Angling Licences

 British Columbia streams are classified as Class I or Class II and are listed in the Region's Water-Specific Tables. The Classified Waters Licensing System was established to safeguard the unique fishing opportunities offered by these waters, which contribute significantly to the province's reputation as a world-class fishing destination.

If you are a B.C. resident:
Your Classified Waters Licence is valid for the duration of the licensing year. This means you can fish all year on any Class I or Class II water in the province.

If you are a non-guided "Non-Resident" or non-guided "Non-Resident Alien":
Your Classified Waters Licence for Class I or Class II waters is sold per diem and is date and water-specific. Anglers may purchase as many Classified Waters Licences as they want, but each licence cannot be used for more than 8 consecutive days. The following Kootenay Class II waters have a first-come, first-served booking system: Michel Creek, Skookumchuck Creek, and the Wigwam River. 

If you are a GUIDED "Non-Resident" or a guided "Non-Resident Alien":
Your Classified Waters Licence for Class I or Class II waters is sold per diem and is date and water-specific. Before purchasing your license, confirm with your angling guide if you are guided. Anglers may purchase as many Classified Waters Licences as they want, but each licence cannot be used for more than 8 consecutive days.

EXCEPTION:
Non-Resident Aliens (whether GUIDED or NON-GUIDED) are limited to purchasing one Classified Waters Licence for the Dean River per licence year.
Non-guided Non-Resident Aliens who want to fish the Dean River's Class I - Main Section should check the Government of Freshwater Fishing in B.C.

All anglers on Vancouver Island and B.C, must show angling license and photo ID if an officer requests it. Paper licenses are required when retaining hatchery steelhead, chinook salmon, Shuswap Lake char or rainbow trout, or Kootenay Lake rainbow trout. Electronic licenses are acceptable too.

• To sport fish for any species of fish in non-tidal waters (including salmon), you must have a valid basic licence.
• You must obtain the necessary supplementary licenses and stamps.
• While sport fishing, you must carry your license and, if asked, produce it for inspection by a Conservation Officer, Fishery Officer, RCMP constable, Park Ranger in a park, or Officer under the Wildlife Act.
• Basic and supplementary licenses, as well as stamps, are ineligible for use in National Parks. If you are under the age of 16 and a resident of British Columbia, you may sport fish without a licence or stamp (but must abide by the regulations).
• You are not required to be accompanied by a licensee.
• You are entitled to your own fishing quota.

• You do not need a licence or a stamp to sport fish, but you must be accompanied by a person 16 or older who has the necessary licences and stamps.
• Any fish you keep must be counted as part of your catch and possession, as well as the catch and possession of your accompanying licence holder.
• If you want to catch and keep your own quota of fish, you must purchase a license as well as any additional licenses and stamps. If you live in British Columbia and are disabled, you may be eligible for a fee reduction on your basic licence.

Non-Tidal Angling Licenses can be obtained online. Anglers can register for an Angler Number and purchase their basic Non-Tidal (Freshwater) Angling Licence, Classified Waters Licences, White Sturgeon Conservation Licences, and Conservation Surcharge Stamps at any time through the Non-Tidal (Freshwater) Fishing E-Licensing system.

To buy your non-tidal angling license online or for more information, or get electronic licenses from their local Service BC Centre or from any license vendor who offers this service, go to www.gov.bc.ca.

You must have a valid licence before resuming fishing.
• There is no need to buy a new licence, as you are only allowed one annual angling licence per year.
• If you lose the licence you purchased online, you can:
- Reprint it from the Internet,
- Get a Service BC Centre to reprint it for you, or
- Get a licenced vendor to reprint a copy (there might be a fee).
• Your retention record must be transferred to the new copy.

☸ Annual: the licence year, beginning April 1 and ending on March 31.

☸ Barbless Hook: a hook without a barb on
any part of the hook, including both the point and shank. The existing tackle may be modified by completely removing the barb or by crimping the barb down so that its point is flush against the shaft.

☸ Daily Quota: the maximum number of fish of a given species, group of species, or size class that you may keep in one calendar day.

☸ Fly Fishing: angling with a line to which only an artificial fly is attached (floats, sinkers, or attracting devices may not be attached to the line when fishing is restricted to "fly fishing only").

☸ Hatchery Trout: in some waters, hatchery trout may be harvested, but wild trout must be released. In these waters, hatchery trout are marked before stocking by removal of their adipose fin (see centre colour section). Therefore, these hatchery trout must have a healed scar in place of the missing fin.

☸ Licence Year: the period beginning April 1 and ending March 31.

☸ Management Unit: a Management Unit is a subdivision of a region. For detailed maps of Management Units, the British Columbia Recreational Atlas is available at many bookstores.

☸ Non-Resident: means you are not a "resident," but (a) you are a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, OR (b) your primary residence is in Canada, AND you have resided in Canada for the immediately preceding 12 months.

☸ Non-Resident Alien: means you are neither a "resident" nor a "non-resident."

☸ Ordinary Residence: a residential dwelling where a person normally lives, with all associated connotations including a permanent mailing address, telephone number, furnishings and storage of automobile; the address on one's driver's licence and automobile registration, where one is registered to vote. A motor home or vessel at a campsite or marina is not considered to be an ordinary residence.

☸ Possession Quota: the number of fish of any species that an angler may have in their possession at any given time, EXCEPT at a place of ordinary residence (see above). In most instances, the possession quota is two times the daily quota. See Tables for exceptions.

☸ Stream Mouth: the point at which the surface elevation of a stream and the water body into which it flows are the same, except as posted by signs or markers or otherwise defined.

☸ Tributaries: all streams that contribute to a larger stream or to a lake.

-The Government of Freshwater Fishing in B.C
-Fisheries Act
-Health Link B.C
-Government of Canada