PFBC license fee proposal - Senate Bill 1168

Interesting regarding the drops in sales following significant increases in license price. This proposal would qualify as "significant" no doubt...roughly 39% initial increase for a license with Trout stamp for a PA resident...($29.00 to $40.25). And then built in scheduled increases of 3%/year after that.

I'm sure they expect a drop in sales next year if this goes through. Whether or not they break even based on the higher revenue per sale depends on how many people they lose I guess.

Under the new leadership however, I half think I'm in favor of the PFBC actually generating less money to spend!

However you slice it, for those that actually fish year round, it's still a heck of a bargain when compared to other entertainment/sporting options...for example, it's about the same cost as one round of golf at a mid range course.
 
Currently the non-resident license with a trout stamp is $62.50. If the $12.75 raise happens, and the license goes up to $75.25, I won't buy a license anymore. Why would they raise the license to $75.25 when NYS is only $50? NYS learned this the hard way and had to lower the non-resident license amount to increase sales.
Sad to say that as a Pa property owner I will spend my fishing trips in NYS only.
 
I am not infavor of the diversion of Lake Erie money. I believe the PAFBC needs to set it up with property owners to gather more stream mile easements on the PA Tributaries. I know as a fact the properties that are closed could be opened if the PAFBC would step up the $$.
 
Brian: I'll still buy mine.

Fishin'n TX ain't anywhere near the pleasure it is in PA.

The land's flat. The bayous, (that's streams for you Yankees...) are muddy, sluggish & slow. I wouldn't eat anything that came out of that water without you held a gun on me.

But Pine Creek, Little Pine, Yellow Creek, ... Like Joni Mitchel said, "Ya don't know what ya got till it's gone."
 
I'm sure many will remember a few years ago NYS raised the price of a non resident fishing license to $70.00 if I'm not mistaken. That really sucked as $70 is quite a chuck of money and I bet some people who didn't fish NYS as much as I do just stopped buying the license.

There must of been a drop in NR sales as two years ago the NR license price dropped to $50 for the season and what I really liked is the change from a September 30 expiration date to it being valid for one year from the purchase date.

Maybe PA will experiment with the higher priced NR licenses a while and when they see sales plummet they might reconsider.
 
I guess it might seem like a large increase to people who only fish on opening day of trout. For someone like myself it works out to less than a dollar per trip to the water now. Well under a dollar. Another $10 or so isn't enough to waste time or energy complaining about.

It may be a selfish way to view this, but less people out fishing isn't the worst thing I can think of
 
We lived in England for a while, near the River Ancholme. There you had to have a license and you had to rent a 4' x 4' square of concrete from which to fish.

The lads in the pub said that fishing was a rich man's sport.

I never did see more than 1 or 2 of those slabs in use.
 
phiendWMD wrote:
For someone like myself it works out to less than a dollar per trip to the water now. Well under a dollar. Another $10 or so isn't enough to waste time or energy complaining about.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I definitely get my money's worth outta my license. The initial 10$ seems like a big increase until you look at it as added price per outting, which adds a few cents to each trip
 
Doubling the seniors license fee? Not good. I'm going to complain to my rep. and sugest he vote against.

I'm not keen on the 3% annual increase. That is above the cost increases due to inflation and after a while adds up.

I have several kayaks and canoes that have full licenses but don't get on state waters most years. I'll drop those. I also buy an Erie stamp each year but haven't fished Erie since 2008. So I'll stop that.
 
Fishing license fees have not been raised since 2005. I can't think of many/anything consumer item that has not increased for so long. A license increase is certainly needed and expected.

The license cost is more than reasonable in PA, and is actually a bargain when compared to other forms of recreation and entertainment. One day of golf, skiing, a sporting event, a concert, etc. will likely cost more than a whole year of fishing.

I spent around $30 for a fishing license/trout stamp this year. Just thinking back on my last fishing trip, that day alone I spent $40 on gas and tolls to get to my fishing spot, and more than $30 on dinner for two on the way home.

Right now, if you fish 30 times a year, your fishing license cost works out to be a dollar a trip. And a 3% increase in license fees each year would work out to be less than nickel per trip.

As they say on ESPN..................C'mon Man!!
 
I'm all for an increase providing they hire more wardens that are used more proactively versus re-actively. I have not seen a warden outside of the vehicle policing the streams in years. They are normally too busy following up on calls versus proactively managing the streams.

Ron
 
PALongbow wrote:
I'm all for an increase providing they hire more wardens that are used more proactively versus re-actively. I have not seen a warden outside of the vehicle policing the streams in years. They are normally too busy following up on calls versus proactively managing the streams.

Ron
Click to expand...

I actually ran into my first FBC officer for the first time EVER outside of their vehicle this weekend on an Erie trib. He was checking licenses. I've been fishing a very long time, so with seeing my first one, I felt like I saw a bigfoot.
 
I also think the license cost is cheap compared to other activities.
If I was only doing early season stocked trout for a few outings then the cost could seem high especially since stocking dropped off.

 
PALongbow wrote:
I'm all for an increase providing they hire more wardens that are used more proactively versus re-actively. I have not seen a warden outside of the vehicle policing the streams in years. They are normally too busy following up on calls versus proactively managing the streams.

Ron
Click to expand...
I almost posted this as well. In 4 years I've seen 1 PFBC officer checking licenses. I saw 2 others sitting in a truck talking. I would be thrilled to see them out in force writing tickets for people who leave empty bait containers and beer cans behind.
 

Seems crazy to me for me to pay that price for fishing for native trout.
 
phiendWMD wrote:
PALongbow wrote:
I'm all for an increase providing they hire more wardens that are used more proactively versus re-actively. I have not seen a warden outside of the vehicle policing the streams in years. They are normally too busy following up on calls versus proactively managing the streams.

Ron
Click to expand...
I almost posted this as well. In 4 years I've seen 1 PFBC officer checking licenses. I saw 2 others sitting in a truck talking. I would be thrilled to see them out in force writing tickets for people who leave empty bait containers and beer cans behind.
Click to expand...

Agreed. My post wasn't a slam on the Fish Commission however I would like to see more proactive law enforcement. The slob fisherman know there are no wardens around so they just continue to abuse both the laws and landowners property...

Ron
 
Hook_Jaw wrote:

Seems crazy to me for me to pay that price for fishing for native trout.
Click to expand...

The current regime in place with the PFBC largely agrees with you I'm afraid. That price is to fish for stocked Trout! Feel better about it? Me either.
 
I've been checked twice for license and PFD in kayak at two different locations this year. Can't say I've been checked while on a stream ever and been fishing for a number of years now. Don't do as much on the streams as I used to before I got the kayak and the warm water bug.
I don't have a problem with the fee, but would like to see more enforcement.
Don't like what I'm hearing about the stance(s) of the new ex. dir. Mr. Squires...has he taken office yet?
 
It's crazy should be a separate license for those who don't fish stocked waters. I don't fish a stocked section of a stream once the entire year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top