Fishing License

[huston]

Anybody purchased it yet, price has went up!!!!!!!!!

[TheFishinPollock]

actually the price is down a dollar from last year if you bought a trout stamp also. It was 28 if purchased together and 30 seperatly. this year it is 27 .   The senior  license has gone up a dollar.

[djkimmel]

Should be $26 for annual resident fishing license (all species - only option now) as of 3/1/2014.

It's $25 plus $1 for the new Wildlife Council Marketing effort that will promote the good that hunters and anglers do for our Michigan natural resources to general citizens.

[t-bone]

I purchased it online. I was a little confused as they changed the online process this year but figured it out this weekend. I received an email receipt and couldn't figure out where the actual license was. I think previously there was link and then you could print from there. But no link and I couldn't find it on the website. Turns out the receipt is a two page PDF, even that is clear. The 2nd page had the license.

[Dan]

I always bought my fishing license online because of the option to print as many copies of it as I wanted. I was thinking of buying the fishing and the hunting licenses for 76$ but was concerned that the tags needed for hunting would be mailed and then printing of the fishing might be different. Anybody have an inkling how that would go?

[djkimmel]

Well...

[Dropshot]

I just purchased mine online - $26, this is up a lot from last year and seams steep for someone that will not fish for salmon or trout. Is there any benefits for us pan fish, bass and walleye fisherman or am I just supporting salmon and trout fisherman ?

[motocross269]

The price increase really doesn't bother me....26 bucks for a license is the cheapest of my fishing expenses and the DNR has been doing a great job IMHO over the last few years...

What I hate is buying that darn Walpole license..... ..I rarely fish there but have to have it if I go as a Co angler in major tournaments...Does the Indian Tribe do anything to promote conservation???

I buy 5 licenses a year, I just look at it as part of doing business and my small contribution to the greater good..... I don't have the time to put into lobbying or helping as much as I would like, so license fees are a way to hopefully make some difference.....

[gmetime24]

The price increase doesn't bother me. Id pay more to enjoy the great fishing our state has to offer. Plus now if I want to fish for the restricted species,  I'm already good to go

[Waterfoul]

I just purchased mine online - $26, this is up a lot from last year and seams steep for someone that will not fish for salmon or trout. Is there any benefits for us pan fish, bass and walleye fisherman or am I just supporting salmon and trout fisherman ?

You are helping maintain the awesome fishing we have here in Michigan.  Ramp maintenance, lake maintenance, etc...  Plus, it's still cheaper than any other state around us, and the fishing is better!!!

[rustydog]

Take up golf. How much does that cost for a year of playing?

[ACbassassassin]

I just purchased mine online - $26, this is up a lot from last year and seams steep for someone that will not fish for salmon or trout. Is there any benefits for us pan fish, bass and walleye fisherman or am I just supporting salmon and trout fisherman ?

LOL. You're supporting the state's fishery as a whole.

[Got Fish??]

 It is , what it is. I agree with most of the replies  in this post. To live in the great lake state, with all this fresh water, clean state parks, great ramps and one of the best state fisheries in the nation, $26 will not break my bank. Besides we have bigger fish to fry. As far as getting a licence,  I like going to a baitshop .

[djkimmel]

We're pushing pretty hard to get a year-round bass season next year for those anglers who want to feel they're getting the extra bang for the extra bucks. I understand and agree. Fishing is good here but we have more opportunity available so let's go get it!

[6 lb Smallmouth]

The new $76 nonresident price has persuaded me fish to fish Wisconsin this year..  Granted, I am not taking my long June vacation this year but I am going to take a 1-week July trip that I will go to Door Co instead.  At least WI has 7 day and 15 day license options. 

[Irish21080]

I always chuckle at the amount of guys that complain about what they pay for a fishing license when they are rolling around in a $40K truck and $50K boat.  Even me being a non resident if i divide my $76 by the number of times I fish in Michigan it really doesn't cost all that much per trip.

[motocross269]

The price hike isn't keep very many out of state guys away.....Selfridge today had quite a few guys from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois..Even saw a plate from South Carolina and Texas....

Selfridge had guys parking in the grass by 10 am...

[djkimmel]

I got in on the license issue just late enough to miss that we didn't have a non-resident or applicable option beyond 3 days for people who make one trip here. By the time I realized my misunderstanding the license package had passed and no one is wanting to revisit the issue after what it took to get passed.

I have mentioned previously I brought the price change and the lack of a license longer than 72 hours up in several high level meetings. The MDNR - with MUCC urging - has stated they will watch the numbers reporting anything back that should be looked at such as drastic changes in non-resident fishing license purchases.

I have also found out that the MDNR Director does apparently have the authority to create something like a 7 or 10 day license under certain circumstances. Realistically, if the sales numbers don't drop significantly (I believe something like 8% reduction is built in to the overall sales due to the increase and changes to all licenses) it might be pretty difficult to add another license any time soon.

I'll keep an eye on it though since the overall goal is to provide more and more stable funding for the MDNR. Over 90% of the MDNR budget comes from user fees.

I wonder if any other groups would be interested in a 7 or 10 day, and maybe a 14 or 15 day fishing license?

[6 lb Smallmouth]

I got in on the license issue just late enough to miss that we didn't have a non-resident or applicable option beyond 3 days for people who make one trip here. By the time I realized my misunderstanding the license package had passed and no one is wanting to revisit the issue after what it took to get passed.

I have mentioned previously I brought the price change and the lack of a license longer than 72 hours up in several high level meetings. The MDNR - with MUCC urging - has stated they will watch the numbers reporting anything back that should be looked at such as drastic changes in non-resident fishing license purchases.

I have also found out that the MDNR Director does apparently have the authority to create something like a 7 or 10 day license under certain circumstances. Realistically, if the sales numbers don't drop significantly (I believe something like 8% reduction is built in to the overall sales due to the increase and changes to all licenses) it might be pretty difficult to add another license any time soon.

I'll keep an eye on it though since the overall goal is to provide more and more stable funding for the MDNR. Over 90% of the MDNR budget comes from user fees.

I wonder if any other groups would be interested in a 7 or 10 day, and maybe a 14 or 15 day fishing license?

I am very curious to see what these increases do to the number of nonresident licenses sold.  Back when I used to have family that owned a cottage in SW Michigan most of the women ended up getting licenses just on the off-chance they wanted to pick up a rod or help the kids fish.  I know that they wouldn't be getting a yearly license at $76.  Is that a sizable group?  Probably not but if you add in all the part-time, casual fishermen that don't fish much.  The $76 license could very easily persuade them not to get one. 

In terms of a 7-day or 10-day license, it is absolutely the reason why my Dad and I are fishing Wisconsin this summer.  Because of having young kids, I can only take a 1-week fishing trip this summer (weekend trips will have to wait several more years).  In the future when I can get back to taking my 2-3 week June trip to GTB, the $76 license will not deter me in the least.  But this year, either we get 2 3-day licenses at $30 each or we go to Wisconsin and he'll get a 14-day license and I'll get a yearly license so I can also sneak up and fish southern Wisconsin a couple times this summer for 1-day trips.  We end up saving enough for a tank of gas.  Plus, I get the satisfaction of not giving Michigan my money for a year as a protest to what I think is an exhorbitant increase.   

[ACbassassassin]

5lbs of walleye and you've covered the cost of an out-of-state license...  For those who complain about the price increase, I would be curious to see the estimated price of their harvested game in comparison to the cost of the license.

http://moreysmarkets.com/products/walleye-fillets-5-lb-skin-on