Your comments to the PFBC

[afishinado]

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is very interested in receiving public comments, thoughts, and opinions about the Commission, fishing and boating, and the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources. As a result, the PFBC has developed an online presence known as The Fishing Hole to collect and analyze your feedback.

The Fishing Hole

 

[nomad_archer]

Thanks, might be a good place to recommend they add a line in the DHALO regs to address scents.

 

[CRB]

My question is can you carry a photo of your licence on your phone to full-fill the requirement of carrying your license; while displaying your license Button.
~ :roll: ~

 

[Maurice]

Or how about just make your button your screen shot background. Then just display your phone. JKOC

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I think this is great.

 

[lestrout]

Yo Tom - thanks for that link. It's good to see PFBC reaching out to us 'customers'. I found a section to register praise for employees, and I wrote kudos for the great WCO Bob Bonney.

 

[steveo27]

Maybe we can convince them to revive all the dead links from the change over I have in my bookmarks

 

[Mike]

"The Fishing Hole" feature was implemented by Executive Director Arway and has been available for a few years.

 

[CRB]

UPDATE:


My question is can you carry a photo of your licence on your phone to full-fill the requirement of carrying your license; while displaying your license Button.
~ ~


"Thank you for your email question regarding the license being stored on your phone and displaying the button. Law Enforcement states that this will NOT meet the regulation requirements therefore you must have your yellow or paper license on your while fishing even if displaying the button. Thank you for contacting us in advance so you would have a clear understanding of the regulations. Technology is great but angler(s sic) are still left in the paper world for now until the regulations change."

 

[nymphingmaniac]

silly- need for paper copy. Utah has an app for your smart phone that stores your license and this is acceptable.

I believe the regs say the license must be visible. A couple of years ago I was fishing at 5:00 AM on spring creek in miles burg. I had a sixth sense turned and noticed someone about 30 yards behind me with binoculars??? Looked at him and he approached me explaining he's a WCO checking licenses. Expressed surprise that I actually encountered someone checking. He said he and his colleagues do this regularly and most people don't notice them (true or not, can't say).

 

[wbranch]

Would failure to wear your license on your vest, hat, or other visible place mean you could get a citation? I often forget my yellow license but have the laminated one in my wallet. As I mentioned once before in another thread I don't believe I was ever checked by a CO on any PA trout waters. Interestingly though I have been spoken to by PA CO's on the water but none of them have ever asked to see my license. I have been checked on the Susky while in the boat and at the ramps. I have been checked twice in fifty-one years on NY trout streams and only once in 48 years of going to Montana.

 

[steveo27]

Ive never had a problem with that. I always keep my license inside my pack so I dont lose it. The few times Ive been stopped and check I explained why it wasnt displayed, produced it, and carried on with my day.

Im sure if the PFBC or whoever is checking wanted to be a ****, they could probably cite you if they felt like it though

 

[salmonoid]

wbranch wrote:
Would failure to wear your license on your vest, hat, or other visible place mean you could get a citation? I often forget my yellow license but have the laminated one in my wallet. As I mentioned once before in another thread I don't believe I was ever checked by a CO on any PA trout waters. Interestingly though I have been spoken to by PA CO's on the water but none of them have ever asked to see my license. I have been checked on the Susky while in the boat and at the ramps. I have been checked twice in fifty-one years on NY trout streams and only once in 48 years of going to Montana.

Technically, yes you could be cited. Practically, it probably won't happen. I did have a state park ranger at Gifford Pinchot State Park push the issue once. I was fishing along the bank down close to the dam, with my license pinned to my vest. It was hot and my vest was laying on the ground beside me. The ranger went past, walking on the trail and told me I needed to where my license. I nodded and he went on. He returned and proceeded to tell me that he would write a citation if I didn't put my vest on while fishing. I looked at him, put the vest on, he walked away and I took the vest off.

Contrast that with my brother who was stopped three times by WCOs on a relatively remote stream. He was fishing with his kids, while on an overnight camping trip. His license was back at the campsite a few hundred yards upstream and he told them that when he was stopped. He told him exactly where it was and they said they would check it. It was underneath a pile of wet socks and he's pretty sure they didn't move the socks to look

And the idea of an electronic version is fine, but I think they would need to modify the regulation to accommodate that, especially since they had to modify it to add a button as an acceptable alternative. I was originally thinking it would be pretty easy to fabricate an electronic version of a license, but it's pretty easy to fabricate a paper version of the license too. I buy mine online and print it out to a PDF. Black text on white paper and I could make another one with Adobe Acrobat from scratch if I wanted to buck the system. The bottom line with licenses is there is nothing to verify the authenticity of a license, be it paper or digital.

 

[wbranch]

I just remembered an incident that happened to me on the Delaware that I'd forgotten. About ten years ago a buddy and I put my two man kayak in at the Buckingham access on the Delaware River. We planned to just do a short float to the Lordville Bridge a couple of miles down river. Well we had floated all the way down until we were about 100 yards above the bridge. I should mention straight away that we didn't have any PFD's in the craft and I didn't have my fishing license with me.

I saw what looked like two NYS fish wardens right at the bridge checking everyone in, and out, of the river. I told me partner who I thought they were and said "let's stay here on the PA side of the river until they leave". Haha, that was funny because they turned out to be Federal wardens and they just got in their vehicle and drove across the bridge into PA. Both got out of their vehicle and walked down a very steep hill and motioned us over to the shore.

I remember one of them saying, with all seriousness, "Who is the captain of this vessel?" I'm not kidding that is what he said. I said I was and he asked to see my fishing license and I told him I didn't have it. Then he asked me my name and wanted to see my driver's license so he could verify my statement. I told him I had left my wallet, with both my driver's and fishing license, back in my cabin.

Luckily for me he had a hand held computer and was able to verify the name and address I had given to him as well as I had a valid NY and PA fishing license. He gave me two citations, one for not having any PFD's on board and one for not having a "sound producing device" on board. I think the fine was $50 back then and my buddy graciously paid for half the fine. The wardens also told us we had to exit the river immediately and the next time I saw them I better have my drivers license and fishing license with me.

 

[Bamboozle]

That reminds me of a similar situation fishing the Delaware.

Short story: I was shad fishing on the Jersey side opposite the mouth of the Brodhead. A boat cruised up and two law enforcement officials got out (I can’t remember if they were NJDEP or NPS) but they asked to see my license.

I had it, but it was pinned on my vest, which was back at the car WAY up the hill on River Road on the Jersey side. I explained this to the officer and told him I would be happy to take him up to the car or go up myself and retrieve it (which would take about 20 minutes or so).

They told me if they saw me anywhere else on the river without it I would be cited and off they went.

It was only when I got back to the car did I remember that at that time, there was NO reciprocity between New Jersey & PA regarding licenses. I imagine he would have been pissed if he hiked up that hill only to see a PA license. So any way I look at it, I dodged a bullet.

Bottom line, I haven’t displayed my license in almost 20 years since the last time it fell off my vest into the Big Bushkill and floated rapidly downstream. It has never been an issue with any WCO’s I’ve encountered since I keep it in a pocket.

The new license buttons have ended my display lawlessness however; I never carry my driver’s license while fishing so I guess I am still a malefactor.

 

[steveo27]

I have an old/expired drivers license I keep in the little plastic license holder right next to my fishing license. The last time I was stopped and checked (by the PGC) I was told this was a "good idea". I guess even if the license is expired, it still works for them.

 

[Bamboozle]

Coincidentally, my driver's license expires in two months.

Thanks for the idea!!

 

[wbranch]

Bamboozle,

You must be an older dude (like me) because I lived in NJ until 1984 and to the best of my recollection even back then if you had a NJ license you didn't need a PA license.

 

[Bamboozle]

This event occurred in the 1990's

Actually, NY had reciprocity with PA on the Delaware River but NOT NJ (except in tidal regions I believe) until relatively recently.

If you thought your license was good in both states on the upper Delaware you were wrong.

I most likely have my old NJ regulation booklets from those years so I could look it up at some point.

 

[Chaz]

Technically, as far as I know it's always been if you have a PA license you can fish from the PA side all the way across to the opposite bank, you cannot fish from the Jersey side though. The opposite is also true, if you have an NJ license you can fish from Jersey all the way to the PA bank, but cannot fish from the PA side. Both of course banks are open if you have both licenses.