Outdoors Card and Ontario fishing licence. Read from Ontario MNR on 2026-09-25, schedule 2026-01-01.
All recreational fishing in Ontario. Most anglers need an Outdoors Card plus a sport fishing licence or a conservation fishing licence, which has lower catch limits.
| Licence | Ontario resident | Canadian resident | Non-Canadian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoors Card (three calendar years) | C$8.57 | C$8.57 | C$8.57 |
| Sport fishing licence, one year | C$26.57 | C$55.81 | C$83.19 |
| Sport fishing licence, three years | C$79.71 | C$167.43 | C$249.57 |
| Sport fishing licence, one day (no Outdoors Card needed) | C$12.21 | C$15.21 | C$24.86 |
| Sport fishing licence, eight days | — | — | C$54.38 |
| Conservation licence, one year | C$15.07 | C$33.43 | C$52.71 |
| Conservation licence, three years | C$45.21 | C$100.29 | C$158.13 |
| Conservation licence, eight days | — | — | C$31.52 |
Prices in CAD as the agency publishes them; residency categories, and whether tax is included, vary by province and are noted below. All fees are before the 13% HST, and the 2026 fees are in effect until 31 December 2026; licences run by calendar year.
Exemptions. Canadian residents under 18 or 65 and over can fish with government ID showing their name and date of birth instead of a licence. Non-Canadians under 18 may fish without a licence with a licence holder, whose limits apply, or buy their own. Non-Canadians 65 and over need a licence. Ontario and Canadian residents may fish without a licence during the province’s free fishing periods, under conservation limits.
Free fishing in 2026 for Ontario and Canadian residents: Family Fishing Weekend 14–16 February, Mother’s Day weekend 9–10 May, Father’s Day weekend 20–21 June and Ontario Family Fishing Week 27 June–5 July.
Online at the Ontario Fishing and Hunting Licences service, from licence issuers, at ServiceOntario, or by phone renewal.
Buy from the agency or its official portal, linked in the sources below. A site that adds a processing fee on top of the agency price is a reseller.
Ontario asks most anglers for two things: the Outdoors Card, an ID card renewed every three years, and a licence tag, either sport or conservation. The one-day sport licence is the exception and needs no card, which suits a single day on Lake Simcoe or the Bay of Quinte.
The two licences differ in the catch and possession limits. The sport licence allows the full limits in the regulations summary; the conservation licence costs less and allows fewer fish, and it is the right choice for anglers who release most of what they catch.
Ontario prices by residency: Ontario residents, other Canadian residents and non-Canadians. All prices are before the 13% HST, which is added at purchase, and the 2026 prices hold until 31 December.
The licence covers the whole province, but seasons and limits are set by fisheries management zone and sometimes by water, in the regulations summary for the year. Each water page on this site names its rules and links the summary.
For an Ontario resident, a one-year sport licence is C$26.57 and a one-year conservation licence C$15.07, plus the Outdoors Card at C$8.57 every three years, all before 13% HST.
The conservation licence is cheaper and comes with lower catch and possession limits.
Canadian residents 65 and over can fish with government ID; non-Canadians 65 and over need a licence.
In 2026: 14–16 February, 9–10 May, 20–21 June and 27 June–5 July, for Ontario and Canadian residents.
Every Ontario water on this site carries a daily report and links back to this page. The Ontario hub has today's verdicts side by side; all Canada waters are filterable by type and species.