Casting support for Gallagher’s bill to change fishing licenses

Maybe this is what’s wrong with our world today ... we’re more and more fishing less and less

What’s happening to us? That’s what we’re wondering after reading a story in the Wednesday edition about how fewer and fewer people are going fishing.

We’re included in that unfortunate crowd. We haven’t been fishing for a long while. Sadly, it’s been years. There’s a rod and reel in the garage that we pass by once in a while and when we are in close proximity to the tackle, we sometimes have visions of reeling in some flashing silver and iridescence from some bucolic waterscape.

Alas, it never happens. There’s work, there’s chores, there are activities lined up, and what free time is left for getting out and about on the weekend is spent getting some hiking/walking in with the dog. Why, oh, why can’t we take a few hours to wet a spinner or drown a worm or cast a fly?

News is that for the past couple decades there’s been a significant decline in the number of people taking time to do some angling. Sales of California fishing licenses are down dramatically. There has been a 55 percent decline in fishing licenses sold since 1980, according to research by the California Sportfishing League. At the same time, the state’s population has grown 60 percent.

Maybe we’ve discovered the root cause of a good many of our social problems. We’re not fishing anymore.

There are so many more important issues to command our attention ... and perhaps that’s the thing. We take away time for leisure and enjoying the outdoors and the age-old pastime of goin’ fishin’ and it breeds more and more “important things” and we must worry. We must worry more and more.

Hello, old rod and reel. Where are the lures? Where is the net? Let’s worry about how to catch something out of the stream, worry less about the world.

Assemblyman James Gallagher introduced a bill that would make it more economical to fish by giving you a full one-year term for a fishing license, no matter when you buy it. As the regulations now stand, a California resident fishing license is good for a calendar year. If you buy one in January, you get it for a full year. If you buy one in December, you get a license, for the same price, that’s good for a few weeks.

Assembly Bill 986 isn’t going to bait a lot more people into going fishing, perhaps; but it’s going to remove an obstacle ... an excuse for not buying a license. And it’s fair. Here’s hoping the the urbanites in the Legislature who have never touched a fish outside the supermarket, get the gist of it and approve.

The bill would also discount licenses for veterans ... why would we not do that?

We believe that people who spend time outdoors care more for the outdoors. If more people went to the our rivers and lakes and spent some moments meditating (or cussing) while engaging in activities such as fishing, we think it would be a boon to conservation causes.

Plus, a good deal on licensing could, as one part of a public relations program, encourage growth in a sport that brings people into the region ... you spend a morning out on the river, you’re ready for a nice lunch at a local cafe. You might fill up at a local gas station. You might buy some gear that you really don’t need but looks awfully pretty at a local sports shop. You might optimize your experience by hiring a local guide who can boat you around to the the best spots.

Better deals on licenses won’t be enough to grow sportfishing back to where it used to be. It’’s going to take some promotion and education. But this legislation is right on. Cast your support for it ... and then dig your gear out of the garage and go fishing. Quit worrying for a little bit.