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Why are fishing license sales dropping?


Wish-I-Were-Fishn

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Very well said Jon. Like I said in the very first response, if the economy where better this wouldn't be an issue, and it's been slipping away for the last 7 years. People now are working more hours for less money and don't have the time for the "fun" things in life anymore. Without getting political, (this isn't the time or place) we need to turn this around November 2008.

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Something just needs to change.

That's all I will voice.

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John,

I agree, well said. Especially about the thought of fishing is a waste of time if you're under equipped. There are many expensive tools of the trade now that are considered basic necessities.

I hate blaming the economy (in political terms) soley though for the lack of money to enjoy a sport. I believe its our personal economies. Take a look around a house and add up the money thats spent on things that weren't commonplace 20-25 years ago. Cell phones, satellite TV, bigger TVs, the dreaded video games, $30,000 (and more) vehicles, the computer you're looking at right now. Where do you want to put your money?

There are just so many more options for things to do these days and kids are adrenaline junkies. If they are taught to value something, they'll get their fix from it.

I fished with two teenage girls over the weekend. Thankfully they already like fishing so they didn't get too bored in the first 3 hours of not catching much so we could catch the good bite at night. We caught a lot of little walleyes and some keepers. We watched loons and they asked me what kind of ducks were flying by us. At 10 pm when I said we had to go, they asked if we could get up at 5 the next morning to come back.

This took place in 17 year old boat and they were using $50 rod/reel combos rigged with a lead head jig and a leech on 6 lb mono.

I feel lucky, I've realized it DOES start with me.

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I think the same thing that has reduced the amount of Trout Stamp sales here in Southeastern Minnesota has spread to many other areas. Its called special regs and people are tired of them. I know someone who has retired from work for a state agency that controls this, who has a good name for these special regs. He calls them social regs. They make no biological sense. Just my two cents!

rollineyes

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In general, there are a lot of options for recreation today, and fishing has to compete with all of them. Fishing's not a very attractive option when you live in an urban area, even one with a lot of water near it.

rollingeyes has an excellent point. The special regs have gotten out of hand, and in many instances for no apparently good reason. I go to southeast MN for trout fishing and have seen certain bodies of water restricted that have the same good quality of fishing now that they did 20 years ago. The problem now is that the locals cannot catch and keep a few, and they are openly hostile about it because it was shoved down their throats by city people. The slot limits are such that the water is effectively catch and release only with fish under 12 inches and over 16 inches being keepable. Fish over 16 inches are very rare in this water. Fish under 12 inches are typically 10" fish. There are few 11" fish. This makes the fish too small for a lot of people to bother keeping, or too rare to expect to catch.

Another example, I was just fishing a north shore stream for brook trout. A really good brookie on the north shore is about 12 inches long. Minimum length to keep one on that stream is 20 inches. It is highly unlikely that there are any such fish in that river.

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Another example, I was just fishing a north shore stream for brook trout. A really good brookie on the north shore is about 12 inches long. Minimum length to keep one on that stream is 20 inches. It is highly unlikely that there are any such fish in that river.


READ THE REGS! The 20 inch slot is only for sections of the river BELOW the posted boundaries, or first impassible barrier!

This slot is in place to protect and rehabilitate the once native and migratory Brook Trout (aka Coasters). If this reg upsets you, well then maybe you should find a new hobbie. Any other stream on the north shore has a 10 fish limit w/ one over 16in.

As far as the rivers down south, i'm not informed because I don't fish down there. However, there is biological reasoning behind slot limits and special regs. It's too bad that there has to be so many different ones for each body of water, but each body of water is different.

Ah, he!! w/ it, it's impossible to teach and educate those that refuse to be educated!

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Thanks for the clarification on the 20" reg. I read the sign at the creek and it didn't say anything about barriers. I was aware of length regulations like that involving barriers, but the way this sign was worded, it seemed to apply to the whole stream.

I'm a little more cynical than you about the biological soundness of some of the new SE MN regs. I spend a lot of time there and I agree with the locals (I'm not a local) that much of the new regulation that has been applied during the past few years was motivated by Rochester and other urban catch and release activists that place a higher priority on catch and release of large fish rather than catch and keep of reasonable sized average fish.

This seems motiviated by a different enforcement ethic than the slot limits we see in, for example, Florida coastal fishing, where the drivers are slot limits due to a rapidly increasing population of fishermen tainted by lingering and anachronistic preferential treatment for commercial fishermen.

I'm certainly willing to be proven wrong about the SE MN regs, but I'm just calling them as I see them.

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I am not going to get into a long heated discussion, but if one would call the Lanesboro Area Fisheries Office, they have all the numbers. A large part of the streams that have special regs on them have fewer large trout in them now (according to electrofishing results) than they did before any social regs were placed on them. Now I might be one that does not want to learn, but how can something make biological sense when the number of large trout is declining in direct relationship to these special (social regs)being put into place. As has the number of trout stamps being sold since the regs were put into affect. The Area Fisheries office has those numbers also. From all the meetings I attended, the purpose of the regs was to increase the number of trout over 16". It may seem like I am a person that wants to go catch a mess a trout to feed my family. Nothing could be further from the truth. When I used to trout fish (I quit the year the social regs went into affect) I never kept any trout. I don't care for them. But, they are (were) fun to catch. I just don't think its fair that I should be told what I can and can't keep when the proof is in the numbers that these social regs don't work!

rollineyes

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One other comment and question about SE MN trout fishing:

My observation is that, except for a few popular spots, there really aren't very many trout fishermen. I feel like it's my own private country club. I've often wondered how the several fly shops in the Metro area can afford to stay in business with what must be a truly meager clientele.

Do any other frequent SE MN trout fishermen observe the same thing?

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I'm down in the Root River Valley near Lanesboro pretty much every year for a turkey season, then for Memorial weekend.

During hunting we take some time to fish. We usually fish the river itself or go to the unrestricted streams, but usually just use artificial anyway. We see people at those same spots every day of the week.

I hear grumblings from the people we camp with for the Holiday about the regs. They go to unrestricted streams as well. I tell them to go to the pond (Lanesboro) if they want to keep some laugh.giflaugh.gif They tell me thats cheating or not natural but then run down to Duschee to catch the same fish confused.gif

To answer your question with my bit of experience is people will fish where they're comfortable, can keep fish if they want, and don't have to work too hard at it. I haven't been back to the streams that we used to fish many years ago that are now regulated, but I don't have an objection to the regs. There are ALOT of trout fishers down there in my opinion. The regs are trying to keep the native fish population healthy and not overfished. JMHO.

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