Coronavirus safe: Online sales of fishing licenses double, 2021 licenses now available

Buoyed by a 20% increase in fishing license purchases this year over 2019, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is offering fishing licenses for 2021, which are also valid for this month.

Although fishing licenses are still available through local bait and sporting goods stores, the commission is promoting the option to buy the license, or a voucher for one given as a gift, online because of safe social distancing practices during the pandemic.

More than double the amount of people bought their licenses online in 2020 than in 2019, said Mike Parker, commission spokesman.

This year of the 934,000 overall license sales through Nov. 30, about 40% of license sales, or nearly 382,000 licenses, were online. Last year, close to 780,000 licenses were sold overall with about 18% of license sales, 144,000 bought online, he said.

“This was definitely due in part because people wanted to go fishing but avoid the crowds inside stores,” Parker said.

“Also, we allowed for the first time for licenses to be purchased online and displayed digitally on a smartphone as proof of possession, rather than printing the license out on paper,” he said. “This will continue to add safety and convenience for anglers.”

The price of an annual resident fishing license in 2021 is still $22.90.

Locally, the agency anticipates a robust of number of anglers to finish the year on state rivers, streams and ponds, said commission Sgt. Mike Walsh of the Southwest Region office in Somerset.

“People are self-quarantining and instead of large gatherings, they are spending more time with families in the outdoors,” he said. “We are seeing people who haven’t fished and boated in years.”

Except for Tuesday’s snow, the relatively mild fall weather, along with fall trout stocking, has kept anglers active at a number of local parks and waterways, Walsh said.

The fishing is still good.

The steelhead in Erie is a popular draw, Walsh said.

“Coldwater fish such as trout and walleye are still going to feed and are more active when it is cold,” he said.

“People have been fishing at Deer Lakes Park the entire month of November since we stocked it with trout,” Walsh said.

Also popular with anglers are Raccoon Lake in Beaver County, North Park Lake in Allegheny County and Mammoth and Twin Lakes parks in Westmoreland County.

“Additionally, there are lakes with walleye such as Pymatuning, which is regularly stocked — that’s a hotspot,” Walsh said.

Notable fishing dates:

Dec. 1: 2021 fishing licenses go on sale

April 3: Regional opening day of trout season

April 10: Statewide mentored youth trout day

April 17: Statewide opening day of trout season

Nov. 1 through April 30: Mandatory life jacket requirement in effect