You are aware that the Erie stamps funds are also to be use to purchase and improve access to Lake Erie and its tributaries.
Trout stamp
- Thread starter wbranch
- Start date
The Rodfather
Active member
As an active board member of Dauphin County League of Chubsmen, I can say with 100% certainty I target creek chub over stocked trout.
I do not support the trout stamp, and I do not support the stocking program as is and will gripe about it until it is fixed, however, I also don't support paying the fines and court costs and revocation for not following the law.
I wish PFBC would tighten the belt and get more efficient to reign in the spending instead of reaching out to congress to bail them out, but alas. I deal with the world I live in, not the one I dream of.
I don't want to become Tim Thomas 2.0.
I do not support the trout stamp, and I do not support the stocking program as is and will gripe about it until it is fixed, however, I also don't support paying the fines and court costs and revocation for not following the law.
I wish PFBC would tighten the belt and get more efficient to reign in the spending instead of reaching out to congress to bail them out, but alas. I deal with the world I live in, not the one I dream of.
I don't want to become Tim Thomas 2.0.
5footfenwick
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 403
I buy an Erie permit every year and don’t go anywhere near Erie.
Those Junior Combination hunting liscenses that pretty much let you do it all as a kid played a part 🙂 I like to have every option available even if I haven’t been steelhead fishing in 15 years.
I get that some don’t like how different funds are spent. That’s fair. But my gosh, it’s so cheap to fish in Pa. For my usage, it’s just pennies a day. You could find that daily in the gas station parking lot. Even at minimum wage you are taking about half a days work to buy a license. That gives you 365 days of enjoyment and entertainment. I’m on the opposite side of the fence I guess. I think the trout stamp is a screaming good deal. Heck, I’ll spend more on gas on one fishing trip than the cost of a license and a trout stamp combined. Why they charge what they do and where the funds go are valid concerns. But I’d buy it, no matter the price.
Those Junior Combination hunting liscenses that pretty much let you do it all as a kid played a part 🙂 I like to have every option available even if I haven’t been steelhead fishing in 15 years.
I get that some don’t like how different funds are spent. That’s fair. But my gosh, it’s so cheap to fish in Pa. For my usage, it’s just pennies a day. You could find that daily in the gas station parking lot. Even at minimum wage you are taking about half a days work to buy a license. That gives you 365 days of enjoyment and entertainment. I’m on the opposite side of the fence I guess. I think the trout stamp is a screaming good deal. Heck, I’ll spend more on gas on one fishing trip than the cost of a license and a trout stamp combined. Why they charge what they do and where the funds go are valid concerns. But I’d buy it, no matter the price.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
I recall you previously mentioning that to someone making similar claims.
CRB
Well-known member
When one does live in area with plentiful wild trout one fishes for stocked trout. The western part of the state does not have ample wild trout. Yes there is some but not the amount to withstand the masses from the cities catching their limits. Look to NY state western part of that state is poor with wild trout opportunities. and most of that is posted. The best waters in that state are east and north.
dudemanspecial
Well-known member
Also keep in mind without the stocking program they would be selling way less licenses overall.
Keep in mind also that without the stocking program, expenses would be way less overall.
It doesn’t make sense to spend three fishing licenses worth of income to make one additional license sale.
Would you agree with the generalization made about chub and sucker anglers earlier in the thread?
I’m assuming that your gear is shoddy and cheap. Is that the case?
6xAdams(Jones)
Well-known member
Try this... Since it's written down somewhere that the act of fishing includes setting a hook, only fish with the hook straightened out or break it off at the bend. The take is the best part and you can tell the WCO that you're just counting coup. 😉 (Let us all know if that works.)
Thank you for that insightful answer.
I didn't care how much it costs. I was just wondering why people have to buy a trout stamp if they only fish for wild trout. I only fish for what I believe are wild trout. I never buy a fishing license or a trout stamp.
Up until a few years ago, I had to buy a trout stamp to fish for crappies and perch because all the local lakes are also approved trout waters and stocked with trout.
Thankful they nixed the requirement for a trout stamp on lakes.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
How about a license?
50 bucks and good for an entire calendar year from the purchase date.
Hold on to your hats for this next tidbit, you can fish not one, but two Great Lakes without the need for an additional stamp, plus Oneida Lake and Lake Champlain.
As a non resident it will cost you just around 2 bucks more than your PA license with the same privileges.
tjsingle
Well-known member
Most northeast states don't have a trout stamp (ME, MA, NY, NH, VT). I see the value in having a trout stamp to fund stocked trout, as some people in PA might prefer to warmwater fish only, etc but at the same time maybe it makes more sense to just have one license.
Maine recently announced increases on their fishing license fees, and the same argument about license fees going to stocked trout occur on their version of PAFF. The wild vs stocking, stocking over wild debate isn't unique to PA.
I would like to see more funds diverted to management of wild trout streams, easements for public access, etc. But at the same time, there's something to be said about equitable access to trout fishing for all people throughout the state via the stocking program. A lot of us, including myself, probably started learning how to trout fish on stocker streams.
Maine recently announced increases on their fishing license fees, and the same argument about license fees going to stocked trout occur on their version of PAFF. The wild vs stocking, stocking over wild debate isn't unique to PA.
I would like to see more funds diverted to management of wild trout streams, easements for public access, etc. But at the same time, there's something to be said about equitable access to trout fishing for all people throughout the state via the stocking program. A lot of us, including myself, probably started learning how to trout fish on stocker streams.
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Brianh
Member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2015
- Messages
- 78
And the PA non resident license with a trout stamp is $77.
I would strongly support only stocking as many trout as can be covered by the cost of the trout stamp. Much like the approach taken by the PGC and pheasants.
If we look at the number of trout stamps sold in 2024, accounting for annual, multi year and combo stamps, the PFBC sold 510,212 trout stamps at $13.00 each. Thats $6,632,756 or around half of the cost of the trout program in 2009, when trout stocking cost $12.4 million.
If we take those 2009 numbers and adjust for inflation, that 12.4 million dollar trout program cost would be projected at $18,484,026. That’s a huge chunk of the total license revenue and the all of trout stamp revenue.
tjsingle
Well-known member
I didn't know the numbers, thank you for sharing. Seems like a reasonable proposal, like you mentioned with the pheasant stocking by PGC.
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
Im sure better judgement would be used.
An angler fishing the Susquehanna for smallmouth might not have a trout stamp. He doesn't need one, and it is entirely possible he catches a large migratory brown trout during pre spawn bass.
It happens every year.
I would suspect and hope if a WCO rolled up as he was reeling it in, he would not get a citation.
If that be the case however, then the law is not applied equally to every individual.
If one can prove this, it may be possible to beat the citation in court, especially if in your prior example, expense of gear type was used in the determination of issuing the citations.
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