2011 MD fishing licence

the new MD baysport licence now is also covering the atlantic, coastal bays and tributaries.this means that anyone fishing the surf, jetties or from KAYAKS anywhere in saltwater in MD you must get the licence. still only 15.00. this should be good for the DNR but sucks for fisherman on the shore that never had to get a licence before.

[DOGFISH]

I think if you buy a bay license it also covers the NOAA registration for the coast. If you just fish the coast, you can register in the Maryland system, at no cost, and either way you are automatically entered into the NOAA system. This was unlike last year where you had to register online or by 800 number for NOAA. Maybe alot of the coastal fisherman didn't register with NOAA. At least that is how I read it. I guess that is the only way they could get automatic registration and register those not having to buy a license. This was not made known to anglers. I only found out when I bought my license. The strange thing is, I sell license at the store.

Either way, it looks like some day there will be a required purchase of a license to fish the coast also. For now it is built into the bay license or a free registration if you just fish the coast. Somewhat bizarre, who knows?

[surfdog]

IDK Dogfish the new bay and coastal sport licence does automatically register you for the FIN but the way i read the regulations anyone fishing the Atlantic, coastal bays or tributaries must have a licence resident or non-resident. it doesnt say if you only fish the coast you dont need the licence
15.00 resident
22.50 non-resident
5.00 MD senior

its not just a bay licence any more its a bay /coast licence. Delaware and Va have had coastal licences for a few years now and MD saw that they could make some bucks and slip this by everyone

[DOGFISH]

Surfdog, I think you are right about that license. I went back and found the information sent out to stores from DNR. The only individuals that do not need a license are "1. waterfront property owners, 2. individuals fishing in a designated free fishing area, or 3. passengers on a vessel displaying a Consolidated Bay & Coastal Sport Boat License decal." Everyone else needs a Bay and Coastal license, $15, less for seniors. So yes good for DNR, mo money, mo money, mo money. It would not be so bad, if given the additional fees, things were improving. The waters are still deterioriating.

Maryland and Virginia do have a reciprocal agreement on waters where they share a common border such as the Chesapeake and Potomac.

For those of you who stream fish. If you have felt soles on your waders or boots, looks like as of March 2011 those will be illegal in Maryland. The felt carries invasive species, like rock snot. It is supposedly already in the Gunpowder and traces in other Maryland streams. So I guess rubber soles with lugs will be the only way to avoid busting your butt.

[dhmjd]

Lots of rock snot in the gunpowder. the rubber soles are better as well.

[mdmakaira410]

Yea the upper gun gets invaded every winter with rock snot (didymo) especially the c & r section. Im not sure if it has a serious impact on the fishery but it is a huge pain in the a** when nymphing. Felt wading boots are dead technology. All of the simms vibram soles with studs perform just as well as felt and obviously wont transfer invasive species if u just rinse them off.

[surfdog]

after looking through the regs. for MD & VA it is reciprocal for MD licence holders to fish not only the VA bay waters but also coastal waters as well but to fish the coastal water you must get a VA FIP # which is free and visa versa for VA licence holders

[Capt C-Hawk]

I hate to come down on the side of DNR when it's about new fees, but...
In this case it was necessary to add inshore and coastal waters to the bay sport license in order to be in compliance with the NOAA requirements. I'm just happy MD didn't tack on the extra $15 that NOAA is charging anyone not covered by their state. If I understand it right either the MD or VA saltwater license is good in both states but the NOAA compliance is only good in the licensed state. All that's needed is to call the number for the other state and get a free registration number. For what it's worth the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) license is also reciprocal and is also cheaper than either state.

What's even worse since we're worried about money grabbing, VA is having hearings about raising the cost of their non-resident fresh water license from $35.00 to $85.00 per year. Big increases are proposed for their short term licenses as well. The only good news in this is that MD will charge VA residents the same to fish in MD fresh water.

[surfdog]

i havent checked the delaware regs. yet, but i hope they are reciprocal also for coastal waters but doubt it

[DOGFISH]

The only complaint about the fees, is that in spite of fees, things don't improve. The point being that if things were improving, the fees would not be so bad. This was the subject of the menhaden writing earlier. In the bay/coastal situation it was just a matter of who was going to get the money. As far as what one pays, the addition of coastal to the bay license does not add any cost to me. I have always had a bay license. With that said, we have not seen much if any improvement in the bay or fisheries since the introduction of a license for fishing the bay. It was not so long ago that the Bay License was introduced. We need to demand something for the fees, more than just receiving a piece of paper saying that we can fish. If recreational fisherman don't start to speak up, there is not going to be much left, other than the fees. That was the subject of my writing about the Barnegat Bay oyster farming project. Instead of that sort of thing, we see more situatuations like the commercial taking of the menhaden, which further stress the rockfish population. Other states take care of their recreational fisheries, like banning nets and declaring gamefish status for certain species. As recreational fisherman we need to tout what we contribute to fisheries managment and to the economy.

[surfdog]

hopefully more improvements will come out of this, like more and improved ramps and more access to the water. some good things are coming out of the fees like the busting of 2 big poaching rings in the last couple years, as for menhaden MD does a pretty good job for them its VA that lets the slaughter continue but that might change soon

[Memory Maker]

hopefully more improvements will come out of this, like more and improved ramps and more access to the water. some good things are coming out of the fees like the busting of 2 big poaching rings in the last couple years, as for menhaden MD does a pretty good job for them its VA that lets the slaughter continue but that might change soon

Yeah ...... that'll happen ........... Md increased the fishing lic fee by 50% saying they were needed to beef up the DNR and would match the increase with tax funds. Then they promptly took out the matching funds and then took away the helicopters etc .......... In Md you pay usage fees for ramps you already paid fr thru taxes and lic fees ........ in VA there are free ramps all over the state ........ and they are better then the ramps we pay for here .......... sorry but MD is not sportsmen friendly when compared to some other states .......

[ictalurus]

sorry but MD is not sportsmen friendly when compared to some other states .......

That's the truth. Where I lived in VA, there were lots of places where the road just ended in the water, and you could launch your boat there in addition to the free ramps. The VA ramps are free even if you're an out of towner, and I can't think of anywhere that had county-specific permits like up around the Bay Bridge.

However, there are several free ramps in St. Mary's County, which I really appreciate.

[DOGFISH]

If I recall the poaching busts were spearheanded by the Feds. It was Maryland and Maryland courts that did not pursue the larger poaching rings. It was the Maryland courts that would only hand out slaps on the wrists, when poachers were actually caught. That is why the Feds took on the task.

Remember, the Bay license, when introduced also promised better access and better boat ramps. See what you got for those fees. If I recall, the Bay license has only been aroung since the early or mid 1980s. It was not that long ago that you could fish the bay without a license. The counties use the ramps as a cash cow. I could not agree more about Maryland not being sportsman friendly. That is one thing I like about kayaks. The counties can stick those ramps, or as one said, the ones that we have already paid for. For the kayaker, they can launch where ever they can find an area, no ramp needed.

As far as the menhaden subject is concerned, Maryland could put pressure on the Feds. The Feds were going to revisit the menhaden management plan, but now as I understand it, that has been put on hold. It goes on and on. One has to ask, how bad does it have to get before some action is taken.

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I have heard these promises many many times before. I also remember when just about every shore line of the Chesapeake was lined by seagrass, when there were great numbers of oysters, when the fish were healthy and when the bay food chain was strong. It seems as if every generation or so, those same promises are recycled. Sadly, I must again agree that Maryland is not sportsman friendly. From my perspective, I don't anticipate that I will see any improvement in the remainder of my lifetime. What I do hope to pass along, is what the Bay used to be and what it may hope to be again. It is a treasure that should be cared for.

[DOGFISH]

Thanks John, did some reading on the menhaden work in Va. It looks like it is gaining some support. Good article: http://savemenhaden.wordpress.com/. This is also a great photo of what is happening to the menhaden. They spot the large schools by plane, then encircle the school and net them up.

Of course it looks as if the coastal board has extended present catch limits on menhaden through 2013. So expect more the same for the next few years.