Too many fees?

[heatman]

Indiana Lake Permit $20.00
Entrance Pass $36.00

I'm not paying that just to fish Patoka once or twice a year.

The only time you have to pay the entrance fee is if you use the ramps inside the state park areas with camping etc. Just use a different ramp.

I can't believe people that think these fees are to high. The closest lake to me is Morse which is not state owned and it will cost you $27 to launch on the weekend. I fully think the people using the lakes should have to pay a fee. I have 3 brothers and I'm the only one with a boat. Why should they have to pay to fund these facilities?

I spend one week each year in Michigan snowmobiling and you have to purchase a trail permit to ride and it's the same price as our annual boat permit.

And just how far do you think that $20 you spend goes to improve these places? I have no idea how many boat owner there are in Indiana but lets just throw 10,000 out there. That's $200,000. So how many boat ramps could be built for that and how many fish could be stocked in all the lakes? I'm sure there are more boat owners than that but that kind of gives you and idea how little that money adds up to.

[Moose1am]

And just how far do you think that $20 you spend goes to improve these places? I have no idea how many boat owner there are in Indiana but lets just throw 10,000 out there. That's $200,000. So how many boat ramps could be built for that and how many fish could be stocked in all the lakes? I'm sure there are more boat owners than that but that kind of gives you and idea how little that money adds up to.

OK but who actually built the Ramps at Patoka Lake. Who owns Patoka Lake? The State of IN does not own the lake or the ramps. The Lake is owned by the Corp of Engineers ... Right? Or does the State Own the lake and the Surrounding Buffer Area around the high water line?

I always thought that the Corps Built the Ramps using Federal Money

It's not the 20 Dollar fee so much as all the fees added together. It's not prohibitive but it's costly. It costs more to boat and fish at Patoka Lake now than when it opened. But everything costs more now days. The only thing that is not going up is WAGES! They are standing still while the price of Gas and all other goods rises. That's like someone reaching into my pocket and taking about 50% of the money in my wallet out. Leaving me broke !

The driving to the lake and back is what's making everyone lose sleep.
Now if you can drive there for the entire weekend that's nice. But if you had to drive up and back on Friday and again on Saturday and then again on Sunday it would get rather expensive.

I am lucky in that it only costs me about $35 to drive 300 miles. But I am driving a fuel efficient small pickup truck. It's only 4 cylinders yet it will go over 90 mph if the wheels don't shake too much and fall off. It's got over 170.000 miles on it right now and I hope it lasts me another 100,000 miles.

I'd buy this truck all over again if I could. I'd put a bench seat up front instead of bucket sport seats.

I'll bet that in the next ten years you will be seeing a lot more fuel efficient vehicles on the highways in America. You will see hybrid, all electric and hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles too.

And as for the 20 lake permit that's required at Patoka... I think that's a more fair way to pay for the lakes use. In the past people who owned yachts and big house boats only paid $5 to launch their boats one time. They left the boats on the lake at the Marina. The Mariana made money on mooring these boats but not the IDNR. And if they launched their big boat from outside the Newton Stewart area or early in the morning they didn't even have to pay the $5 launch fee.

Now any boat on the lake has to show the $20 lake permit sticker on their boat or be subject to a fine. So all these big boats have to pay the $20 where before they may have not paid anything to the IDNR. I am sure that they paid out plenty to the Marinas to keep their boats there. But that was money given to a Private development not the State IDNR.

People have the right to bitch about the price of goods and services. It's called Haggling. If we don't bitch they may raise the prices even higher.

The main thing that prevents the Saudis from lowering oil production if the fear that the USA or China or Russia may just invade them SOB and take their stupid oil. I mean we already did that to Iraq. If there was more oil being pumped and sent out into the world's markets the price of oil would drop. The OPEC guys are raping everyone right now.

[Tyme2fish]

"I fully think the people using the lakes should have to pay a fee. I have 3 brothers and I'm the only one with a boat. Why should they have to pay to fund these facilities?" QUOTE


My children are all graduated from school now. So does that mean I shouldn't pay taxes for school needs anymore. I'm not using the service am I?

My house has never caught on fire ,but I pay taxes for fire and police protection. Why should I pay if don't use them?

The analogy of people only paying for the service they use is not valid. The government is taxing and feeing us to death.

Add it all up and it's quite a sum to just be able to put my boat on Patoka Lake.

[heatman]

"I fully think the people using the lakes should have to pay a fee. I have 3 brothers and I'm the only one with a boat. Why should they have to pay to fund these facilities?" QUOTE


My children are all graduated from school now. So does that mean I shouldn't pay taxes for school needs anymore. I'm not using the service am I?

My house has never caught on fire ,but I pay taxes for fire and police protection. Why should I pay if don't use them?

The analogy of people only paying for the service they use is not valid. The government is taxing and feeing us to death.

Add it all up and it's quite a sum to just be able to put my boat on Patoka Lake.

Sorry but your analogy is wrong.

You pay taxes for schools just like I do even though I don't have kids.... why? Because someone else did the same thing when you were going to school. Just like I'm paying into social security now. To fund those that are collecting it now. Same as others will be doing for me when I retire.

You pay for fire and police protection incase they are ever needed.

Boating/ fishing is a Hobby... I don't believe the others example you used would be considered the same.

I do believe we are overtaxed but I don't see boating and fishing fees to be an issue. When property taxes equals 2 mortage payments , now that's a problem.

[Tyme2fish]

We still disagree.

Boating/ fishing is a Hobby Quote.

I consider fishing a right. My rights are being taken away by fees and taxes.
Remember the poll tax that prevented people from voting?

So I'll continue to access my "right" to fish on the Ohio river where Indiana can't tax me. It's God's waterways,not the States. Oh well, man did manufacture Patoka Lake. My bad on that one.

[PL]

We still disagree.

Boating/ fishing is a Hobby Quote.

I consider fishing a right. My rights are being taken away by fees and taxes.
Remember the poll tax that prevented people from voting?

So I'll continue to access my "right" to fish on the Ohio river where Indiana can't tax me. It's God's waterways,not the States. Oh well, man did manufacture Patoka Lake. My bad on that one.

Good luck on fishing the river anytime soon..........Patoka was 8' above summer pool last time I checked the corps site.

[Grumpyump47115]

If you think fishing is too expensive take up golf. Consider a cheap dozen of golf balls is $12. If you are a hacker like me you lose about three a round. Then consider a membership at a golf course would run around $700 not including your cart rental would be $15-20 per round. Then you get tired of playing the course you are a member and go somewhere else your looking at least $50 and you still have to buy gas to get to the golf course. That's why I'm now fishing.