Considering Lifetime Fishing License Price
By Andy Whitcomb
Jun 13, 2019
A lifetime fishing license is available in most states. The savings varies by state. Here are some reasons why.
The best way to learn about a lifetime fishing license price is to conduct some online searches. Simply type “fishing license” and your state and some helpful info will appear. Just as fishing license fees vary by state, so does lifetime fishing license all states.
Is it worth the cost of a Lifetime Fishing License?
Is it worth the cost? Are there any potential savings?. If you live in a coastal state, your lifetime fishing license price may be more expensive than land locked states. In California for example, if you are between 10 and 39 years old, a lifetime fishing license is $871.25. (Oddly, if you are younger or older than this demographic, the price is lower.) For landlocked Oklahoma on the other hand, the cost is $225, no matter how old you are.
So what does that mean? Using the above examples, if you divide the lifetime fishing license price by that state’s current annual fishing license price, that formula shows that after 9 years of fishing in Oklahoma, you’d have gotten “your money’s worth;” whereas it would take 18 years to reach that point in California.
These times actually may be shorter in the long run because annual license fees may increase in a state. Some states even may offer combination lifetime licenses. Georgia, offers a “sportsman’s license” which includes hunting, which probably even means more savings if you crunch those numbers. And then there may be savings available for seniors or military. For example in South Carolina an angler over 64 years old, can obtain a senior lifetime fishing license for $9!
Although the initial cost may seem steep, there may be savings if you are committed to fishing. The only thing that keeps an angler from not getting their money’s worth with a lifetime fishing license all states is to purchase one and then not use it. Many just prefer to do the annual fishing license thing. Either way, there is a significant portion of your fishing license fee that goes back into improving your fishery so that everyone gets their money’s worth.
