Thoughts?

[ShuMugen]

Things are changing and prices are sky rocketing

http://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Our-Story-2019-Changes.aspx?utm_source=CPW-Web&utm_medium=Feature1&utm_campaign=Fee-Changes#FishingSmallGameLicenseFees

[Bigassbassman]

I’ll gladly pay the extra $8 for a fishing license IF it results in better management of warmwater fisheries.   Not more slimer stocking.

This state has neglected our warmwater fisheries for too long.

Future Generations Act:
http://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Future-Generations-Act.aspx

Ou​​r ten goals to fulfill by 2025 are:​​
​​​​​Grow the number of hunters and anglers
Expand public and private land access
Increase big game populations
Improve wildlife populations
Increase the number of fish stocked (Not just trout, I hope.)
Plan a new state park
Maintain our dams
Engage all outdoor recreationists in funding and conservation
Recruit and retain qualified employees
Maintain and improve parks and wildlife areas​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I'm happy to support the line items in BOLD.  And the other ones are good, too --- they just don't apply to me directly.  So yeah, I'm fine with $8.  But please, not just trout.

[Coangshirt]

I don't have any heartburn with the increases on hunting and fishing licenses; however, like most state agencies, they keep hitting one segment of society while everyone else gets a pass.  Hunter/Fishermen fund non-game species....seems like they need to find a way to spread it around more.

[fishslap]

Looks good to me.  Increases are less than the cost of going out for lunch....once...during the entire year.

[skifisher]

This subject has come up before on another site, and my opinions remain the same. Enact a surcharge,(or tax if you will), on ALL recreational related equipment to include hiking, biking, paddle boarding, bird watching stuff, and any other gear used in outdoor activities. In addition, require a Search and Rescue stamp that is mandatory for anyone using our State and Federal lands and waterways to offset the dollars spent on search and recovery etc. I agree we all need to pay our fair share, especially as the population and use of our resources grows. I also support the increase of fees, as long as they are done in a fair and equitable manner. MYO

[sisabdulax]

Like stated above if I see a return I will gladly pay the extra. I agree we need more warm water fish. We dont need to be Texas' personal trout pond!!!

[GSP_Pike]

Unfortunately, Increases are inevitable. We would greatly benefit to see how much resources are allocated to the different programs and the return on that investment/budget. No rain equals less fish and game which the State has little or no control over Mother Nature. 5 yr plan? How well did they perform on current plan? Agree they need to find a way to spread it around more. The commercial says to hug a hunter/fisher, I don’t ever recall getting a hug for paying additional license (taxes) fees. In fact, mostly you get frowned upon as a hunter. I spend a lot when you consider ohv, hunting, fishing, camping, park passes, etc.... it adds up fast and I don’t think the conditions/habitats have improved over the years. I can’t recall a single time in the last 5 years that a state park I visited got an upgrade to the facilities. You need to have goals but that seems more of Wish list and/or smoke screen for the increase. More info, Facts and a detailed plan would make me more comfortable with the tax increase. From what I have read, statistically license sales are on a downward trend across the nation, so these increases are likely what is needed to maintain the current budgets.

[Flies4life]

Seems suspect that now that Dow and state parks are merged they don’t have any money? With the influx of people moving to Colorado seems like they should have more money now then they ever have.

[stinkyfingers]

As a government entity, CPW is probably no more inefficient than the rest of their ilk and certainly their increased overhead will need to be funded through the General Fund (taxes)

or through specific user fees that we pay in the form of licenses and parks passes. I'm capable of frittering away the sum total of these increases very easily on some impulsive

tackle purchase so it's hard to get too outraged. Since we're reading this, we are fishermen, and if you're a fisherman in Colorado you soon realize that the trout is King.  The fly

fishermen are a well funded and powerful lobby. They deserve credit for preserving and improving riparian habitats and they bring their political juice to the public forums at

which budget decisions are discussed and funds are allocated. But in return they also get whole watersheds devoted to that method of take.

So what about the guys like me (and Nate probably) who would like to see our warm water fisheries developed? Kansas makes an impressive model that our CPW could follow.

[esox_xtm]

OK, I'll be honest. I didn't even look at the link to see exactly what the deal is. I did get the gist of increased license cost.

For me, the cost of a license is THE MOST VALUE ADDED DOLLARS I SPEND EVERY YEAR. Yes, I shouted that... Meant to. Seriously, when you think of what you spend for a license, what it allows you to do and how often you take advantage of that it truly is a pittance for what you get in return. At least it is for me.

Heck if I visit out of state and some one wants to go fishing for an afternoon and it costs me $20 to go along and be legal that's one of the easiest decisions I ever make. $20? I can spend that at the bar in a blink and not get nearly the satisfaction of fishing for even just a few hours.

Fine, I just went and read through the proposal. $8? Can barely buy a civilized cocktail for that.

C'mon man...

[SLAYERFISH]

As a government entity, CPW is probably no more inefficient than the rest of their ilk

Hey Hey now!  Watch your tongue-

[stinkyfingers]

Hey Hey now!  Watch your tongue-

Says the gub'mint man.

[IceOsprey]

The first of the top ten goals says "grow the number of hunters and anglers"

Question? Do people buy more of something if it is more or less expensive?
If you have more value than before i.e. "Expanded public and private land access"
"Increased big game populations" "Improved wildlife populations" ect.. ect.. Then I can see a noteworthy value increase. To tell someone to pay more now and we hope to do better in the future seems like hot air. I should tell my boss that I need a pay increase now and by 2025 he should see some improvements in my job performance. Ha ha ha.

[skifisher]

Here’s a kicker for ya...CPW increases resident fees for hunting licenses, then reduces the non-resident Bear/Fishing combo license, good until March of the following year, from $351.00 to $100.00 for the 2019 season, a $251.00 decrease. Free fishing licenses with a non-resident big game license? Can someone please explain the logic behind that? Give the out of stater the option to BUY a fishing license for an additional fee if they so choose. I don’t get it!

[callovthemackinaw]

I’ll gladly pay the extra $8 for a fishing license IF it results in better management of warmwater fisheries.   Not more slimer stocking.

This state has neglected our warmwater fisheries for too long.

Future Generations Act:
http://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Future-Generations-Act.aspx

Ou​​r ten goals to fulfill by 2025 are:​​
​​​​​Grow the number of hunters and anglers
Expand public and private land access
Increase big game populations
Improve wildlife populations
Increase the number of fish stocked (Not just trout, I hope.)
Plan a new state park
Maintain our dams
Engage all outdoor recreationists in funding and conservation
Recruit and retain qualified employees
Maintain and improve parks and wildlife areas​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I'm happy to support the line items in BOLD.  And the other ones are good, too --- they just don't apply to me directly.  So yeah, I'm fine with $8.  But please, not just trout.

on the eastern plains they are going above and beyond.    the crappie and walleye/saugeye fishing has been superb the last few years.    wipers and stripers in some cases are starting to really improve.... and the next blue/flathead catfish record is gonna get shattered in a year or 2 in southeastern CO.    last year my GF and I got into legal sized crappies through the ice out east and this fall i found a sick crappie spot for 12-15 inch crappies i cant wait to ice fish.

The beef i got with CO is with the western slope and how they routinely destroy the fishing quality of the lakes out there due to their unwarranted discrimination of pike, walleyes, smallmouths and lakers..., and unfortunately that is a federal government issue more than a state one.

The fees were a long time coming.  my opinion of the fees is this: Im gonna pay 116 bucks for a wyoming annual license... they make a huge portion of their money from out of staters, especially from the greenies like me.    It's fitting we learn from that and make all the googans who are coming here pay their fair effing share.      I just hope we get more for our money if we are paying more... but that's wishful thinking.   
they raised the fees to jefferson lake access and proposed they closed the lake earlier... the agency managing the lake citing its the cost of living in this state is why.     since we live in a state where we don't own the water... get used to losing more and more access to water here, especially as more people move here... 

[callovthemackinaw]

another thing to take note of, is that if people feel its too expensive.... look at other neighboring states fishing fees.... 

nevada has barely half the waters we have here and their license fees are highway robbery.    wyoming is ridiculous, as is new mexico for a daily license.

IMO our outdoor funding should be taken care of by our taxes and lottery funds... not increased fees.    but I enjoy fishing so I'm gonna pay it no matter how much its gonna be.

[SLAYERFISH]

Says the gub'mint man.

Just keeping your air clean, Sir!

[stinkyfingers]

Just keeping your air clean, Sir!

.. and a heartfelt thank you from the grateful citizenry of this State for a job well done.


                                                           (seriously)

[Bigassbassman]

on the eastern plains they are going above and beyond.    the crappie and walleye/saugeye fishing has been superb the last few years.    wipers and stripers in some cases are starting to really improve.... and the next blue/flathead catfish record is gonna get shattered in a year or 2 in southeastern CO.    last year my GF and I got into legal sized crappies through the ice out east and this fall i found a sick crappie spot for 12-15 inch crappies i cant wait to ice fish.

Well, that's encouraging.  Glad to hear some species are doing well.  BUT...others are not doing so well.  At least by my estimation.

Consider the Master Angler program here in Colorado.  Anyone can look up yearly data on those fat specimens people pull out of the water all across the state.  (https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/MasterAngler.aspx).  Now, it's not a sampling of the entire population of a species, but I think it's an indication of those apex biological specimens that have good genes and are the top of the population pyramid.  Here's some data I pulled of the CPW website for Largemouth Bass and Wiper:




Now, others may pull out other trends from these data, but I see a disturbing downward cycle in the years after 2013 to present, for both species.  Again, these are only MASTER ANGLER fish, and I know it doesn't represent the entire statewide population.  But I think it's a good indication of the QUALITY of fish people are catching in general across Colorado.

Just compare these Wiper numbers to Kansas.  Not gonna even come close.  Compare these LMB numbers to Nebraska.  Not gonna even come close.  I know Colorado has different issues regarding the watersheds, droughts, water conservation, etc...but the warm water species in this state are not being managed as well as they could be.  When they increase license fees, I expect to see concrete results in the fisheries for these species, too...not just trout.

[stinkyfingers]

on the eastern plains they are going above and beyond.    the crappie and walleye/saugeye fishing has been superb the last few years.    wipers and stripers in some cases are starting to really improve.... and the next blue/flathead catfish record is gonna get shattered in a year or 2 in southeastern CO.    last year my GF and I got into legal sized crappies through the ice out east and this fall i found a sick crappie spot for 12-15 inch crappies i cant wait to ice fish.

  I typically read Jim Ramsay's survey results from the CPW website on the Eastern Colorado fishery rather than the Master Angler numbers. He says the same thing, that fishery is getting better and better. Tough lakes to fish with all that wind and clocking in at 2 1/2 hours from my place. However, those species you mention are my targets and I'll be hitting it with a vengeance in 2019 even if I have to take my wife.

With Christmas right around the corner, a great gift idea would be for you PM me a hint on that crappie honey hole location.

[Bigassbassman]

  I typically read Jim Ramsay's survey results from the CPW website on the Eastern Colorado fishery rather than the Master Angler numbers. He says the same thing, that fishery is getting better and better. Tough lakes to fish with all that wind and clocking in at 2 1/2 hours from my place. However, those species you mention are my targets and I'll be hitting it with a vengeance in 2019 even if I have to take my wife.

With Christmas right around the corner, a great gift idea would be for you PM me a hint on that crappie honey hole location.

Ahem...yes, that would be nice, Dave.  Just for a few of us...PM's are well received.   

Yes, Stinky, you're right --- the overall species reports and broader fishery reports contain more data and may be more helpful for looking at the overall health of fisheries.  But I think the downward trends for master angler fish are a little concerning.  Lots of variables there, though.  I would expect all survey reports to continue to get better with increased license fees.  But maybe the extra money will just disappear into more bureaucracy.  Who knows.

[callovthemackinaw]

bwahahahaa, only thing I'm gonna say is follow the hmoobs.   they are the ones who showed me.
the lakes i do good for crappie at are well managed for them with size limits and i havent had a problem w/ finding any over the 10 inch mark.     there's your first major clue.

This is just my opinion.... and i think the reason why we don't have a lot of wipers/black bass in this state is because the water issue....  we cant keep our water, and that we have that culture of keep everything we catch.     Ask neal wilkinson about how many legal wipers he's seen leave pueblo on stringers.    and in lakes like John martin, the predator prey balance is out of whack so theres way too many smaller fish, not enough teeth to keep them in check currently.

Theres also a number of underutilized waters out east that fly under the radar, that I KNOW have big bass.     

I also speak with a sense of bias against the CPW, since from what I observed....  they really only care about the dollars, and the dollars come from salmonid species.    if they were to make it up to us for charging us these fees.... id demand more access to lakes locally and abroad, and to eliminate unnecessary regs (the boating reg at 11 mile and the new ramp closure on granby comes to mind quickly here) that serve no real purpose.     

[cat26fish]

Here’s a kicker for ya...CPW increases resident fees for hunting licenses, then reduces the non-resident Bear/Fishing combo license, good until March of the following year, from $351.00 to $100.00 for the 2019 season, a $251.00 decrease. Free fishing licenses with a non-resident big game license? Can someone please explain the logic behind that? Give the out of stater the option to BUY a fishing license for an additional fee if they so choose. I don’t get it!

Maybe they are getting rid of the combo with bear in 2019.  I don’t know, doesn’t make any sense if they kept it like previous years where non residents get a fishing license with their big game tag.  It wouldn’t make sense considering a non resident fishing license is 95 by itself.   I’m actually assuming since none non resident hunting licenses increased that they aren’t combos anymore, and fishing is separate.