Recreational fishing licenses...

[FishermanTim]

First, if you buy one online, be prepared to pay a "convenience fee" for buying it online.

A freshwater license online will cost $30.00 ($27.50 PLUS $2.50 fee)

The saltwater license will cost $11.80 ($10.00 PLUS $1.80 fee)

I will be buying my license from local vendors, since I won't have time to go into the city to the headquarters in Boston.

I love how they nickel and dime us with these "convenience fees" that are only convenient to the a-holes that are collecting them without having to do a damn thing to earn them!

Mind you, the fees are not going to the Fish & Game, but to the company that maintains the website. Didn't they get paid for creating that WONDEFUL WEBSITE (You know, the one that was down for about a month last winter, preventing ANY online sales.)?

OK, I'm done. I need to get a bite to eat.

[Plum Crazy]

Do you have a link to the site?

[FishermanTim]

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/index.htm
The license site is linked to the Mass Wildlife Website.

[tysdad115]

Are the vendors selling the license' listed on there somewhere? Website is not much help.

[Plum Crazy]

Thanks Tim. Lame website. Is that fee per license? I wonder if they will be at the shows this year? Could be good for getting people out to the shows.

[JohnnyD]

For fishing licenses, they charge a fee for purchasing them online.

For driver's licenses, they charge a fee for going to the RMV.

[Mike P]

Private vendors and town clerks already charge a service fee for FW licenses. They have for years. In fact, I think the town clerk is authorized to charge more than a private vendor.

Most of the local B&Ts got out of the license-selling end because of the bond that they have to post with F&W to sell them.

[mikecc]

Originally Posted by Mike P

.Most of the local B&Ts got out of the license-selling end because of the bond that they have to post with F&W to sell them.

I was selling FW licenses for about 6 years. He stopped when the state printed all the fees wrong on the back of the licenses. The fees printed on the back of the licenses were the same as the previous years. It seems that the state upped the fees with out letting us know. We charged what it said on the back of the license. At the end of the month April our busiest we had a shortfall in our account. The state said that it was not their fault they printed the fees wrong and we should have charged the updated fees. We had to pay the short fall otherwise they were going to keep our $6,000 bond that we put up for the licenses. We paid the shortfall and told them to FO we were done doing their job for free. We dropped all the licenses off at the Fish & Game made them sign for everything, which they did not want to do. Well you guessed it they lost the Boxes of licenses and refused to relese our bond even thou we had them sign for them. They found the licenses 4 months lated in the attic of ther building and released the bond.

At this point no one from the state has contacted us about selling the SW licenses. Last year we were one of only 3 shops in the state providing them . The state still has not worked out the details for 3rd party vendors.

[stcroixman]

Guys it is the same problem here in RI with FW licenses. I assume it will be the same with SW. I always get my FW at quaker lane and spend the difference there too.

The cities charge a convenience fee if you pay your RE taxes online too.

[FishermanTim]

So, using this fee structure logic, if I don't buy a license and get caught and fined, can I charge THEM a convenience fee for fining me?
It makes just as much sense as the current asinine fee system thy have in place now!

[tysdad115]

I would rather pay a fee to my local B&T than give the state a dime more than they deserve.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by tysdad115

I would rather pay a fee to my local B&T than give the state a dime more than they deserve.

This is exactly my mentality. Last year, I tried to order online and as soon as I saw the fee, I closed the window and got drove to the gun/bait shop to get the license from them.

I'd rather my local businesses get the fee (even though it's small) than those bloated fatcats on beacon hill. They waste enough of my money already.

[fishsmith]

Originally Posted by mikecc

At this point no one from the state has contacted us about selling the SW licenses. Last year we were one of only 3 shops in the state providing them . The state still has not worked out the details for 3rd party vendors.

Typical state run program. They say DO THIS, but have no idea what to do I wonder what they'll end up paying in overtime to ready this program.

[FishermanTim]

I broke down and purchased my licenses for next year online.
I did it because I also fish in NH, so I had to get that one as well.

Here's the breakdown:

NH freshwater Non-resident license - $53.00 + $3.00 processing fee
MA freshwater Resident License - $27.50 + $2.42 processing fee
MA saltwater Permit (does not say license) - $10.00 + $1.80 fee

Total is $97.72

I do feel bad for NH saltwater anglers, because their "Permit" cost $16.00 + a processing fee, and they have almost no shoreline compared to the rest of New England.
So I guess the reciprocity aspect of the saltwater permit never got addressed?

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

I broke down and purchased my licenses for next year online.
I did it because I also fish in NH, so I had to get that one as well.

Here's the breakdown:

NH freshwater Non-resident license - $53.00 + $3.00 processing fee
MA freshwater Resident License - $27.50 + $2.42 processing fee
MA saltwater Permit (does not say license) - $10.00 + $1.80 fee

Total is $97.72

I do feel bad for NH saltwater anglers, because their "Permit" cost $16.00 + a processing fee, and they have almost no shoreline compared to the rest of New England.
So I guess the reciprocity aspect of the saltwater permit never got addressed?

Anglers with a NH SW license can fish all of Mass, as well as a certain distance up the Maine coast from the border.

Every coastal New England state has at least limited reciprocity with neighboring states, and NY does as well (RI is even a "neigboring" state with NY because the extreme east end of LI has border waters with RI). The only state in the northeast with no reciprocity is NJ. They seem to be opting for a free "registry" of state anglers rather than a license. Which is good for their fishermen if they want to only fish NJ. Not so good if they want to travel to NY or to RI/Mass.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Mike P

The only state in the northeast with no reciprocity is NJ. They seem to be opting for a free "registry" of state anglers rather than a license. Which is good for their fishermen if they want to only fish NJ. Not so good if they want to travel to NY or to RI/Mass.

Too bad this doesn't go for New Yorkers too... Least the Jersey Barriers have to pay to fish up here.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Too bad this doesn't go for New Yorkers too... Least the Jersey Barriers have to pay to fish up here.

Nope---the Noo Yawkuhs have to buy a Mass license to fish here. NY didn't grant universal reciprocity. Only limited reciprocity with CT and RI. Mass only grants reciprocity to anglers from states that give us reciprocity.

Their license seems to be tied up in the courts, too. Several towns on the east end of LI asserted their ancient colonial rights to be the sole regulators of their own waters. The upshot is, those towns may now issue their own SW licenses, and the poor schmucks who don't live in those towns may have to buy multiple licenses to fish all of their own state, rather than one statewide license.

[Plum Crazy]

Well I ended up doing mine online. No sweat. Printed out 3 copies on card stock. Went to do my husbands and no go. Had to sign up all over again for him and then I go to print it and NO GO. Try again and again (like it says) 20 times. Finally I get back to the site and find a phone number cause now I have to know if this is coming off my card. Lady says I can't have an address in line 2. It doesn't work with an address in line 2. I always put 2 addresses cause all my mail goes to a PO BOX and they always want a real address. She changed it and I was able to print. That done I asked if a REAL permit will be mailed to us. NO. I said well do you realize that we are supposed to have this on our person and we are fishing saltwater sometimes up to our necks and that paper and computer ink turn to an unreadable mess when wet? She said yea, but nothing will be mailed to you. Last year even though we put those paper reg. cards in plastic they got trashed. Try getting it out of the plastic and ALL the ink stuck to the plastic.
I guess the good thing about printing at home is we can print as many as we want. I'll keep them in my backpack, truck, camper and on my person. I'll tell ya though SOMEONE at sometime better ask me for it. I want to see this enforced and I want to see the poachers fined or worse.
Done with rant.
Oh ya did I mention that the woman on the phone was based in Tennessee and I couldn't understand a word she said. Tennessee??????????????????? I was yes may-ammed and no may-ammed to death.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Nope---the Noo Yawkuhs have to buy a Mass license to fish here. NY didn't grant universal reciprocity. Only limited reciprocity with CT and RI. Mass only grants reciprocity to anglers from states that give us reciprocity.

Ah, I missed that part. Thanks Mike.

Been seeing far too many of these in the parking lots of areas I haunt...

[Swimmer]

Turning sixty shortly and as I read the requirements for the license I saw that when one turns sixty, "fishing is free". I am good with this.

[saltfly]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

Turning sixty shortly and as I read the requirements for the license I saw that when one turns sixty, "fishing is free". I am good with this.

I'm 60 and we have to pay the CONVIENCE FEE.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by saltfly

I'm 60 and we have to pay the CONVIENCE FEE.

You could drive to New Bedford, and get your license totally free from the DMF office there.

But, you say, that would be an inconvenience?

That's what the "convenience fee" is all about.

Private vendors charge a fee for providing a service. The guy who delivers a pizza to your door expects a tip for saving you a trip to the pizzaria.

[Backbeach Jake]

But Mike, he delivered the pizza, he didn't email it.
The on line transaction represents a job that was either eliminated or will never be, the clerk is a machine that counts electrons. That machine collects no salary, benefits , nor pension. The machine was "hired" to cut costs to the State and increase costs to the Sportsman. The savings didn't get passed along. Savings don't get passed along unless there is competition.
I find it ironic that the $3.09 convenience fee is the same price as the gallon of gas you'd use to drive to save the cost of said fee.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Backbeach Jake

But Mike, he delivered the pizza, he didn't email it.
The on line transaction represents a job that was either eliminated or will never be, the clerk is a machine that counts electrons. That machine collects no salary, benefits , nor pension. The machine was "hired" to cut costs to the State and increase costs to the Sportsman. The savings didn't get passed along. Savings don't get passed along unless there is competition.
I find it ironic that the $3.09 convenience fee is the same price as the gallon of gas you'd use to drive to save the cost of said fee.

Ask John if the server that hosts SB does it for free

Then ask mike cc what MC/Visa/Discover charges him for a credit card sale.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Charging me $2.42 so I can get my License while I'm sitting in my underwear sipping on a cold one, so I can head out fishing the next morning, is pretty friggin convenient if you ask me.

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Ask John if the server that hosts SB does it for free

Then ask mike cc what MC/Visa/Discover charges him for a credit card sale.

OK you have a point there.

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

Charging me $2.42 so I can get my License while I'm sitting in my underwear sipping on a cold one, so I can head out fishing the next morning, is pretty friggin convenient if you ask me.

And you have a better point..