Government of New Brunswick

Guides

 
Non-resident anglers must be accompanied by a licensed guide when fishing sea-run Atlantic salmon, or other fish species, on Guide Required Waters after the designated date.

Guide Required Waters and their designated dates are described in the Fish Book – Summary of Regulations. These waters can also be viewed as an interactive map at the Fishing Regulations site. 

Types of guides
Non-resident anglers may be accompanied by either a Guide I (Professional Guide) or Guide II (Licence to accompany) licence holder.      

Guide I
Guide I licence holders are professional guides who charge a fee for their services. They may accompany up to three anglers at a time if wading and fishing from shore, or one angler if angling from a boat. Professional guides are not permitted to angle or hunt while they are guiding clients. However, under certain circumstances, they may angle and hook a salmon on behalf of their licensed client. The client is considered to have hooked the salmon, which counts towards their live release limit

Guide II
Guide II licence holders are New Brunswick residents who wish to provide a visiting non-resident friend or relative a guided angling or hunting experience. Guide II licence holders do not collect a fee or reward for their guiding service and are permitted to guide only one person at a time. They may angle or hunt at the same time as the non-resident they are guiding.

 

Obtaining Guide Services

fish-obtaining-guide

 
Non-residents may obtain guide services directly from a licensed guide or from an outfitter who provides guide services as part of an all-inclusive package that includes other services, such as accommodations and meals.

A list of professional hunting and angling guides is available at the Hunting and Fishing Guides Directory site. Outfitter options for non-resident anglers can be found at the Tourism New Brunswick site.
 

Guide Exemptions

  
There are several situations when a non-resident does not require a guide to angle in New Brunswick. These include:

  1. when angling on waters not considered to be Guide Required Waters.
    These include any inland lakes, streams, and rivers not identified as being “guide required” in the Fish Book – Summary of Regulations.
     
  2. when angling on tidal waters.
    Tidal waters are all waters downstream from an inland water boundary, often referred to as head of tide. These waters are described at the Tidal Waters site and can be viewed online by using the Tidal Waters interactive map. 
     
  3. when angling on Fish New Brunswick Days.
    These occur twice yearly, during the Family Day long weekend in February and on the first full weekend of June. On these dates, residents and non-residents can fish without a licence or guide. Anglers should note that an appropriate angling licence and tag is required if a landlocked salmon from 48 cm to 63 cm in length (fork length) is retained. All other angling regulations apply.
     
  4. if the non-resident has obtained a non-resident guide exemption.
    Non-residents who own and pay taxes on real property that includes buildings such as a cottage or other improvements assessed at a minimum value of $25,000 may qualify to apply for an annual guide exemption. Guide exemptions apply to a specific river stretch as described by the exemption document. Additional information on guide exemptions and the application process is available at Non-resident guide exemption.