The Dock · Fishing Locator

New to fishing? Start with Luka.

Never wet a line, don't know a license from a lure, not sure where you'd even go — good, that's the job you hand him. Tell Luka roughly where you are, when you're thinking of going, and what you'd love to catch; he turns those answers into one named plan: a real spot, the license that keeps you legal there, and the checklist. The map sits one step below — public, every spot from an official source, fees printed only where that source posts them. Check before you go — the spot's official page always wins. That's the depth he draws on — start with the conversation.

Start with Luka — plan my first trip Run the License Helper Browse the spots

The locator is part of the Dock, the clubhouse's fishing room. Talking about the catch is for members on the Board — the map itself is open to everyone.

Four doors in

Pick the one that sounds like you — Luka takes it from there

Plan my first trip Where can I fish near me? What do I need to not get in trouble? I fish — put me on something new

Each door opens Luka with the context already loaded. He asks the quick questions, you answer what you can — partial answers are fine — and the two of you land on a spot, a license, and a plan.

Seasonal specials

State Fish

Showing every spot on the map. Pick a state, pick a fish, or search a place — the map moves to your results.

The California public-pier rule. No sport fishing license is required when you fish from a public pier in ocean or bay waters (Fish & Game Code §7153; a public pier, per Title 14 CCR §1.88, is connected to shore, open to the public freely, and built primarily for fishing). Every other rule still applies from a pier — size and bag limits, and a maximum of two rods or lines per person. The exemption covers piers only: not lake or river piers, docks and marinas, or shorelines. Source: California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife — California Beach Fishing, checked Oct 19, 2026.

Rules change at the state line. California's pier rule above is California's — every state sets its own, and each card on this page prints its own state's rule from that state's official source. The shapes differ: Texas waives the license only inside its state parks; in Florida a pier holding a saltwater pier license covers everyone fishing from that pier, and a few covered piers couldn't confirm that coverage on their official pages, so their cards say confirm first; New York has no pier exemption at all — saltwater anglers 16 and up enroll in the state's free Recreational Marine Fishing Registry instead. Read your spot's card before you go, and when in doubt, run the License Helper.

How to read the fees. A fee appears only when the spot's official source posts it. "Not posted — call ahead" means the official source doesn't publish that fee; we print the spot's phone number instead of guessing. Every card names its source and the date it was checked.

The spots

The Dock: plan the trip

Fishing licenses are a maze: the right one depends on where you're fishing, whether you live there, what water you're on, and how long you're staying — and getting it wrong is an expensive conversation with a warden. So the Dock plans a trip in order: license first, water second, fish third, checklist last.

Guided path

Your first trip, planned

1 · Run the License Helper. State, residency, water, trip length — it returns the license, the official fees, and the state's own purchase page. Start there →
2 · Pick your water. The Fishing Locator's verified spots — piers, lakes, rivers, shore — each with its official source and its spot-level license note. Open the locator →
3 · Know your fish. Every locator card names what is caught at that spot, from its official source. Browse the water first, then the fish that live in it. See the spots →
4 · Build the checklist. The builder beside this path turns your water and your target into the tackle, gear, and safety list — check it off, print it, pack by it.

Working tool

Trip checklist builder

House guidance only — stable, general gear and safety knowledge. It deliberately carries no fees, no seasons, no sizes, and no limits: those come from official sources through the License Helper and the locator, and they outrank anything here.

How it works

Pick the state — your home state, or the state you're travelling to fish
Resident or non-resident — the single biggest fork in fishing licenses, and where most visitors overpay or under-buy
Pick your water — freshwater, saltwater, or a combo that covers both
Pick your trip length — a day, a few days, or the full season

The helper then tells you which license you need, the official fees for it, the short-term visitor options a resident never hears about, and any age, senior, or veteran exemptions the state offers — and it links you out to that state's official purchase page to buy it.

The License Helper runs on live state data in the card beside this one, and Luka, the clubhouse SI reads the same verified data: give him your states, dates, and target species and he builds the whole trip plan from it, fees verified and dated. Ask Luka →

We never sell licenses. Every fee and rule is shown with an as-of date and the official state source it came from — and if the page and the state ever disagree, the official source wins.

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