Remote access border crossing and ontario license

[maddowg1192000]

I was wondering how hard it is to pick these up the morning before you head out to fish sturgeon? I will be up there as soon as ice is out on the river and don't think I will have the money to get it thru the mail in time for the trip. I am wondering if I can pick these up 24/7 at the rainy river crossing and how long it normally would take to get approved. Thanks in advance for any info to help me out with this. I can't wait for my 1st sturgeon trip.

[Tim_Anderson]

Cory,

You can get the RABC Tuesday through Sunday at the Baudette/Rainy River crossing. They open at 8 am. I have seen them as fast as 20 minutes, or as long as 90 minutes. Their immigrations agent works an 8 hour day, so your best bet is to do it the afternoon before, or first thing in the morning to maximize your fishing time. The past couple of years, she has been off on Mondays.

And you can get your Canadian fishing license and outdoor card at the gas station in Rainy River. Let me know if you've got any more questions.

[maddowg1192000]

Tim,

Thanks for the help can't wait to get the call from you telling me the day I am suppose to be there. What time do you normally like to be on the river and where is a good place to stay?

[Tim_Anderson]

Cory,

I like to be on the river for as long a day as I can! The earlier the better.

It is really hard to say right now. I can give you a whole bunch of places to stay, but it is really hard to lock that down until we know when the river is going to be open for sure. I usually don't plan my lodging until the last minute, and by that time, many of the places have filled up. It's risky both ways. Shoot me an email or give me a call and we can discuss it.

[BDR]

2 years recently there was no one to do rabc's on Mondays. Had to come back Tuesday. May be worth a call if you want to get it on Monday.

[sdfishin]

We arrived on a Sunday last year and the immigration officer was off too. I had called ahead though and they said if the officer is gone you can fill out the paperwork and they can fax it over to the Fort Francis crossing and complete it. It ended up being a litle over an hour wait. Actually, much needed nap time after driving all day from South Dakota. To save a little time you can print out the RABC paperwork online and have it filled out and ready to go for them. Remember to bring your passport because you will have actually crossed into Canada and I think now need it to get back in the U.S.A?

[kidfish]

If you can get your your paperwork done and sent in in the next couple of days, you should have your RABC by the time the river opens. It usually only takes about 3 weeks at most. Otherwise, I would recommend stopping at Fort Frances to get the permit, as they can do it 24-7. It is a little father from Birchdale landing than Baudette, but much easier to process there.

I used to fax my applications also, but the customs officer at Rainy River told me a couple years ago that they could no longer do that.

As far as licenses go, there is a gas station in Fort Frances, and a license center in Rainy, or we used to get then at the small service station in Rainy also.

Be aware that if you pull your boat across, the US folks are sometimes very picky about inspections. I have spent 45 minutes parked and waiting for them to inspect a nearly empty pickup. We had left the boat on the US side for the trip. Even with spotless records, we were the random folks that got picked. It would have taken hours if the truck was packed or we had the boat along.

Make sure you have the passport for the trip back across too. Good luck.

[Royal Dutchman]

We don't need passports until June 1, so birth cert. will do for spring walleye & sturg season. The gas station in Rainy may not open until 9AM.

They have some different Holidays and we got caught the otherday on a "Statutory Holiday" and had to call around until we found a resort open to buy license. One never knows what services will be available or at what times. Best to call ahead and even check the day on either side in case plans change.

[Fish Head]

I got my RABC in the mail last week. It only took about 2 weeks.

[maddowg1192000]

Think i am going to pick mine up in international falls the night before the trip. we plan on staying in I-falls for the time we are up there so this seems to be the easiest way to pick it up this close to open water. I have heard you can get them there 24/7, is there a place open 24/7 to get the ontario license and sportsman card?

[kidfish]

To the best of my knowlege, the gas station is the only place to get the licenses. There aren't many places up there that are open 24/7 in Fort Frances.