Before you come
Do you need a fishing licence in BC?
Short answer: yes, if you are 16 or over, and it takes about five minutes to sort out online.
Who needs one
Anyone aged 16 or over fishing fresh water in British Columbia needs a BC freshwater fishing licence. That includes Okanagan Lake, Kalamalka, Wood, Shuswap, Mabel, Skaha and Osoyoos, and it includes visitors from other provinces and from outside Canada. Anglers under 16 do not need a licence.
How to get one
Licences are issued by the Province of British Columbia through their online freshwater fishing licensing service. You create an account, choose the licence length that fits your trip, pay, and you are done. You can show it on your phone on the boat, there is no need to print anything.
Non-resident and non-resident-alien licences are available by the day, so if you are in the valley for a week you do not need to buy an annual.
What we cover, and what we cannot
Every fishing charter includes rods, reels, downriggers, all terminal tackle and our own hand-tied bucktails. The only thing we cannot supply is your licence, because it has to be issued in your own name.
Regulations, including hook and retention rules, vary by water and change from year to year. Everything on our boat is set up to be legal for the lake we are fishing that day, so once you are aboard it is not something you have to think about.
Getting the timing right
Buy it before your trip rather than on the morning. Phone reception on parts of the lake is not reliable and you do not want to be trying to complete a government checkout while we are trying to leave the dock.
Common questions
Do you need a fishing licence in BC?
Yes. Anyone 16 or over needs a BC freshwater fishing licence to fish Okanagan Lake, including visitors from outside Canada. Under 16 you do not need one.
Can I buy a BC fishing licence online?
Yes, through the Province of BC's online freshwater licensing service. It takes a few minutes and you can show it on your phone.
Does the charter include a licence?
No. Licences are personal and have to be in your own name, so we cannot buy one for you. Everything else you need to fish is included.
Are barbed hooks allowed on Okanagan Lake?
BC freshwater regulations restrict hooks in many waters and the rules change. Everything on our boat is set up to be legal for the water we are fishing that day, so this is one thing you do not have to think about.
Ready to get on the water?
No booking forms and no waiting. Call or text Geoff and you will know within the hour whether your dates work. Half day $500, full day $800, per boat.