For years now, Utah fishing license sales have been declining (hunting has too). I’ve read a multitude of articles explaining why the number of fishermen are declining and arguing how to increase the numbers. I’ve hunted and fished all my life, and the reasons for the decline are quite clear to me: hunting and fishing in the State of Utah is simply not much fun anymore. Herd populations are mismanaged, licenses are mismanaged, and the number of rules has exploded.
Last week, three of my brothers and their families went fishing on the Boulder Mountain in Southern Utah. They prepared food and supplies, spent hundreds of dollars in gas money, loaded up the 4-wheelers, and drove into a small lake in the mountains. After 3 hours of fishing, one of the State’s fish cops came over and gave them tickets costing a minimum of $100 each (the actual amount will be decided by a judge). He readily admitted to spying on them for three full hours with binoculars. I’ll explain just one of the bogus tickets to one of my brothers.
What was the offense of my brother? He was “party fishing”, which means a group of people were sharing their fishing poles and fish. My brother was there with his wife and two kids: ages 2 and 4. He had three fishing poles: one for him, one for his wife, and a small “Barbie” pole for his kids. Like any good father, he was baiting their hooks, casting their lines, and even hooking the fish for his kids to reel in. His wife fished too, but she mostly was letting my brother do the work while she focused more on the littles.
Apparently in the great State of Utah, family fishing equals party fishing, which is somehow against the law. What used to be a family activity is now a “state nannied” activity governed by a multitude of laws that differ from lake to lake. In the past, the rules were simple for almost every lake in the state: the limit was 8 fish for adults and 4 fish for children. Today, we have to look up the river or lake we are going to for the specific rules on fish species, minimum and maximum lengths, bait types, off-road vehicle use, road closures, etc.
We used to use fishing as a means to raise our kids. We used to look forward each year to the hunt where our families came together and enjoyed the outdoors. Now we get tickets for breaking ridiculous laws.
The State of Utah needs to realize that fishing and hunting are meant to be fun and family-oriented. It isn’t a business for the State to make money on. Fish cops don’t exist to just give tickets and bother everyone. Fishermen are the last group that would want the rivers or lakes depleted of fish. They have inherent interest in making sure the wilderness is there for tomorrow’s catch. A select few will certainly take advantage of the system, but most will respect nature and fish wisely.