How to Get an Oregon Fishing License

Need an Oregon fishing license before your guided trip? These step-by-step instructions explain how to buy your license on an iPhone, Samsung, or other Android phone, use the official MyODFW app, or print paper documents from a computer.

Before buying, confirm your trip location and target species with Marvin. Call or text 503-314-5087. Salmon, sturgeon, walleye, ocean fishing, and crabbing can require different documents.

Official links and instructions checked October 9, 2026. Follow the current ODFW requirements for your trip.

Start Here: Official License and App Links

The app is called MyODFW and the publisher is Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Downloading it does not purchase your license.

Step 1: Get Ready Before You Start

Have your trip date, personal information, email access, payment card, and any previous ODFW ID number handy. Choose a time when you have a good internet connection and can finish without rushing.

Step 2: Verify Your Existing Account or Create Your Own

Open the official ODFW licensing website in Safari, Chrome, or Samsung Internet.

  1. Already have an account? Sign in with your username and password.
  2. Bought an annual license since 2016, or have ODFW points or certifications? Use Verify/Look Up Your Account to find your existing profile before creating anything new.
  3. Brand-new customer? Choose the new-customer or Create an Account option and follow the prompts.
  4. Check your name, birth date, contact details, and residency information. Complete any requested verification and save your login details.

For customers following this phone guide, use your own account rather than Guest Checkout. ODFW guest purchases are paper-only; an account is required to use electronic documents and e-tagging.

Step 3: Choose Electronic or Paper Documents

Phone option: Choose electronic documents and e-tagging if you will carry and use the MyODFW app.

Paper option: Choose paper documents if you prefer printed licenses and tags. Each angler needs their own documents; one phone cannot display everyone’s electronic licenses.

Step 4: Select the License, Tag, and Endorsements for Your Trip

When signed in, choose Purchase from the catalog, then Fishing. Select the correct year and, for daily or multi-day products, the actual fishing dates. Check resident or nonresident eligibility before adding products.

Use this checklist to discuss your purchase with Marvin:

  • Walleye: An angling license for your trip dates. The Oregon Columbia River Basin Endorsement is not required solely for walleye fishing.
  • Salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, or Pacific halibut: An angling license and appropriate angling tag. Oregon daily/multi-day angling licenses include the combined angling tag; annual-license anglers generally purchase it separately. Tags also apply to catch-and-release salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon fishing.
  • Columbia River Basin salmon, steelhead, or sturgeon: Oregon-licensed anglers also need the Columbia River Basin Endorsement, including catch-and-release sturgeon trips. Check whether your license already includes it.
  • Ocean rockfish, lingcod, or halibut: Check the Ocean Endorsement requirement. It generally applies to ocean finfish fishing, with an exception for trips taking only salmon or steelhead. Shellfish-only trips are exempt.
  • Dungeness crabbing: A shellfish license, or a license product that includes shellfish privileges. Do not assume every fishing license covers crab.

For a combination trip, confirm both fishing and shellfish coverage. Youth and special licenses have different inclusions. Children under 12 generally do not need a fishing or shellfish license, but may still need tags and endorsements for the fishery.

Official details: license and tag requirements, Columbia River Basin Endorsement, Ocean Endorsement, and shellfish licensing.

Step 5: Review Your Cart and Pay

Check the customer’s name, license year, trip dates, products, and document preference. Follow the checkout prompts and complete payment. Save your purchase confirmation. A payment receipt alone is not the license or harvest tag you need to carry.

Step 6: Install MyODFW on Your Phone

iPhone: Open the MyODFW App Store link, tap Get or the download symbol, and follow your phone’s installation prompts.

Samsung or other Android phone: Open the MyODFW Google Play link, tap Install, then open the app.

If already installed, check your app store for an update.

Step 7: Sign In and Check Your Documents

Use the same account login in MyODFW. While connected to the internet, open your portfolio and confirm that the purchased licenses, tags, and endorsements appear. Refresh or sync if needed.

Do this at home, before arriving at the marina. Keep your phone charged. After syncing, the app supports offline use; ODFW recommends Field Mode or Airplane Mode in poor reception. Sync again after your trip. Use the app to display electronic documents rather than relying on screenshots.

Step 8: Record Your Catch When Required

When a fish requiring harvest recording is kept, record it immediately on your chosen tag. In MyODFW, use Add Harvest, enter the required species, location, and catch-date information, and save. Ask Marvin for help identifying the correct information.

See ODFW angling tag instructions and location codes.

Prefer Paper? How to Print Your Oregon License

  1. Sign in to your account on a computer and choose paper documents before completing your purchase.
  2. Open the documents for printing and print every required page. If your purchase produces two pages, bring both. Do not bring only the license page and leave the harvest tag at home.
  3. Print at the original size on letter-size paper. Do not shrink tags or make extra copies of harvest tags. Sign where required.
  4. Bring your license, tag, required endorsements, and a pen. Keep paper documents in a waterproof bag.

The number of pages depends on your purchase. Paper and electronic tagging are different choices; printing an electronic-license copy does not turn an electronic tag into a paper tag. Ask ODFW before changing your tagging method.

Trouble Signing In or Finding a Purchase?

Use the username or password recovery options. Avoid creating another account when you cannot access an existing one. For account or purchase problems, contact ODFW Licensing at 503-947-6101 or odfw.websales@odfw.oregon.gov.

ODFW provides purchasing instructions and electronic licensing help. A licensed vendor can also help with purchases and paper documents.

Ready for Your Guided Oregon Fishing Trip?

I provide fishing gear and instruction; you bring the required license documents. Before buying for shared Oregon-Washington waters, confirm which state’s documents apply to our trip.

Explore my Astoria fishing trips, Buoy 10 salmon charters, Columbia River guided fishing, and Oregon Coast crabbing trips.

Call or text Marvin at 503-314-5087 or send a trip inquiry. Review your meeting location before leaving home.

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