Nebraska Fish and Game Association - View Single Post - Hunter/Angler Recruitment, Development & Retention planning

WalterPayton34 · 06-12-2009, 09:34 PM

I find this kind of interesting. I'm a young 20 yrs old and have been fishing my whole life and hunting, I don't hunt very often anymore, because I don't have the connections or know many hunters. However I try my hardest to get friends out fishing. I'm from Omaha so my friends are city folk. I probably have taken 10 friends fishing with me that have never fished in their entire lives, not once. This is due to their parents not fishing. Many of them call me up wanting me to take them now.

I think that it's bad for the licensing age requirement to be 16, because many of these people never got to go fishing until they were already 16. Tell me how to convince someone to invest in a permit if they have never fished before. This point coincides with the driving age, because when you get your drivers license many new recreational options open up. I think the permit age should be 17. On another note, I believe there should be a 'new fisherman permit' or something similar that is free, so people can at least try the sport before investing in it.

Switching gears, I think the state should have a fee enforced on recreational boaters. Why do fishermen have to pay for permits and they do not? I understand that our fees help pay for stocking and renovations, but a major reason renovations are needed is from the damage caused by wakes. I feel like they are riding the coat tails of anglers. We fund the money for the lake and they ruin it.

06-12-2009, 09:34 PM	#36 (permalink)
WalterPayton34 WalterPayton34 has no status. Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 171 Thanks: 15 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts	I find this kind of interesting. I'm a young 20 yrs old and have been fishing my whole life and hunting, I don't hunt very often anymore, because I don't have the connections or know many hunters. However I try my hardest to get friends out fishing. I'm from Omaha so my friends are city folk. I probably have taken 10 friends fishing with me that have never fished in their entire lives, not once. This is due to their parents not fishing. Many of them call me up wanting me to take them now. I think that it's bad for the licensing age requirement to be 16, because many of these people never got to go fishing until they were already 16. Tell me how to convince someone to invest in a permit if they have never fished before. This point coincides with the driving age, because when you get your drivers license many new recreational options open up. I think the permit age should be 17. On another note, I believe there should be a 'new fisherman permit' or something similar that is free, so people can at least try the sport before investing in it. Switching gears, I think the state should have a fee enforced on recreational boaters. Why do fishermen have to pay for permits and they do not? I understand that our fees help pay for stocking and renovations, but a major reason renovations are needed is from the damage caused by wakes. I feel like they are riding the coat tails of anglers. We fund the money for the lake and they ruin it.