10% OFF WITH CODE:
BLACKFRIDAY10
Fishing Licence in Ontario and Boating Licence Requirements
June 4, 2025
Fishing licence in Ontario requirements include a provincial fishing licence and, when operating a motorized boat, a boating license (Pleasure Craft Operator Card) under Transport Canada rules. You can get your boating license online in just a few hours with Drive a Boat Canada.
Let us walk you through the process of obtaining these federal and provincial licences, so that you can enjoy Ontario’s beautiful waterways legally as soon as the season opens.
What licenses do you need to fish in Ontario?
To fish legally in Ontario, you generally need a valid fishing licence, whether you fish from shore, a dock, through the ice or from a boat. If you plan to operate a motorized boat, including one with an electric trolling motor, you also need a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC), commonly called a boating licence. The same requirement applies when operating a rented motorized fishing boat or pontoon. Non-motorized canoes, kayaks and rowboats do not require a PCOC. The boating license applies to the person driving the boat, regardless of age, boat length or engine size. The fishing license applies to every person who fishes.
Ontario Fishing Licence and Outdoors Card Requirements
Getting a valid fishing license in Ontario takes two steps:
- Step One: Get an Outdoors Card.
- Step Two: Get the right type of fishing licence.
1. How to obtain an Ontario Outdoors Card
The Ontario Outdoors Card is issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and is required by Canadian citizens, Ontario residents and all non-residents to go fishing in Ontario. It is valid for three years, and costs $8.57 + HST.
An Outdoors Card can be purchased directly on the Ontario Fish and Wildlife site. You’ll need to provide basic information to get your card, such as your name, date of birth, height and eye colour, and mailing and residential address.
You do not need an Outdoors Card if you are under 18 or over 65, as long as you carry a government-issued ID that includes your name and date of birth. If you are only going fishing for one day, you can purchase a one-day or 8-day sport fishing licence instead of an Outdoor Card. For all other situations, Ontario law stipulates that you need to carry an Outdoors Card.
2. How to obtain an Ontario Fishing Licence
After you have purchased your Outdoors Card, you can proceed to the next step: getting your fishing licence. Your fishing licence(s) will be listed on the back of your Outdoors Card and on your License Summary (available in digital or printable format).
Ontario sells two types of recreational fishing license:
- Sport fishing licence: Gives you full catch and possession fishing privileges.
- Conservation fishing licence: Gives you reduced catch and possession limits. You must immediately release muskellunge, Atlantic salmon, and aurora trout when caught with a conservation licence.
Both types of fishing licences in Ontario can be purchased online through Ontario Fish and Wildlife, at participating ServiceOntario centres or from authorized licence issuers. Regardless of the licence type, anglers must follow Ontario’s catch and possession limits.
The cost of a fishing licence can range from $12 for a one-day license to $170 for a three-year licence. For more details, visit Province of Ontario website.
Note that there are a few exceptions to the law surrounding fishing licences. You do not need a fishing license if:
- You are under age 18 and are fishing with someone who has a valid licence.
- You are a veteran or active member of the Canadian Armed Forces
- You carry an Ontario accessible parking permit
- You are a member of a First Nations community and are fishing for food, social, or ceremonial purposes within your recognized traditional or treaty lands (proof of community membership required).
Canadian families can also enjoy going fishing without a licence four times a year! But remember, there are no exceptions for carrying a valid Pleasure Craft Operator Card.
- Ontario Family Fishing Week (June 26–July 3, 2027)
- Family Fishing Weekend (February 13–15, 2027)
- Mother’s Day Weekend
- Father’s Day Weekend
Fishing in a motorized boat in Ontario? You’ll need a Pleasure Craft Operator Card
First, your boating proof of competency. Anyone operating a motorized boat in Ontario needs a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC), widely referred to a boating license. It’s the law. Find out how to get your Ontario boating license online.
While it might seem like a simple administrative task, the RCMP, provincial and municipal police forces and other authorities enforce this legal requirement (overseen by Transport Canada), and getting caught without a license can result in significant fines.
How to get your Pleasure Craft Operator Card
Obtaining your boating licence is a simple, three-step process. First, you need to take a Transport Canada-approved boater safety course, such as the one offered by Drive A Boat Canada. See all the details on our Ontario boating license page.
Next you need to pass an online boating safety test. Drive A Boat Canada offers unlimited free retries for this multiple-choice, open-book exam!
Once you pass, you’ll gain immediate access to a temporary card, allowing you to go boating right away. Your lifetime Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) will be mailed to you.
All three steps cost a combined total of $59.95 (with group discounts available).
Get ready for your next Ontario fishing trip. Complete the Transport Canada-accredited boating course online and print your temporary card after passing.
Start the boating licence course
Fishing licence and boating licence for visitors to Ontario
If you’re coming from another province or the United States to fish in Ontario, you’ll need a fishing licence: Canadians from other provinces buy a Canadian resident licence, and U.S. visitors buy a non-Canadian resident licence. If you bring or rent a motorized boat, you’ll also need a boating licence, unless you’re a non-resident bringing your own boat registered outside Canada for less than 45 consecutive days.
Renters can also use a rental boat safety checklist signed with the rental company. U.S. visitors can use their state boater education card or a NASBLA-approved certificate as proof of competency (along with proof of residency), while Canadians from other provinces can use their existing PCOC. If you don’t have either, you can complete the Drive a Boat Canada course online before your trip. It’s valid across Canada.
Getting Ready for a Fishing Trip in Ontario
With your Pleasure Craft Operator Card PCOC and the right fishing licence, you’re ready to go! Assemble your boating safety equipment, find a correctly-fitted life jacket or PFD and make sure you’re following your boat’s maximum capacity rules. For more boating rules, regulations and safety tips, check out the Drive A Boat Canada Boating Resources Library!
Top 10 fishing destinations in Ontario
- Lake Ontario: Incredible fishing and trophy fish, especially salmon fishing by boat.
- Lake of the Woods: For walleye, perch, crappie, pike, muskie, sturgeon, trout, and bass.
- Lake St. Clair: A great place for muskie.
- Lake Simcoe: For smallmouth bass, perch, whitefish, and trout. This location hosts several bass tournaments.
- Lake Nipigon: Nearly 1900 square miles of incredible fishing. A former world-record 14.5 lb brook trout was caught on this lake, and there are also plenty of pike, lake trout, walleye, and whitefish.
- Bay of Quinte: The walleye capital of the world, thanks to the autumn and winter migration to the bay. It also contains pickerel, salmon, pike, trout, perch, and bass.
- Lake Erie: A large population of yellow perch as well as bass, trout, salmon, carp, and walleye.
- Niagara River: Fish for steelhead, salmon, and sturgeon. In the lower area of the river, catch trout, walleye, bass, and muskellunge.
- St. Lawrence River: An abundance of fish and beautiful scenery! From 40 lbs muskies to bass, perch, bluegill, crappies, and bullhead.
- Saugeen River: Catch brown trout, brook trout, and resident rainbows here. Also steelhead runs and good resident smallmouth bass and musky fishing.
Get your Ontario boating licence before fishing season
Safety is the key to having a great day of fishing, either alone or with friends or family. Drive A Boat Canada offers a Transport Canada-accredited online boating safety course that over 2 million Canadians have followed. You’ll learn about navigation rules, how to choose a PFD, what to do if your boat capsizes, and much more. You can finish the course, take the test and print your temporary Ontario boating license in just a few hours. Register today to get started!
