Do I need a license to fish in Oregon?

From age 12, yes. Anglers 18 and older buy an adult license, anglers 12 to 17 buy a $10 youth license, and children under 12 need no license to fish, crab or clam. The only other exception is ODFW's Free Fishing Days.

What is the Ocean Endorsement?

A new add-on from 1 January 2026, $9 a year or $4 a day for everyone. You need it to fish the ocean from a beach, jetty or boat for finfish like rockfish, lingcod, halibut and tuna. You do not need it for salmon, steelhead, crab or clams. Youth, pioneer and resident disabled veteran licenses already include it.

Where does the ocean start?

Past the visible ends of the jetties on the coast, and past Buoy 10 on the Columbia River. Inside a bay you are not in the ocean for the endorsement, but your license and any tag still apply.

Do I need the Combined Angling Tag for halibut?

Yes. ODFW lists Pacific halibut with salmon, steelhead and sturgeon: record the fish on the Combined Angling Tag as soon as you keep it, with its length in inches. The MyODFW app works as an electronic tag.

How long is an Oregon fishing license valid?

An annual license runs 1 January to 31 December, whenever you buy it. A license bought in October covers the rest of that year only. Daily and multi-day licenses are sold for shorter trips.

What does an Oregon fishing license cost?

ODFW raised recreational fees an average of 12 to 14 percent for 2026 and shows current prices when you buy. Check ODFW for current fees. The youth license is $10 and the Ocean Endorsement is $9 a year.

Are there free fishing days in Oregon?

Three weekends in 2026: 14 and 15 February, 6 and 7 June, and 27 and 28 November 2026. Anyone can fish, crab and clam without a license, tag or endorsement on those days. Area closures, bag limits and every other rule still apply.

I have a Washington or California license. Does it work in Oregon?

Not in general. ODFW licenses Oregon water. The exception ODFW names for the Ocean Endorsement is Washington residents with a valid Washington license fishing north of Cape Falcon, where the two states share the Columbia River subarea. Check ODFW before you rely on any out-of-state license.

Oregon fishing license, 2026

One agency, ODFW, and a license that runs the calendar year. What changed for 2026 is the ocean: fishing past the jetties for rockfish, lingcod, halibut or tuna now needs an Ocean Endorsement on top of the license. Salmon and halibut also need the Combined Angling Tag. This page works out which pieces you actually need.

Checked 13 September 2026 against myodfw.com.An annual license runs 1 January to 31 December.

Do you need a license?

Required from age 12. Pick by what you are fishing for and where, because the add-ons follow the species.

Rockfish, lingcod or tuna in the ocean

Jetties, beaches and boats past the jetty tips, from Brookings to Astoria.

Angling license + Ocean Endorsement

Endorsement $9 a year or $4 a day

Pacific halibut

The all-depth and nearshore halibut seasons off the Oregon coast.

Angling license + Ocean Endorsement + Combined Angling Tag

Record each halibut and its length

Salmon, in the ocean or a bay

Ocean salmon, fall Chinook in the bays, and Buoy 10 at the Columbia mouth.

Angling license + Combined Angling Tag

No Ocean Endorsement for salmon

Crab, clams, or under 12

Bay crabbing off a dock or boat, and clamming on the flats.

Shellfish license from age 12

Under 12 needs nothing

The Ocean Endorsement is the piece most people miss.

It started on 1 January 2026 and pays for marine fish research such as black rockfish surveys. A license you bought before then does not include it. The line is the visible end of the jetty: cast from the jetty tip into the ocean for rockfish and you need it, crab from a dock inside the bay and you do not.

Heading across a state line? See the Washington fishing license guide and the California fishing license guide.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

What it costs

Oregon fishing license fees, 2026
License	Resident	Non-resident
Annual angling (18+)	See ODFW	See ODFW
Daily and multi-day angling	See ODFW	See ODFW
Youth license (12 to 17)	$10	$10
Pioneer license	$10	Not sold

Children under 12 need no license to fish, crab or clam.
An annual license runs 1 January to 31 December, whenever you buy it.
The youth license covers fishing, hunting and shellfish, and includes the Ocean Endorsement. The pioneer license includes all major licenses plus the Ocean Endorsement. Resident disabled veterans get a free combination license that also includes it.
ODFW raised recreational fees an average of 12 to 14 percent for 2026. Check ODFW for current fees before you buy.

Check ODFW for current fees. The full price list shows in the licensing system when you buy. See ODFW: what’s new for 2026 for this year’s changes.

Endorsements and tags

An endorsement or tag is a permission added to a license you already hold. Without the right one your license is valid and you still aren’t allowed to do the thing.

Ocean Endorsement
Annual
$9
Daily
$4
New for 2026. Required to fish the ocean from a beach, jetty or boat, or to spearfish, for finfish such as rockfish, lingcod, halibut and tuna. The ocean starts past the visible ends of the jetties, and past Buoy 10 on the Columbia. Not needed for salmon, steelhead, crab or clams. Same price for residents and visitors.
Combined Angling Tag
Price
See ODFW
Required to fish for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon, catch and release included, and Pacific halibut are recorded on it too. Enter the codes the moment you keep a fish, on paper or in the MyODFW app, and write down the length in inches for halibut and sturgeon.
Columbia River Basin Endorsement
Price
See ODFW
Needed on an Oregon license to fish for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon on the Columbia and the rivers that drain into it. Relevant around Astoria. Free on request with a youth, resident pioneer or resident disabled veteran license.
Shellfish license
Price
See ODFW
Crabbing and clamming take a shellfish license from age 12, sold by the day or the year. It is separate from the angling license, and the youth license already includes it.

Sources: Ocean Endorsement, Combined Angling Tag, Columbia River Basin Endorsement, shellfish licenses.

How to buy one

Go to ODFW: how to buy a license and log in to the electronic licensing system. Licenses are also sold at ODFW offices and by licensed vendors, most tackle shops included.
Pick the license. Annual if you will fish more than a few days this year, remembering it ends on 31 December. Youth anglers 12 to 17 buy the $10 youth license instead.
Add the Ocean Endorsement if you will fish past the jetties for anything but salmon. That is most of the Oregon water on ReelCaster.
Add the Combined Angling Tag for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon or halibut, and the Columbia River Basin Endorsement for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon on the Columbia. Add a shellfish license for crab and clams.
Carry it. A paper copy or the MyODFW app on your own phone both count, and the app doubles as your electronic tag.

What a license does not give you

A license is permission to participate. It says nothing about what is open today. Sitting on top of a perfectly valid license:

Bottomfish depth lines. ODFW runs rockfish and lingcod by regulatory depth lines. The offshore long-leader fishery is only seaward of the 40-fathom line, and a descending device is required to release rockfish outside the 30-fathom line. Depth rules can change in season.
Halibut subareas and all-depth days. The Oregon coast is split into halibut subareas, each with its own all-depth and nearshore seasons. On some subareas all-depth fishing is open only on set days, and nearshore halibut stays inside the 40-fathom line.
In-season changes. ODFW opens and closes ocean fisheries in season, sometimes at short notice. The printed regulations are a starting point, not the current state.
Size and daily limits. Vary by species, area and season. Yelloweye and quillback rockfish cannot be kept at all, in any Oregon water.
Marine reserves. Oregon has marine reserves along its coast where fishing is limited or closed. A valid license means nothing inside one.

Check current rules with ODFW sport bottomfish seasons, ODFW halibut regulations and the ODFW Marine Zone page, and browse fishing spots across Oregon to see conditions and forecasts for where you are headed.

Free Fishing Days. On 14 and 15 February, 6 and 7 June, and 27 and 28 November 2026, anyone can fish, crab and clam in Oregon without a license, tag or endorsement. Area closures, bag limits and all other rules still apply. ODFW: Free Fishing Days.

This page is a plain-language reference, not legal advice, and fees and rules change. ODFW is the authority. Every fact here links back to the page it came from. Checked 13 September 2026.

Common questions

Do I need a license to fish in Oregon?
From age 12, yes. Anglers 18 and older buy an adult license, anglers 12 to 17 buy a $10 youth license, and children under 12 need no license to fish, crab or clam. The only other exception is ODFW's Free Fishing Days.
What is the Ocean Endorsement?
A new add-on from 1 January 2026, $9 a year or $4 a day for everyone. You need it to fish the ocean from a beach, jetty or boat for finfish like rockfish, lingcod, halibut and tuna. You do not need it for salmon, steelhead, crab or clams. Youth, pioneer and resident disabled veteran licenses already include it.
Where does the ocean start?
Past the visible ends of the jetties on the coast, and past Buoy 10 on the Columbia River. Inside a bay you are not in the ocean for the endorsement, but your license and any tag still apply.
Do I need the Combined Angling Tag for halibut?
Yes. ODFW lists Pacific halibut with salmon, steelhead and sturgeon: record the fish on the Combined Angling Tag as soon as you keep it, with its length in inches. The MyODFW app works as an electronic tag.
How long is an Oregon fishing license valid?
An annual license runs 1 January to 31 December, whenever you buy it. A license bought in October covers the rest of that year only. Daily and multi-day licenses are sold for shorter trips.
What does an Oregon fishing license cost?
ODFW raised recreational fees an average of 12 to 14 percent for 2026 and shows current prices when you buy. Check ODFW for current fees. The youth license is $10 and the Ocean Endorsement is $9 a year.
Are there free fishing days in Oregon?
Three weekends in 2026: 14 and 15 February, 6 and 7 June, and 27 and 28 November 2026. Anyone can fish, crab and clam without a license, tag or endorsement on those days. Area closures, bag limits and every other rule still apply.
I have a Washington or California license. Does it work in Oregon?
Not in general. ODFW licenses Oregon water. The exception ODFW names for the Ocean Endorsement is Washington residents with a valid Washington license fishing north of Cape Falcon, where the two states share the Columbia River subarea. Check ODFW before you rely on any out-of-state license.

License sorted. Now pick the day.

Live conditions, tides and 14-day fishing forecasts for the Oregon coast, from Brookings to Astoria.