Rob, Pay Attention

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Before you fish the Potomac you better get your permits straight. Dan J eluded to this and he is right. Ready to be confused.......read on and welcome to DC fishing.



Potomac River: Virginia has reciprocal license agreements for three sections of the Potomac River, one above the District of Columbia and two below the District of Columbia. License requirements are different for these sections.



Upper Potomac River [above Little Falls (upper border with the District of Columbia) to the West Virginia border/stateline]: Resident anglers with state freshwater licenses in Virginia or Maryland may fish the Potomac River and from both banks.



Middle Potomac and its Tidal Freshwater Tributaries (between Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Rt. 301): Valid Virginia freshwater (excluding County licenses), Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and Maryland bay sport licenses are honored, including Virginia tributaries up to the following demarcation lines:



Accotink Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge

Aquia Creek: First bridge above Aquia Harbor Marina

Chopawansic: Rt. 1 Bridge

Chotank: Causeway

Dougue Creek: Rt. 235, Mt. Vernon Memorial Parkway

Four Mile Run: Rt. 1 Bridge

Hunting Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge

Little Hunting Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge

Neabsco: Rt. 1 Bridge

Occoquan River: Fall Line

Pohick Creek: Rt. 611 (Colchester Road)

Potomac Creek: Rt. 608 Bridge

Powells Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge

Quantico Creek: Rt. 1 Bridge

Unnamed bays and tributaries accessible by gas powered boats

Valid Virginia freshwater and saltwater (excluding County licenses), Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and Maryland bay sport licenses are honored, including Maryland tributaries up to the following demarcation lines:



Anacostia River: downstream of Northeast Branch

Bridge at northbound lane of Alternate Rt. 1

Bladensburg Road, and Northwest Branch Bridge at southbound lane of Rhode Island Avenue a Virginia freshwater license is honored.

Piscataway Creek: Downstream of Rt. 224 Bridge (Livingston Rd.)

Henson Run: Downstream of Oxon Hill Road Bridge

Nanjemoy Creek: Downstreamof Rt. 6 (Trappe) Bridge

Port Tobacco Creek: Downsteam of Rt. 6 Bridge

Mattawoman Creek: Downstream of Rt. 225 Bridge

Unnamed bays and tributaries accessible by gas powered boats.

Lower Potomac (between its mouth and the Rt. 301 Bridge): Valid Virginia saltwater (excluding County licenses), Maryland bay sport, or Potomac River Fisheries Commission licenses are honored in the main stem. In Virginia tributaries below 301, Virginia freshwater and saltwater, and Potomac River Fisheries Commission licenses are honored.



Note: Maryland regulations apply for the Upper Potomac River and the Maryland Potomac River tributaries (call 1-800-688-3467 for current Maryland regulations).



Note: Potomac River Fisheries Commission regulations are enforced in the Potomac main stem between the lower District of Columbia border and the mouth of the Potomac (call 1-804-224-7148 or 1-800-266-3904 for current PRFC regulations.).



Waters between the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Little Falls are controlled by D.C., and a D.C. fishing license is required.





Get out your map and figure out just how many licenses you are gonna need. Will they bust you........YOU BET!! Get caught guiding on the Potomac w/o your cappy lic.= $25,000 fine. Also bone up on tidal freshwater fishing. If you want to be competitive, there are a lot more factors in play here. Best bite is always at high tide and moving tide (in or out). So plan to be on your $$ spots at incoming/high/outgoing tides. Bite usually drops bad at transition (incoming changing to outgoing and visa versa) and low tide.



Thought I would blow a brain fuse early for you today.



TOXIC

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Jeese Tox,

I live here and am confused now

 

[Greg Meyer]

Boys and Girls...



For those of us who fish Wisconsin and the Mississippi River (IL, WI and Iowa) that little outburst was nothing... The current Wisconsin "Book" is probably 80 pages of lake and county specific regs... And they say fishermen are "dumb"... nope...just confused

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Tox, looking at my schedule, I don't know if I will be able to fish it. It will take me a day to get there and a day back, and I need those days for travel and tourney time for the 'starts. I only have 3 weeks vaca and need it all. I would have to go down and prefish it, and I need those prefish weekends for OH and MI. I will fish the Champlain BFL and maybe one other in NY. But I still want to come down to fish with you a day or two in the spring. That way I don't have to tow a boat all the way down. I figure it at about 10 hours one way, correct?

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Yep, you are right on time wise. You mean we get to "Fun Fish"?!?! Woohoo. That means hangovers are ok.



TOXIC

 

[gone bye bye]

So how many licenses do you need and how much is the final cost?



We have to buy three (Michigan, Ontario and Walpole First Nation) to fish all of St Clair. As a Michigan resident it costs me close to 90 dollars a year.



Mini

 

[Mark Hofman]

Wow. My dad sent me the fishing regulations for Alaska. It was a book about the size of a National Geographic magazine. Two rivers right next to each other could have completely different regulations - very much like Wisconsin.



Missouri's book is only 30-some pages, most of it devoted to special fishing regs and seasons.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

mini,



If you fish the entire length of the Potomac (basicly from just above DC to the bay) you need Virginia, Maryland, PRFC, and DC. Depending on your "home" state the cost varies. Since the Potomac is tidal, some saltwater permits are also allowed (they chase stripers up the river). Overall cost can run over $100, now for non-resident in all of those areas...wow.



TOXIC

 

[Rob LaMoy]

NY resident=$14

VT non-resident=$42

Quebec non-resident=Can't recall maybe $35

If you fish Ontario, $30 for non-resident

Erie opens up a whole mess of new states to get non-residents for. I usually get away with NY, VT, and Ont. But I get the sportsman for NY, so I pay $58 for that, total is around $135 or so without guide's license or USCG. Those would scare you guys! LOL Sumpin tells me this year will be expensive since I also have to get MI, OH, and whatever else I need once I get there. At least it's all a tax write off!

 

[gone bye bye]

I didnt include the Ohio for that side of Erie...that pushes me over the 130 mark too....also this is for the warm water species...not salmon or trout.



Gotta love this sport!



Mini

 

[Rob LaMoy]

States would never go for it, they'd lost too much revenue. They have been proposing a "Champlain" license for years so that NYers can fish the VT side and vice versa. Not gonna happen!

 

[TrepMan]

Problem with that Idea Tox is it goes against the view that the States regulate their own waters. If the Fed get's involved it becomes VERY Political. OF course it could be done with a 48-50 state agreement between the states w/out the federal government. YES, that is actualy possible. I ran a software project for the International Fuel Tax Agremeent, where over the road truck drivers pay only 1 tax bill each year for their fuel/use tax and their home state (based on breakdown of use by state) then distrubutes the $$ back to those states the trucker used. It was complicated but it KEPT the feds out of it and just by that alone made it 1000% easier!!!

 

[Adam Murray]

There was some discussion last year about I-9's and other immigration paperwork when fishing Canadian waters. What became of all that? There were some security concerns after 9/11 and various Tourny Directors were concerned about the legality of traveling in foreign waters.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Seems to me it could bring in more revenue to some states not less. There would have to be a formula and tracking but I'm sure it could be done. Oh wait, I work in DC, what am I saying.



TOXIC

 

[TrepMan]

See Tox, it CAN be done by the states and should, but as you said you work in DC so no matter what your political party affiliation, there is always the PULL of a bigger government if for nothing else then ease of central control, but remember thats NOT what our country founders wanted or created.



OK down off my libertarian soap box, back to your local fishing channel...

 

[gone bye bye]

They are I-68 forms and are required for re-entry into the US after landing in Canada. I didnt have one last year and I dont really think you need one if you dont set foot or anchor on canadian soil.



You can find out all the info you ever wanted to know about them on the net....



A nationwide fishing license would be too costly. The states would be losing revenue in large chunks if they made it reasonable for the consumer. Would you pay $500 for it? $250? Remember that is an annual estimation. Very few (travelling pro's and charter captains) might have an advantage.



Mini