Fishing licence · Sydney Lake
Good news first: your Ontario fishing licence is included in every Sydney Lake trip, so there’s nothing to buy before you come. Below are the catch limits on Sydney and Kilburn, the 2026 licence rules and fees for anglers from outside Canada, how to pack your fish for the trip home, and why there’s no such thing as a “Canada fishing license.”
Keep a couple of eaters, put the big ones back
Included
licence in every trip
Your Ontario fishing licence comes with your Sydney Lake package.
2 walleye
per day and in possession
Our camp rule: keep eaters 18 inches and under.
C$31.52
8-day conservation licence
2026 price for non-Canadians, plus HST and an Outdoors Card.
No “Canada” licence
licences are provincial
To fish Sydney Lake you need an Ontario licence.
Sydney & Kilburn limits
Two sets of rules apply here. Ontario’s limits for the Sydney Lake Area are the law. Our camp rules are a little stricter, and they’re a big part of why the lakes still grow so many big fish.
| Species | Ontario limit | Our camp rule | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 2Only 1 over 46 cm (18.1 in). Walleye and sauger count together. | 218 inches and under | Opens the third Saturday in May: May 15, 2027 |
| Northern pike | 2None between 70 and 90 cm (27.5–35.4 in). Only 1 over 90 cm. | 227 inches and under | Open all year |
| Lake trout | 1Any size | 130 inches and under | Closes September 30 |
| Bass | 1Smallmouth and largemouth together. Under 35 cm (13.8 in) until June 30. | Ontario limit | Open all year |
| Lake whitefish | 6 | Ontario limit | Open all year |
| Yellow perch | 25 | Ontario limit | Open all year |
| Muskie | 0Catch and release only | Ontario limit | — |
The Sydney Lake pilot project
Ontario’s fishing regulations name a special area after our lake: the Sydney Lake Area – North Kenora Pilot Project. In Zone 2 it covers Sydney Lake and the waters south and east of Kilburn Lake, including Rowdy and Leano lakes. It carries on into Zone 4, west to the Manitoba border and south to the English River, much the same corner of Ontario as Ontario’s Trophy Waters.
Inside the area, anglers from outside Canada get the same low limits whether they buy a sport or a conservation licence: 2 walleye, 2 northern pike, 1 lake trout, 1 bass and no muskie. Elsewhere in Zones 2 and 4, a sport licence lets you keep 4 walleye and 4 pike a day.
Lower limits mean more big fish stay in the lake. We’ve fished Sydney as a conservation fishery since 1987, and our camp rules go one step further by keeping only the smaller eaters. That’s why a 27-inch walleye or a 40-inch pike is a real possibility on every trip.
Why these lakes grow big fish →Licence basics
Your licence for Sydney Lake is taken care of. If you’ll also fish somewhere else in Ontario, on the drive up or on another trip, here’s what anglers from outside Canada need.
✓ Fishing at Sydney Lake? Your licence is included in your package.
| How long | Conservation licence | Sport licence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | Not offered | $24.86 (no Outdoors Card needed) |
| 8 days | $31.52 | $54.38 |
| 1 year | $52.71 | $83.19 |
| 3 years | $158.13 | $249.57 |
| Outdoors Card | $8.57, good for three calendar years. Needed with every licence except the 1-day. | |
Ages 18 and up
Every angler 18 or older who lives outside Canada needs an Outdoors Card and a fishing licence. That includes anglers 65 and older: the seniors exemption only applies to Ontario and Canadian residents.
Under 18
A child under 18 can fish without a licence when they’re with an adult who has one. Their fish count toward that adult’s limit. If you want them to have their own limit, buy them their own Outdoors Card and licence.
Sport or conservation
A sport licence gives full catch limits. A conservation licence costs less and has lower limits, about half, for anglers who release most of their fish. In the Sydney Lake Area the limits are the same on both, so conservation is all you need there.
The Outdoors Card
The Outdoors Card is Ontario’s fishing and hunting ID. You need one before you can buy a licence (except the 1-day). It’s mailed to you, so carry your Licence Summary until it arrives. To buy, you’ll need your name, date of birth, mailing address, height and eye colour.
On the water
Carry your Outdoors Card and your Licence Summary while you fish. A digital Licence Summary has to be the PDF from the licensing service; a photo or screenshot of it doesn’t count.
Buying one
Online at huntandfishontario.com with Visa or Mastercard, at a ServiceOntario centre, or from a licence issuer such as a bait and tackle shop. Ontario moves to a new online system, FishHuntON, on December 10, 2026; the old system is offline December 7 to 9.
Canada fishing license
No. Lots of people search for one, but Canada doesn’t sell a national fishing licence. Each province and territory sells its own licence for its lakes and rivers. An Ontario licence covers Ontario, a Manitoba licence covers Manitoba, and so on. If you stop to fish in another province on the way, you’ll need that province’s licence too.
There are two federal exceptions. Lakes and rivers inside a national park need a Parks Canada fishing permit, because provincial licences aren’t valid there. And ocean (tidal) waters, mostly on the British Columbia coast, need a federal tidal licence.
For Sydney Lake, all you need is an Ontario licence, and it’s included. Woodland Caribou is a provincial park, not a national park, so your Ontario licence covers it.
| Where you fish | What you need |
|---|---|
| Sydney Lake, Kenora or anywhere in Ontario | Ontario Outdoors Card and fishing licence |
| Manitoba, Saskatchewan or another province | That province’s licence |
| A national park, like Banff | Parks Canada fishing permit |
| The ocean off British Columbia | Federal tidal waters licence |
Taking fish home
Conservation officers can check your catch on the lake, at camp or on the road home. Ontario’s rule is simple: an officer has to be able to count your fish and tell what species they are. Pack them this way and a check takes a minute.
Do
Don’t
Source: Ontario’s rules on packaging, transporting or exporting fish. When you cross back into the US, declare your fish when the officer asks what you’re bringing home.
Bait and other rules
Live bait
You can’t bring live minnows, leeches, crayfish or salamanders into Ontario for bait. The easy answer: we sell live minnows at camp for $8. If you buy bait elsewhere, Sydney Lake is in the Northwest Bait Management Zone, so buy it inside the zone, keep the receipt and use it within two weeks.
Lines and hooks
In open water you can fish with one line, with no more than four hooks on it. Barbless hooks aren’t required on Sydney and Kilburn, but they make releasing big fish much faster and easier on the fish.
Seasons
Walleye season opens on the third Saturday in May (May 15, 2027). Pike are open all year, and lake trout close on September 30, the same day our camp closes for the season.
Official sources
Rules can change each January. These are the official pages we use to keep this page current.
Page checked against the 2026 Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary in November 2026. If anything here differs from the official rules, the official rules win.
FAQ
Yes. Every angler 18 or older from outside Canada needs an Ontario Outdoors Card and fishing licence. Ours is included in every package. Kids under 18 can fish without one when they’re with a licensed adult; their fish count toward that adult’s limit.
In 2026, in Canadian dollars before 13% HST: an 8-day conservation licence is $31.52, an 8-day sport licence $54.38 and a 1-year sport licence $83.19. Add an Outdoors Card for $8.57, good for three years. A 1-day sport licence is $24.86 and doesn’t need an Outdoors Card.
No. Canada has no national fishing licence. Each province and territory sells its own, so you need an Ontario licence to fish in Ontario. The exceptions are federal: national parks need a Parks Canada fishing permit, and ocean waters need a federal tidal licence.
A sport licence gives full catch limits; a conservation licence has lower limits for anglers who release most fish. In the Sydney Lake Area the limits for non-Canadians are the same on both, so conservation is all you need there.
Yes, if they live outside Canada. The age 65 exemption only applies to Ontario and Canadian residents.
No. It’s illegal to bring live fish, leeches, crayfish or salamanders into Ontario for bait. We sell live minnows at camp for $8. If you buy bait in Kenora, keep the receipt and use it within two weeks.
One day’s limit. Your possession limit is normally the same as the daily catch limit, and it counts every fish you have, including fish in the freezer and in your cooler on the way home. From the Sydney Lake Area that’s 2 walleye per angler from outside Canada.
One fish per bag, or fillets laid flat in a clear freezer bag, with a large patch of skin left on every fillet. Don’t freeze fillets in a block, tub or milk carton. See how to pack your fish above.
In Zone 2, where Sydney Lake is, walleye season opens on the third Saturday in May: May 15, 2027.
Your licence is on us
Your Ontario fishing licence is included in every Sydney Lake package, so the only thing to plan is the trip. Sydney and Kilburn are fly-in only, 30 minutes from Kenora, with one lodge on 17,570 acres of water. Tell me when you’d like to come and I’ll let you know what’s open. — Jeb
Check dates →Explore more: Walleye · Ontario’s Trophy Waters · Getting to Kenora · Best time to fish · Packages & rates
