Those crying about the "Proposed" Tourney fee's

[lov2fish]

I have read every reply to both threads and I have never once seen science mentioned. You guys kill me. I will start off by saying, the fee's are needed and will be put in place with or without your petition. I am not anti-tourney, far from it, but I am one who thinks before he types most times.


There are alot of underlying factors that caused the fee's to be instituted, which by the way, they are no where near the staggering figures the tourney directors are trying to scare into you. We saw the proposed encrease last year before anyone and it is set up in teirs. Now to why your license doesn't go as far as you think.

Bass fishermen are not the only fishermen who buy a license, we are probably the minority truth be known. So your license money the DNR collects from bass fishermen alone is probably not even a pimple on the ##### of the DNR budget. Just cause we bass fish we are not entitled to anymore than your license will pay for. There are Walleye,Musky,Panfish,Catfish and Carp fishermen who contribute to the lake funding the same as we do. So to say I buy a license and this should entitle me to special privledges is just ignorant.

You ever hear of science? Maybe an invasive species? These things are real and threaten your water everyday. You know who takes care of these problems? That's right the DNR. When some idiot thought he was doing the bass fishing world a favor by tossing some shad into Patoka or, "insert your favorite lake here" It was the Biologist who tried to bring it under control as to not kill off or degrade the bass fishing. When an invasive species of plants gets in a lake from a careless boater it is the DNR Biologist who try and keep it under control. Have you ever considered any of those factors into your rants? Probably not as I can see by all the post your greed and selfishness won't allow it!

To help recoup the cost from these expensive endeavours the DNR has decided it was time everyone actualy paid their fair share to properly manage your water. Do you know how many lakes across Indiana have invasive species problems? About 80% of them and it is expensive to keep it in check. So do you really think your license fee should entitle you to some special pass to not help pay just because you fish a Tournament?

Yes the local economy gets a nice influx of money around the lake, but, if the lake is dead or not worth fishing are you still going to go spend your money there? I bet I know the answer! Stop just using something up and then moving on simply because you bought a license. The watershed you think your entitled to has to be managed and you must help pay that bill. None of these into take into consideration the law enforcement part of the equation. If you think your being targeted as bass fishermen you had better take a look @ the citations written last year, once again your the minority. There is no other fast side @ Monroe, there is the idle side that everyone thinks is ok to run through there @ break neck speeds. It's not, if you get a ticket for it, stop crying you broke the law.

Now how much do you think your license entitles you to? Not as much as you thought is it. Do your part and pay your share. None of this even takes into consideration the mortality rates of bass who died after release, who is going to replace those? Who is going to make sure the recruitment is in line for the next year? Oh yeah, the DNR.....So you wanted to know where the extra cost comes into play? Now you know, or should I say you have seen the tip of a huge iceberg of what it cost to miantain a Reservoir.


Sincerely, Ray Rigby

[idbefishing]

Come on stop it Ray..........then why don't they make everyone pay for it????????????? instead of just a certain group of people???????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????

[MikeAxsom]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-29-06 AT 03:02PM (EST)[/font][p]By golly, I think Ray gets it. Hope it spreads.

[lov2fish]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-29-06 AT 03:16PM (EST)[/font][p]The Tournament fee's apply to all groups, Crappie USA,Katfish America, all groups, so yes they are all paying their fair share, well sorta. I mean there is a bass Tournament every Saturday and Sunday of the year from March to November. It's not the other groups fault they don't have as many, but the teired fee's apply to them as well.


Ray Rigby

[Classic11]

Ray - I agree to a point with your statments.

A few issues are frustrating...

1 - The lake user sticker - Why is this not being inforced by the DNR? This is thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

2 - Why only target tournament fisherman for additional revenue? Regardless of what species you are fishing for. More fish are taken from the state run waters by non-tournament fisherman than actual fishing dieing from tournaments (talking from my butt there but it sounds logical)

3 - Why not just increase the fishing license and boat registrations? This would cover everyone using the water and not single any patricular group out.

It is not that expensive to fish here...

IN - $17 All species $11 = $28

MI - $15 + $1 (sportcard) All species $13 = $29
OH - $19 + $1 (issue fee) All species $? = $20
IL - $13 All species $12 = $25
KY - $15 All species $10 = $25
TX - $28 All species $10 = $38
TN - $28 All species $18 = $46
MO - $12 All species $7 = $19
MS - $32 + $1.85 All species ? = $33.85
CA - $33.35 *** too many other fees *** = $33.35

[lov2fish]

I really don't know why the sticker issue is not enforced. I/We was told last year it was going to be enforced with vigor. As far as targeting tournaments, well to be honest it is probably cause we are a captured audience.

I know last year all the Tournament directors from the larger circuits put out the word that entry's were going up 125% to cover the new fee's imposed by the DNR that were eventualy shelved. This scare tactic worked with the exception that our group got ahold of their teired system they wanted to put in place. It would have depended on the size of the Tournament but the worse case scenario was we were going to have to caugh up an addtional $2.00 per participant. A far cry from those who cried wolf. One other thing with the proposed teired system they were going to do away with the $1.00 per person allready collected.

People jump to conclusions all the time because they seen it in a magazine so it must be true. Not true, they are reporters after all looking for a story!

This years tiered system will be geared towards last years numbers. This come from a reliable source @ the DNR. Our group was the first ones with the numbers last year and we are again this year.

If folks are going to make a difference in the fishing community, you need to organize or get with a group who is allready established. We are such a group, www.iscconservation.org We have connections with the IDNR, IDEM and Fish and Wildlife. We will go to bat for anyone who can prove to us why they need the help or something should be changed. They can't just type on a message board and swear it's the truth. Most groups deal in fact not conjecture. Your never going to make a difference or get a petition heard as splintered group, get organized then go at em.


Ray Rigby

[MikeAxsom]

>Ray - I agree to a
>point with your statments.
>
>A few issues are frustrating...
>
>1 - The lake user sticker >-
Why is this not
>being inforced by the DNR?
> This is thousands of
>dollars in lost revenue.

Why do you say it is not being enforced? If it is not being enforced, why worry about it?

>
>2 - Why only target tournament
>fisherman for additional revenue?
>Regardless of what species you
>are fishing for. More
>fish are taken from the
>state run waters by non-tournament
>fisherman than actual fishing dieing
>from tournaments (talking from my
>butt there but it sounds
>logical)

Why would you want IDNR to recognize fish as the only resource involved in this form of recreation? There are a great many resources to consider, like infrastructure, labor, equipment, etc. Patrol, boats get used up, as do cars, mowers, garbage trucks, and....

>
>3 - Why not just increase
>the fishing license and boat
>registrations? This would cover
>everyone using the water and
>not single any patricular group
>out.

Would they get griped at less for that?

>
>It is not that expensive to
>fish here...
>
>IN - $17
>
>
> All
>species $11 = $28
>
>MI - $15 + $1 (sportcard)
>All species $13 = $29
>
>OH - $19 + $1 (issue
>fee) All species $?
>= $20
>IL - $13
>
>
> All
>species $12 = $25
>KY - $15
>
>
> All
>species $10 = $25
>TX - $28
>
>
> All
>species $10 = $38
>TN - $28
>
>
> All
>species $18 = $46
>MO - $12
>
>
> All
>species $7 = $19
>
>MS - $32 + $1.85
>
> All species
>? = $33.85
>
>CA - $33.35 *** too many
>other fees ***
>= $33.35

Agreed!

[Classic11]

Mike - my comments -

"Why do you say it is not being enforced? If it is not being enforced, why worry about it? "

Why worry? If the state has imposed a new law to generate additional revenue for our resources why would they not enforce it? I see them looking for another way to generate revenue without really seeing what monies can be brought in with the current law. I qualified for the state finals through the federation and have fished Monroe almost every weekend for the past couple months and am truly amazed at the amount of boats running the water without stickers.

"Why would you want IDNR to recognize fish as the only resource involved in this form of recreation? There are a great many resources to consider, like infrastructure, labor, equipment, etc. Patrol, boats get used up, as do cars, mowers, garbage trucks, and...."

Kinda confused with this one... the resource is the water, what surrounds it and what is in it; I'm not talking about what it takes to manage it. The pleasure boaters and non-tournament fisherman use the resource just the same.


"Would they get griped at less for that?"

I all for fundung the resources we have; hell I bought an enviorment plate for my truck and I can not truly tell you where that money gets funded. You will never here me complain about what we pay as long as certain groups are not singled out... make it for everyone and I'm all for it.

All in all we simply have limited resources that are recieving more and more stress each year whether it be fisherman or people just enjoying the water on their boats. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want my great-grand-children to have the same experiences on the water that most of us take for granted.

[MikeAxsom]

Enforcement- Of course I too am in favor of proper enforcement, particularly for regs dealing with fees. We have done away with a couple of fee regulations here because we found it impossible to enforce them evenly. But the new state permit reg is just that. New. And enforcement theory on new regs is often to go easy in the beginning and assume that most violators were just not informed. I’m betting more strict enforcement will be phased in over the first year or so.

Resource- In discussions about funding, I have trouble separating specific resources like water, from what it takes to manage them. Maybe I’m missing something there. I’ll agree that pleasure boaters and recreational anglers do use lake resources, although maybe not the same.

Singling out certain groups- one of the most basic concepts of funding with user fees is that users of public facilities are charged fees for what they use. Singling out groups is part of what makes it all work. Everyone entering a park that charges a gate fee, should pay that fee, as it is a pretty universal component. Campers, on the other hand are going to pay an additional fee for the add on for that specific activity. Boaters pay certain boating related fees, depending on what they are doing, but don’t have to pay camping fees unless they are also camping. I see no way to do this without singling out groups by activity, unless you want to have some sort of comprehensive “Recreation Permit” that lets you do it all. I’m guessing that such a permit would have to sell for hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, and would not be real popular with the general public.

Grandkids- I got a herd of those, and I sure agree with those comments. Both that we need to find a way to keep our outdoor heritage intact for future generations, and that “most of us take for granted” what we have.

[hardestyeric]

Why do you have to post the same exact thing on 2 different web sites? You complain about this site and all the arguing over here on your site and then you come on here and try to get the arguing started?
Why is it when someone states their OPINION and you don't happen to agree with it they are "crying"? Why can't you just explain your stance without any little digs? I think your post might have explained something if it didn't p*ss people off to the point they didn't even want to read it.
Nobody is debating science. There wasn't anything in the article about science. The DNR stated they needed to raise their fee's to cover the increased costs they incur when there is a tournament. The did not state that they needed to cover the increased cost of maintaning the resevoir.
Eric H.

[hairjig]

How do you think those big old bass at patkoa got so big,I would think it was because of the shad, what about brookville or monroe big bass and lots of shad. The shad just change the way the fish use the cover. Harder to catch this time of year but once you figure it out your in for a treat!

[lov2fish]

Why do you think they had to put Stripers,Walleye,Musky and other predators in the lakes? To control the shad that will grow to fast for the bass to eat. Then your "Big Ole Bass" will become stunted bass..........


Eric, you don't have to read anything, nobody put a gun to your head and told you to open this. I answered the one @ Bass Boat Central after this one. People get pissed when someones "Opinion" is fact and eliminates their conjecture!!!



Ray Rigby