoy a day of fishing as long as your license was checked before. You also might be able to skirt this issue if you have a digital copy of your license, too.
That being said, if you have no proof of your license left, that will look a lot more suspicious to rangers. If you’re very worried about fines, have no paper whatsoever, won’t buy a digital license, and are a “repeat offender,” it might be a good time to stop fishing.
Should You Release All Your Fish?
In most cases, rangers will be understanding of fishermen who get a wet license but take home fish. The only time they’ll get upset is if you are bringing home more fish than you should be, if your fish aren’t the right size, or if you hunt an endangered species.
At the end of the day, most wildlife enforcement groups are just trying to make sure people aren’t looting nature and are abiding by the local rules. Just abide by the rules, and you should be alright with a wet license in most cases.
Should You Sober Up?
Fishing and drinking tend to go hand in hand for many people, and in most cases, it’s harmless fun. However, if you’re fishing and your license is unreadable, that booze becomes a big problem–and a reason for law enforcement to stop you.
If you are under the influence, take time to sober up and pack your goods. Rangers are expected to watch for inebriated people, and drinking can get you noticed. You need to maintain composure to avoid getting unwanted attention or causing even more problems.
Reprint Your License As Soon As Possible
If your license is not legible, your first goal should be to reprint your license. Thankfully, the majority of states in America make this fairly easy. Many state bureaus will email you your fishing license once you buy it.
All you have to do is find your license email, open the attachment, and print it out whenever you can. You won’t have to pay to reprint your license if this option is open to you.
What If You Ruined Your License Before It Got Checked?
Oh, this is never a good thing, is it? The moment that you notice your license wrecked in a park where they check exiting hunters is the moment you should tell them. If you show the evidence of the license’s wetness, they’ll usually let you through.
Are There Any Other Options I Can Take?
If you’re looking for an old school way to get a license, you probably are out of luck until you reach a printer. Talking to park rangers might be able to help you out.
That being said, tech can be a help when rangers aren’t being too reasonable. You may still have a tech option open to you if you find yourself in this bad situation. This is why keeping your phone charged is a must.
Check For State Fishing Apps
Don’t have a printer at home? No worries. Some states now have apps that let you pull up your fishing license on your phone. These apps include:
- Hunt FL. This app is for fishermen and hunters that are doing their excursions in Florida. It allows you to instantly buy a license and pull it up on your phone.
- Pursuit. This app acts like a virtual wallet for all your hunting and fishing licenses. It’s available on iTunes and Android.
- Reserve America. This is another app that is designed to get you your licenses online and even offers up a searchable database.
Why You Should Download A Fishing App Before You Go
Fishing license apps aren’t just good damage control. They’re great damage prevention, too! The best time to download a fishing app is before you go out if you think about it. Having a digital backup can prevent a lot of problems with local wildlife enforcement.
It’s important to realize that you might not always have the chance to buy a license inside a park. Though cellphone signals are pretty strong in many camping areas, parks are massive and regularly contain dead zones. Downloading your license onto your phone beforehand can be a major life-saver.
Re-Buying Your License
If you just downloaded an app and need to get a license to leave the park with your catch, there’s a slight chance that you may be required to re-purchase a license. This really should only happen if you can’t find a record or proof of a prior license purchase.
As long as you have a credit card or phone payment app on hand, this should be easy. You should try to have a license in your phone before you leave the park, just in case you get stopped by rangers.
How To Avoid Having Problems With Rangers
Believe it or not, there are many cases where people are able to get by without a license by just behaving smartly. In fact, it happens fairly frequently simply because park rangers are rarely ever out to get anyone.
Acting smart and avoiding any reason to have an official reach out to you can save you from fines or other legal problems. Sadly, many fishing groups seem to go out of their way to look for trouble!
A little common sense and manners can go a long, long way. If you find yourself license-less, you can cut your chances of problems with the law by following these guidelines:
- Don’t fish more than you should, and send back inappropriate catches. In other words, follow the guidelines. Don’t give rangers a reason to stop you on your way home!
- Avoid making a scene or being too rowdy. We all know how much craziness can happen on a boat with a bunch of drunk fishermen. If you wet your license, it’s a good idea to pipe down.
- Be respectful of everyone and everything around you. Nothing ticks off law enforcement more than people who trash the environment. Keeping your area clean and being friendly is a good way to stay under the radar.
- If you’re stopped, explain the situation politely. Don’t lie to avoid a penalty. This can get you into more problems than you’d expect.
- Remain calm. If you panic, officials will think you’re up to no good and might even believe that you’re doing a lot more than just fishing without a license. Take a deep breath and calm down. A fine isn’t the end of the world!
How To Avoid Trouble If You’re Part Of A Group Outing
Truthfully, it’s exceedingly rare to see rangers and wildlife enforcement stop a gaggle of tourists. They are well-acquainted with local fishing groups and often have protocols in place to make sure that everyone has a license.
If you’re really concerned about a wrecked license, just tell your tour guide. They will be able to handle everything for you.
Will The State Require A License Repurchase?
For the most part, states won’t require you to pay for a second license if your fishing license got wet or lost. That being said, double-checking your state’s laws on the matter can give you a more accurate reply.
What If It Was My Last Day Prior To My Expiration Date?
Most states only issue licenses for a set period of time, and if you wet your license on the final day of your period, you might not need to reprint it. Keeping tabs on your license expiration dates can help you figure out if it’s even worth reprinting your license.
That being said, you still will have to follow the rules if you want to go out again. If your license expired, you will need to buy a new license that gives you the right to fish at your next trip.