Question: I received a CDFW gift voucher for a Resident Sport Fishing License. How do I go about redeeming that to get my actual fishing license? (Luis)

Answer: Congratulations! California sport fishing licenses make terrific gifts. As you noted, a gift voucher is not a valid license and must be redeemed for a sport fishing license before fishing. There are a few ways to do this.

If you have access to a printer, you can redeem your voucher online at CDFW’s website. After entering your voucher information, you will receive a temporary fishing license to print out and use immediately until your actual license arrives in the mail.

Ordinarily, you can also redeem your voucher at authorized retail license agents statewide or at one of CDFW’s license sales offices. It’s best to check ahead before heading out. CDFW has closed its license sales offices to help slow the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), and some retail license agents similarly have closed or reduced their hours of operation.