Famous musician or weekend warrior, in this country you need to have a current fishing license for the state you are fishing in. Last weekend, there was a three day music festival in Buena Vista Colorado that featured country music stars Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan. When in Colorado, they did what Coloradans do and enjoyed a little fly fishing. Unfortunately, they forgot to purchase a Colorado fishing license. When Bentley posted a photo to social media with him holding a fish, Colorado Parks and Wildlife had all the proof they needed to issue a citation and a $139.50 fine. Bryan never posted any photos so CPW does not have any evidence that he fished without a license. According to CPW, Bentley was very apologetic and after the event tweeted “Actually appreciate the ticket. Appreciate being treated like a regular person. Appreciate what CO Parks and Wildlife does. I’ll be all licensed up next time!”
According to WideOpenSpaces, revenue generated by hunting and fishing licenses equates to more than 1 Billion dollars a year nationally. Of this money, 100% of the fee’s go to conservation, fisheries management and wildlife restoration. License fee’s by law, cannot be used for any other purposes. I like to believe that most people who fish without a license do so because they forgot, and not for any malicious reason. Regardless, remember when fishing, always have a current license for the state you are in.
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