BajaNomad

Fishing licenses for minors

JakeinVegas - 12-29-2013 at 11:10 AM

According to the information posted on these sites below minors do not need a fishing license in Mexico.

http://www.bajabigfish.com/?p=5168

and

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/showthread.php/494817-CONAP...

Can anyone else confirm that this is the case? We are coming down to Bahia Concepcion with a bunch of young children next June and we don't want to get in trouble if they are in the boat with us whether fishing or not fishing.

On another topic it is my understanding that all adults on board a boat with fishing equipment must have a license whether they are fishing or not. So for instance if we load mom and kids in the boat and drive across the bay and then drop them off at the beach while we go fishing then theoretically mom could be cited on the ride over.

Feel free to chime in with regulations or other advice.

Thanks,

Jake

woody with a view - 12-29-2013 at 11:20 AM

yes, you are correct about mom. i think the law says ANYONE on a boat with a single hook for fishing must have a license. kinda lame, but it is what it is....

JakeinVegas - 12-29-2013 at 11:43 AM

Woody...thanks for confirming that. If that is the rule then we will get mom a fishing license. Maybe She will catch the bug.

CaboMagic - 12-29-2013 at 02:37 PM

and fwiw - from experience - if your vessel happens to be checked .. some young'uns look older than their years and the age of a minor can be questioned causing an assortment of issues depending on which way the wind is blowing .. better safe than sorry for the relatively small $ to purchase the license, and suggest weekly vs daily licenses also. Enjoy your trip!

vseasport - 12-29-2013 at 04:52 PM

Under 18 a fishing license is not required. If checked treat the inspector with respect and you will not have a problem.

JakeinVegas - 12-29-2013 at 05:21 PM

Thanks folks. None of the kids are older than fifteen and none look even close to eighteen so we will purchase one week licenses for all the adults and then carry a copy of that letter in the boat. We will have a native spanish speaker with us so we should be able communicate clearly if inspected.

elskel - 12-30-2013 at 08:52 AM

I have always bought licenses for my four kids, I only have one under 18 now. My question: Has anyone pulled up to to a Pesca Inspector, such as in Cabo San Lucas and presented this letter to the officials? And if so what did they say? I might be able to save some friends some money. I was under the assumption all persons needed a license. Would like to hear from private boaters and if anyone is using this letter on a charter boat operation.
brian

CaboMagic - 12-30-2013 at 09:33 AM

Happy to chime in on this one ..
Over 21 years as operators in CSL we've experienced multiple changes including - or should I say especially- with regards to the enforcement on angler licenses - and it didn't matter what PESCA rules said it was more depending on what "the enforcer" decided. In the 'beginning' we were the only charter operator to actually purchase licenses (go ahead read between the lines) .. Remember the 'stamp-ad-nauseum' debacle? We were accused of trying to overcharge ($11 at the time) for licenses - we were told by local officials that if the angler license/s did not have the local stamp, the license/s might not be accepted. So we would have guests/clients go to local Pesca office to get their ok/stamp .. We were not making the rules, we were following them.

In Cabo they generally insist anglers over the age of 8 have a license on board, especially since those passengers will likely be actively engaged ..

I'm often asked: do I need a license if I am fishing from shore? Well, not technically, but, if you happen to be asked for your license, by someone who knows they can shake you down for a couple of pesos, wouldn't it have been worth it to buy the license in the first place? I know there are lots of folks who will disagree and I respect their right to do so.

Good that everyone agrees fishing and catching are good for ones health ..

Hope this post helps. LG