Ohio boasts some of the finest fishing havens. Some of its most notable ones are Lake Erie, Little Beaver Creek, Portage Lakes, Conneaut Creek, Ohio River, among others.
However, you need to secure a license beforehand. So, how much is the cost of Ohio fishing license? Please read on.
Average Cost of Ohio Fishing License
The Ohio fishing license price ranges from being free up to $468, subject to several conditions like for how long the license will be effective, your age, and whether you are a resident or a tourist, among others.
To know how different conditions can affect the cost of Ohio fishing license, here are the different prices per category:
Residents:
- One-day fishing license for residents – $14
- Upgrade from one-day to one-year fishing license – $12
- Lake Erie one-day fishing license for residents – $14
- Annual fishing license for residents – $25.00
- Annual fishing license for senior residents – $10
- 3-Year fishing license for residents – $54.08
- 3-Year fishing license for senior residents – $28.60
- 5-Year fishing license for residents – $90.22
- 5-Year fishing license for senior residents – $47.58
- 10-Year fishing license for residents – $180.44
- Lifetime fishing license for residents – $468.00
- Lifetime fishing license for senior residents – $84.24
- Lifetime fishing license for minor residents – $430.56
Nonresidents:
- One-day fishing license for nonresidents – $14
- Upgrade from one-day to one-year fishing license – $37.44
- Lake Erie one-day fishing license for nonresidents – $14
- Three-day nonresident tourist’s fishing license – $25
- Annual fishing license for nonresidents – $50.96
Free Licenses
Do licenses always have to be paid? Or are there instances where you can have them for free? Luckily, the following persons are provided with fishing license absolutely free upon request:
- Ohio senior residents born on or before December 31, 1937
- Persons with disabilities who need assistance from another person when fishing
- Persons owning vehicles with veteran license plates displaying the international wheelchair symbol.
- Veterans who do not own veteran license plates but are permanently disabled.
- Residents of various state and county institutions like a resident patient of a commonwealth-owned medical or rehabilitation institution, county home hospital, a juvenile of a State youth forestry camp or development center, etc.
- Those who are former prisoners of war.
Where to Secure The Fishing License?
Ohio fishing license can be purchased at Wildohio.gov and any authorized license vendors and sales agents.
You can also get a fishing license through the phone. Call 1-866-703-1928 for live person assistance or through an automated service at 1-855-764-3474. You will need a debit or credit card to avail of this service.
Additional Cost
Sometimes, you will have to pay more for the license if you have to get it where it is more convenient. So, please consider the following extra costs:
- Short-term licenses purchased through live operator assistance are charged an additional fee of $5.50 fee on top of the Ohio fishing license price.
- You will be charged an additional fee of $3.50 if you use an automated service.
Factors Affecting Ohio Fishing License Price
Getting a fishing license in Ohio isn’t something that will be the same across the board for everyone. As previously mentioned, certain conditions will determine whether you will pay more, less, or even free to be allowed to go fishing. The following are the different criteria:
- Residency – residents and non-residents have different fishing license rate as residents are given priority, thus, are charged a lower rate.
- Age – special rates are given to senior citizens and license is not even required for ages younger than 16 years.
- Where purchased – there is an additional fee for licenses purchased through an operator and automated services.
- Duration – rates also depend on how long the license will be valid. The choices are one-day, three-day, annual fishing license, three-year, 5-year, 10-year, or lifetime, depending on whether you are a resident or otherwise.
License Exemptions
Do you always need a license to do fishing in Ohio? Most of the time, you do. Remember, this is different from a free license because you will still need to present the document in this case.
However, the state does not require a fishing license for the following persons and conditions:
- If you are younger than 16 years of age
- If you are assisting an angler that uses a person with a disability or blind fishing license, provided that only one fishing line is being used.
- Fishing in a privately-owned pond, either your own or your parents’ or where you or your parents are tenants, except when it borders state-owned parks and lakes.
- If you are fishing in privately-owned bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, and reservoirs where fish do not migrate.
- If you are an active-duty military that is just on leave or furlough.
- Ohio allows up to two free fishing days within the year, where you are not required to purchase a license to be able to go fishing. Be sure to watch out for announcements of scheduled dates.
Expiration of Fishing License
One of the important things to remember when considering getting a fishing license in Ohio is to avoid being caught red-handed. With this in mind, it is always wise to know the validity of the license at hand.
The one-day license will be valid within the same day until midnight, regardless of the time you purchased it. The same license purchased in advance will be valid on the chosen day up to midnight of the same day.
In the same manner, a three-day license will expire at midnight of the third day. The same type of license purchased in advance will take effect on the chosen day up to midnight of the third day.
On the other hand, a one-year license will be valid within 365 days from the date of purchase. If you intend to purchase a 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year license, the expiration date will be printed on the license itself.
Tips and Reminders
Some important points to keep in mind when planning to acquire an Ohio fishing license are the following:
- The one-day license fee for residents and nonresidents may be applied as a credit if you decide to purchase the annual fishing license later on, excluding the writing fee. But this application is limited to a one-time, one-day license fee of $12 only. So if you purchased several one-day licenses, you cannot deduct all of them from the annual fee.
- Lake Erie one-day fishing license may be purchased in advance of a scheduled fishing trip. Fishing dates must be indicated in the license at the beginning of the trip. If the activity is postponed for some reason, fishers may keep the license that is not yet validated until they decide to push through with it.
- If your fishing license has been misplaced, destroyed, or stolen, it can be reissued from any licensed vendor or through the internet for free. Just go to the Ohio Wildlife Licensing.
- Licenses purchased through a mobile device and subsequently received through email are not required to be printed as long as the image can be presented and displayed properly on the mobile device when requested.
- Lake Erie cannot be purchased through a mobile device and will only be valid when printed.
- You need to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) when applying for a fishing license.