Fishing Liscense..why such a hassle?

[RedSkullz]

OKay...every year i go through the same hassle in my area...i go a week or two before the new year to get my licsense updated and nobody has them...often even 10 days into the new year nobody still has them. I generally go to walmart and canadian tire, and a few baitshops and they are never available when i need them. Why? I dont understand why we as anglers have to adhere so strictly to the rules, yet the only way to get the proper permits is by mail.(which i dont agree with, since it cuts out people that should have jobs, by making everything in todays society mechanized and computerized, therefore cutting personal and maximizing profits) Is this a problem with the MNR or the big box stores that only seem to carry them?

Another rant i have is the fishing/hunting regulations books..again we have to stick to the rules so strictly, yet the books are impossible to find. The online version is a pain in the arse to navigate and is almost impossible to download when you only have dial-up internet.

 

[Fishheads]

Just by the tree year license then you only have the hassle every three years
Not being a d*ck, just putting out a suggestion

 

[420Fisher]

OKay...every year i go through the same hassle in my area...i go a week or two before the new year to get my licsense updated and nobody has them...often even 10 days into the new year nobody still has them. I generally go to walmart and canadian tire, and a few baitshops and they are never available when i need them. Why? I dont understand why we as anglers have to adhere so strictly to the rules, yet the only way to get the proper permits is by mail.(which i dont agree with, since it cuts out people that should have jobs, by making everything in todays society mechanized and computerized, therefore cutting personal and maximizing profits) Is this a problem with the MNR or the big box stores that only seem to carry them?

Another rant i have is the fishing/hunting regulations books..again we have to stick to the rules so strictly, yet the books are impossible to find. The online version is a pain in the arse to navigate and is almost impossible to download when you only have dial-up internet.

i totaly understand what you saying, technicaly you can still fish and hunt, with same reg's, and old licence from the year past if there are no ways to get a new one for the 2011 year, The M.N.R. has to realize that they have a huge flaw in the system. because there are no real way to get an updated licence or to find out new regulations, i would go with what you know, and fish anyways, it would not be your fault. you could blame the gov, and MNR for not providing the nessasary resuorces to get ready for a new year of fishing.

would kinda be a free for all in the fisrt few weeks of a new year untill the public can be upated on new reg's and dates...

 

[efka]

did my 3 year license online, took me 2 min, got the card in mail in a week or so.
did same thing 3 years ago, very fast and never had problems.

you can also print temp license until the card arrives, so there should be no excuses for fishing without a license

 

[RedSkullz]

I dont often have an extra two hundred bucks to throw on a three year liscense, otherwise i would go that route.(near $200 for both my fishing and small game hunting) I refuse to do it online for the reasons i posted before.(cutting out workers to maxmize profits) And to be honest i dont trust putting a credit card online, other than the one time i did to secure my paypal account to use ebay.
As for printing a temp form, i wouldnt be able to do that if i wanted to, as ink is so redicously expensive that i wont buy it. So what about people that have no internet?
I have also heard about baitshop owners getting stuck with the cost of licenses that are not sold at the end of the season, which is why so few stock them...is there any truth to that?

 

[float^drifter]

i get my every year as well. dont feel like throwing to much money for 3 years right away :smile: I only have one canadian tire that does here in brampton and when that one stops doing it, i might go ang specialty in Mississauga they still do it so its not bad. i never had a problem with them not havin it tho <_<

 

[RedSkullz]

I guess then it might be a store issue rather than a ministry one then....i was talking with a buddy today and he said he had no problems like the ones i am experiencing.(though he gets his in the city while i get mine in our local smaller towns canadian tire)
I have one more local hunting store to phone and see if they have them...hopefully they will pan out for me.(which i would rather get it from a small store than a big box store anyways) If not i'll have to hit the city and get it before the new years.

 

[tangledline]

seriously...i agree with you that the regulations for the coming year are hard to come by....licence no problem...except if you are buying at canadian tire....only two have them in toronto central and east.
but as far as regs go...fishermen can not read.....garbage in our parks..along rivers....guys fishing on private property....at marinas that have signs no fishing....in fish sanctuaries -clearly marked...in falls or fish ladders....fishing with invasive species...i was told over and over this year..live gobies years best bait....no parking cars where ya did...one two three lines in the water...oh yaeah we can't count either....thats why i got 30 pike in the boat....boat wake...speeding signs on the water??? sorry can't read em...catch and release....not in canada??
happy holidays!!

 

[RedSkullz]

Yeah you are right for sure tangledline...ive seen a ton of illegal things going on in different rivers and lakes. I was icefishing last year and there was a guy that had about 8-10 lines out. I said "Hey, did you know you are only supposed to have 2 lines out?"....he replied with "Yeah, well the MNR never comes here...."
Isn't that Nice....

Really garbage is the one that drives me crazy...you can go through the effort to bring your beers/pops/worm containers down to the river/lake full, but you cant use them and take the empty containers home with you? wtf? And then the same people are complaining when these public rivers/lakes are shut down....sigh, it is sad.

 

[Joel52]

But every once in a while we witness or hear about some guy getting busted. It doesn't happen nearly often enough - maybe someday it will... I'll stay legal in the interim.

 

[RedSkullz]

But every once in a while we witness or hear about some guy getting busted. It doesn't happen nearly often enough - maybe someday it will... I'll stay legal in the interim.

Thats why it bothers me so much...i am very adamant on sticking to the rules. I have refused to go out a couple of times due to not being able to find liscenses in my area. I'll be calling all the baitshops and local canadian tire one more time this week, before going to barrie to get my liscense renewed.

 

[420Fisher]

But every once in a while we witness or hear about some guy getting busted. It doesn't happen nearly often enough - maybe someday it will... I'll stay legal in the interim.

i have been with a few fiends in april at witemens creek, a G.R.C.A. ranger was on patrol, he found my one friend with no licence and using worms. being only a grca ranger he could only issue a warning.

my friend then ended up a few weeks later getting nabbed by the same ranger, but using worms only this time, the range just told him to go further up stream where u can use them....

 

[420Fisher]

But every once in a while we witness or hear about some guy getting busted. It doesn't happen nearly often enough - maybe someday it will... I'll stay legal in the interim.

i have been with a few fiends in april at witemens creek, a G.R.C.A. ranger was on patrol, he found my one friend with no licence and using worms. being only a grca ranger he could only issue a warning.

my friend then ended up a few weeks later getting nabbed by the same ranger, but using worms only this time, the range just told him to go further up stream where u can use them....

 

[RedSkullz]

Whats a GRCA ranger?

 

[Joel52]

Whats a GRCA ranger?

Grand River Conservation Authority - there are sections of the Grand where you cannot use live bait. Same as the Upper Credit.

 

[RedSkullz]

Grand River Conservation Authority - there are sections of the Grand where you cannot use live bait. Same as the Upper Credit.

Ahh okay...i have never fished the grand in those areas or the credit before. I have only fished the grand from caledonia to the mouth of lake erie and that was over 15 years ago.

 

[Joel52]

Usually, if you're in one of those sections of river, it's easy enough to spot the "illegals". The regs are intentionally set up to provide for catch and release fly fishing only - no live bait and single barbless hook, possession limit zero. It's kind of like fishing with a coathanger, and requires skillful angling to bring one in. So if I see some guy sitting on a rock with a spinning reel in trout or salmon waters, it's pretty obvious that he's either ignorant to, or even flouting the law. Either way, good enough reason to approach and say something, though often enough they're of the second category because the areas are usually well signed. Most of the violators are new immigrants and probably don't even have a card to start - I've scared more than a few away by asking a few direct questions.

 

[RedSkullz]

I flyfished some rivers in BC that had regs like that...barbless and flys only. You could keep some fish , but the other regs were strict. We even had an MNR come up to our camp on foot after walking miles along the shore of this river(iirc he walked something like 12 km before getting to our camp)...was cool to see that kind of dedication. Though we had spinning gear with us, only fly rods were ready for the water.(my wife and i were hitchhiking for 3 months so we had a variety of gear with us)

 

[RedSkullz]

Well this years getting a liscence in time wasnt too much of a hassle...managed to get it on time yesterday at canadian tire in midland...sweet! Ready to rock for monday morning!

 

[float^drifter]

yup got my 2, now gotta wait 4 to 5 weeks for the card