Licenses For Mich BFL

[csfishslayer]

there is some really good fishing in ohio waters. I spend a lot of time down there in the spring. I cant wait going there in 2 weeks to fish the bass islands. 

[Buckeye]

Gruf?

REEL MAN, I should have explained further that I spoke to my boater the night before and he assured me he would call if I needed the license.  He didn't, so I didn't go buy one.  Now that the division is mostly Michigan, I obviously have a license for the year, but even then, the old Buckeye didn't even allow fishing in Canadian water.  You only needed one or two licenses to fish the divison, and 90% of the guys who ran out of Sandusky didn't run to Michigan.  There wasn't any real need to.


I think as a boater, you should be courteous enough to discuss where you're going to fish with your co-angler so he's prepared.  I guess I frown on doing anything beyond that, especially in these difficult economic times.  I've seen good boaters and bad boaters in my time, and I plan on being a good boater.

Eric

[motocross269]

You can always get the Ohio licenses the night before the tournament online and print them off if you need them...(For the Detroit River)

[SethV]

Last year at Sandusky, I ran to Michigan waters.  I told my co the plans at the meeting and he did not have a MI licence.  It was his first time on Erie in a bassboat.  I told him to bring a drop shot rod, rain suit, helmet and his michigan licence.  He got 2 of the 4.  No rain suit or helment, I am sure it was an interesting 62 mile ride each way for him.  He got the licence on line so he was ok.  Oh yeah, he had never used a drop shot before.  I got my 5 in 20 minutes, he never had a bite.  I started showing him how to do it and he proceeded to kick my tail.     He weighed 16 lbs for 4 fish and had his limit fish jump off 3 times.

I would never change my plans if a co does not have a licence.  If I am making a oddly long run (like MI or PA from Sandusky), I will give them a heads up. 

Seth

[t-bone]

I bought a helmet this year just in case I'm paired with Seth and his 250 Merc!
I bought all the licenses (Ohio, MI, Canada, Walpole) and am ready where ever my boater decides to fish. Lets do this!

[rufus]

This will be my 6th year as a boater in the BFL's. If you are a co angler it is worth it to get all the licenses. I am a boater and I get all of them. I prefish 3 or more days before each event and have never had to worry about where I was at. Up front you are looking at (non-resident prices) $35 for MI, $40 for OH, $70 for CA, $40 for Walpole. I know $185 for licenses is steep, but it is worth the peace of mind. If you plan on fishing one or all of them do some research and get the licenses you need way beforehand. The only thing you should have to worry about is what you are tying on the night before. If a situation arises where you will start in MI and may or may not go into Walpole according to your boater and you decided not to get a license you will get in trouble sitting or not if you go there and have fish in the livewell. Not only will you get in trouble, but your boater will as well and the $500 he just spent to prefish will be completely wasted. We all know the schedule and have plenty of time to get things around. You draw me and you have everything in order I almost guarantee you will have a good time. Canadian licenses are not available online as of yet to non-residents so I would suggest getting on the phone and getting it now. Mine is in the mail as we speak. They generally tell you it will take up to 6 weeks to get to you. The longest I have ever waited is 3 weeks, but I don't take that chance. Walpole are also not available, but Lakeside Fishing Shop on St Clair has them and will mail them to you within 2 weeks.
Remember, we all do this to have a good time. It is not fun when something stressful happens like this the night before the tourney. Bite the bullett and spend the money, I don't have the money either, but it is worth it to me because this is what I love to do. I have only twice drawn co's that have not had their Canadian License and both of them were up half the night before the tourney trying to get one. Not a good way to start an event. You choose to fish as a coangler, therefore, you choose to take the unknown route. Control the variables you can control and it will make your experience much more enjoyable. God Bless and see you guys at Cheboygan!

[REEL_MAN]

BUCKEYE  sorry if I made it sound like I didn't tell my co where we plan to start, the possible areas we could go and the style of fishing. I'm very up front with them with the info and what I've found during prefish, I want them to have fun and most of all catch fish (better yet cash a check) I just want the co's to make sure that they are prepared. There were years as a co I bought the Walpoe lic. I never used it.

REEL MAN

[cameraguy]

I wonder if launching out of Sandusky but fish entirely in Canada, do you think a person would need an Ohio license?

I dont plan on fishing Ohio waters at all during the Sandusky BFL.  I dont want to spend the money for the Ohio license.

What would be the outcome if I got stopped on Ohio waters on the way back to the launch?  Would the officer believe me when I told him I didnt catch the fish in Ohio, but I possess them in Ohio.

I hope we dont fish Sandusky ever again. 

B

Others mentioned it but in case it still isn't clear, the weigh-in for the Sandusky tournament is in Ohio, of course.  You need an Ohio license. 

BTW, I love fishing out of Sandusky.  There is great fishing in Ohio waters.  Plus, the vast amount of productive water presents a great challenge and a great opportunity to explore new areas.  I do find it odd though that the "Michigan" Division has a tournament in Ohio.