Set up a New Brunswick fishing licence for 2026: get the free Outdoors Card number, choose resident or visitor class, and check Fish NB Days, salmon, tidal and guide rules before buying.
For most New Brunswick inland fishing in 2026, get a free Outdoors Card number first, then buy the angling or salmon licence that matches the trip. Tidal water does not need a provincial angling licence, and Fish NB Days can waive the licence on the posted weekends. Atlantic salmon and listed non-resident waters can add salmon or guide-required checks.
Most New Brunswick inland trips start with a free Outdoors Card number, then an angling or salmon licence in the NB Fish & Wildlife Licensing system. Tidal water does not need a provincial angling licence, while Atlantic salmon and listed non-resident waters can add salmon or guide-required checks.
Most New Brunswick trips start with the Outdoors Card number, then split by ordinary angling, salmon, Fish NB Days, tidal water, or guide-required water.
For most inland fishing in New Brunswick, start with a free Outdoors Card number, then buy the angling or salmon licence that matches the trip. Tidal-water fishing does not need a provincial angling licence, but Atlantic salmon and listed non-resident waters can add separate requirements. For 2026, resident angling is $23 and non-resident season angling is $64. Salmon season licences are $36 for residents and $173 for non-residents, with shorter non-resident salmon products available. If you are coming in as a non-resident, check the guide-required water rules before treating the price table as the final step.
Visiting from another province or country? Non-residents often face different pricing tiers and extra steps. Check the non-resident fishing licence guide before purchasing your New Brunswick licence.
These province-specific rules are worth checking before you compare prices or visit the buying portal.
Most inland anglers need the right New Brunswick angling or salmon licence after getting an Outdoors Card number.
Get an Outdoors Card number, then buy through NB Fish & Wildlife Licensing.
Carry your licence or electronic licence proof and any tags or authorizations that match the species or water.
New Brunswick angling licences are available for purchase from April 1, 2026. The next posted Fish NB Days are February 13-15, 2027 and June 5-6, 2027.
Current prices for New Brunswick fishing licences (Available from April 1, 2026 - March 31, 2027).
| Licence Type | Resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Angling season licence | $23.00 CAD | $64.00 CAD |
| Angling 7-day licence | — | $41.00 CAD |
| Angling 3-day licence | — | $30.00 CAD |
| Salmon season licence | $36.00 CAD | $173.00 CAD |
| Salmon 7-day licence | — | $100.00 CAD |
| Salmon 3-day licence | — | $53.00 CAD |
Get your Outdoors Card number first. The Fish & Wildlife Licensing System then shows the licence class and final purchase total that applies to your trip.
In New Brunswick, annual fishing licences usually follow the province's published licence period rather than a rolling 365-day term. If you are buying late in the season, confirm the current licence dates, salmon-season rules, or short-term options before you pay.
Catch limits, seasons, and size restrictions can vary by waterbody. Read the current New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development rules before you fish.
View New Brunswick RegulationsCost: $0.00 | Validity: Permanent | The province says you need an Outdoors Card number before you buy a New Brunswick angling licence.
Youth under 16 do not need an angling licence for species other than Atlantic salmon and have their own daily and possession limits. Resident anglers who are 10 to 15 and want their own Atlantic salmon daily live-release limit must buy a salmon licence.
New Brunswick residents 65 and older can buy an angling licence for $15 or a salmon licence for $20.
New Brunswick says you need an Outdoors Card number before you buy an angling licence. Register once, keep the number, and reuse it for later purchases.
Use the angling licence for inland fishing except sea-run Atlantic salmon. Use the salmon licence if you are targeting Atlantic salmon on waters where a salmon licence is required.
The province keeps a separate non-resident guide-requirements page. Read that page before a salmon trip because some waters and parts of the season require a licensed guide or an accompanying New Brunswick resident.
For inland waters, use the New Brunswick guide and licence system. For tidal waters, the province says no angling licence is required, so check the federal rules that apply to the species and area you plan to fish.
New Brunswick's first step is not the licence itself. It is the Outdoors Card number. The province says you need that number before you buy any angling licence.
Register through the province's Outdoors Card registration instructions, then open the New Brunswick e-Licensing portal, choose the angling or salmon class that matches your trip, and finish checkout with the correct residency category. Use the regulations map separately for waterbody rules.
If you plan to carry licence proof on a phone, read the province's current electronic licence signature notice alongside the licence instructions. Do not infer a separate signature or proof rule from an older screenshot or saved copy.
Moving gear or live fish between waters can raise a different issue. Check New Brunswick's invasive fish notice before transporting bait, fish, or equipment between locations.
For most inland fishing, plan on the right New Brunswick angling or salmon licence after getting an Outdoors Card number. A few situations change that answer.
| Trip situation | Licence answer | Still check |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary inland angling | Get an Outdoors Card number, then buy the angling licence that matches your residency and trip length. | Season dates, species limits, and waterbody rules. |
| Atlantic salmon | Use the salmon licence class. Non-resident salmon trips can also trigger guide-required water rules. | River class, tags, retention, and guide-required waters. |
| Fish NB Days | No ordinary angling licence is required during the posted free-fishing windows. | Closed waters, Crown Reserve waters, leases, private waters, winter rules, and other restrictions. |
| Tidal water | New Brunswick says a provincial angling licence is not required in tidal waters. | Federal species and area rules before you fish. |
| Youth or resident senior | Youth under 16 do not need an angling licence for species other than Atlantic salmon. Residents 65 and older have reduced-price angling and salmon options. | Salmon-specific youth rules and proof for reduced-price products. |
New Brunswick's non-resident salmon rules are more specific than in many other provinces. The province's guide-requirements page says that on listed waters and during the listed part of the season, a non-resident may fish only when accompanied by a licensed New Brunswick guide or an accompanying New Brunswick resident who holds the proper authorization.
That rule does not apply everywhere. Before you book a salmon trip, read the current guide-requirements page, match your river to the map and list there, and check whether you are fishing inland, tidal, or within another access system.
New Brunswick says Fish NB Days happen twice each year: during the Family Day long weekend in February and on the first full weekend of June. The next posted dates are February 13-15, 2027 and June 5-6, 2027.
On those dates, residents and non-residents may fish without an angling licence. The waiver is useful, but it is not unlimited. Closed waters, Crown Reserve waters, Crown Angling Leases, private waters, winter-water limits, and other separate restrictions still remain in effect.
Open the Fish NB Days guide if your main question is the free fishing weekend rather than the full licence setup.
If you are comparing New Brunswick licence cost, season timing, and the current rule set, keep four checks together: licence class, age notes, Fish NB Days, and the inland-versus-tidal split.
For waterbody timing, use the season calendar. For current regulation detail, use the regulations hub and the province's current Fish Book before you travel. That keeps the buying step, open dates, and water rules in the right order.
Before checkout, decide whether the trip is ordinary inland angling, Atlantic salmon, Fish NB Days, tidal water, or a non-resident trip on guide-required water.
| Question or situation | Good next step | Check this when |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoors Card, e-Licensing login, first purchase, or licence proof | Open the Outdoors Card and e-Licensing guide | You are setting up an Outdoors Card number, buying online, reprinting a licence, or showing electronic proof. |
| Price, season, regulation, or trout-season planning | Open the New Brunswick price and season guide | You need licence amounts, short products, season timing, trout-season wording, or regulation checks before travel. |
| Fish NB Days or free fishing weekend | Open the Fish NB Days guide | The trip depends on a February or June licence-free window and the restrictions that still stay in place. |
| Non-resident salmon, guide-required, Crown Reserve, or private water | Open the guide-required waters guide | You are planning a non-resident salmon trip, listed guide-required water, Crown Reserve water, or private-water access. |
| Salmon, tidal water, or federal water | Open the salmon and tidal rules guide and compare federal versus provincial licences | The trip may leave ordinary inland angling and use salmon, tidal, or federal species rules. |
| Cost comparison, visitor class, or buying after the New Brunswick class is clear | Compare cost by province, check visitor rules, or open the official portal links | You know the licence class, water type, and trip length. |
New Brunswick says you do not need an angling licence to fish in tidal waters. That matters if your trip is focused on tidal species and not inland angling.
For inland waters, use the New Brunswick angling guide and the provincial licence system. For tidal waters, follow the federal rules that apply to your area and species. If your day includes both inland and tidal sections, plan around the point where the rules change instead of assuming one set of rules covers the whole trip.
If your trip is salmon-focused, also open the New Brunswick salmon and tidal rules guide. If your trip is really about access on listed waters, open the guide-required waters guide next.
Get the Outdoors Card number first, then choose angling or salmon. After that, check whether Fish NB Days, guide-required waters, tidal-water rules, age, or senior status changes the licence you need.
Yes. New Brunswick says you need an Outdoors Card number before you buy an angling licence.
The current New Brunswick e-Licensing tables list resident angling at $23, resident 65+ angling at $15, non-resident season angling at $64, non-resident 7-day angling at $41, and non-resident 3-day angling at $30.
The current New Brunswick e-Licensing tables list salmon season licences at $36 for residents 16-64, $20 for residents 10-15 or 65+, $173 for non-residents, $100 for a 7-day non-resident licence, and $53 for a 3-day non-resident licence.
There is not one opening date for all New Brunswick fishing. Open dates change by water, species, and season type, so check the current season calendar and the province's latest guide before you plan the trip.
Check the province's current regulations pages and the current Fish Book before you go. That is where open dates, waterbody rules, species limits, and special access rules are posted.
Only in places and periods where the guide-requirements page says a guide is not required. On listed guide-required waters and during the listed part of the season, New Brunswick says a non-resident must be accompanied by a licensed guide or an authorized accompanying resident.
No. The province says an angling licence is not required in tidal waters.
New Brunswick says Fish NB Days happen during the Family Day long weekend in February and the first full weekend of June. The 2026 windows have passed. The next posted dates are February 13-15, 2027 and June 5-6, 2027. On those dates, residents and non-residents may fish without a licence, subject to the other restrictions that stay in place.
No. Fish NB Days waive the ordinary angling licence requirement, but closed waters, Crown Reserve waters, Crown Angling Leases, private waters, winter-water limits, and other separate restrictions still remain in effect.
Check the province's current guide-requirements page before a non-resident salmon trip. That page settles where a licensed guide or an accompanying resident is still required.
Youth under 16 do not need an angling licence for species other than Atlantic salmon and have their own daily and possession limits. Resident anglers aged 10 to 15 who want their own Atlantic salmon daily live-release limit must buy a salmon licence.
New Brunswick residents 65 and older can buy an angling licence for $15 or a salmon licence for $20.