^ Unfortunately in Minnesota, our cut-off is 89

Cut off here in New Jersey is 70 for freshwater, there is no charge for saltwater though your supposed to register for a free one.

From 65-69 the license is 1/2 price which is 12.50$

Trout stamp is an additional 10.50$

I've brought my licenses from age 16 to 69, so now I'm enjoying a couple years of "free" fishing.

Looking at what a lot of you other guys are paying New Jersey is a bargain, which is something I've never said before 

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

^ Unfortunately in Minnesota, our cut-off is 89

 

That is a joke.

^ Since I turn 66 in less than a month, I wish it was...

During Covid our governor encouraged everyone to get out and enjoy our lakes, and boy did they.

 This is the first year we've seen a down turn in lake traffic. I hope it continues. As for license's  both the missus and I have life time license's so we are covered.

On 10/22/2025 at 11:33 AM, king fisher said:

Fewer anglers competing for a limited resource is a bad thing?  I'm selfish, I admit it.  Please go watch a baseball game, and leave my bass alone.

I feel the same way as you! 💪

During Covid, our lakes were PACKED with anglers and recreational boaters every day.  Some of our best lakes were decimated by people who couldn't care less about limits.  I'd bet many of them never bothered to get a license.

 

In my state, all the fishing license revenue goes straight to the general fund, not fishing.  And they just upped the license fees...and raised the park fees 50%.

3 minutes ago, Glenn said:

In my state, all the fishing license revenue goes straight to the general fund, not fishing.  And they just upped the license fees...and raised the park fees 50%.

We got the opposite here - all fishing and hunting license revenue goes straight to the DNR. And when they voted to allow lottery sales here, one of the provisions is that a percentage of the state's lottery revenue is designated for the DNR.

 

Public lakes have free parking and no launch fees...state parks have yearly tag to purchase, but that tag is good for ALL parks, and there's no other fees if you launch your boat from a park.

Here all license funds go the fish and game, for now.

They tried to get it to go into the general fund but cooler heads were able to keep the status quo. 

State parks are free for launching boats, not all public lakes are, and here there are a lot of private lakes where you need to be part of the HOA's.

Access is an issue and is getting harder every year. 

In the US overall, participation in fishing had been experiencing a steady but slow decline for nearly 30 years.   COVID interrupted it, and as we know caused a well documented explosion in new anglers.  I agree that the current “50%” drop in renewals is largely a result of many of those casual weekend anglers moving onto other activities.  For many, the excitement and reward of fishing never lived up to the hype.  I think there are a few other reasons, not the least of which is the cultural shift we’ve been experiencing for a number of years.

Did the explosions in participation and its supporting industry benefit me?  No.  In fact, I could argue it ‘harmed’ me.  In 40 years of fishing from a canoe or kayak, it’s been in only the past 5 years I’ve had dangerously close calls with boats including being swamped by them twice.  And these were ‘fishing boats’.  It is disgraceful the amount of fishing line I have hooked and pulled from lakes and rivers in the same 5 years.  And the increased amount of garbage and trash left behind on banks, at ramps and in the water has been infuriating.  If less participation means a safer sport and a cleaner fishing environment then I’m all for it.
I disagree that reduced participation will be bad for the sport.  I think the sport is in need of a reset, and fewer participants may just be the catalyst for it.  There may be short-term effects but not necessarily harmful, and will lead, I believe, to its  longer-term health.

Will the industry suffer?  Probably, but only for those in it who saw the opportunity presented by the increased participation and chose to simply exploit it rather than cultivate it.  In fact, some of the decline might have been avoided if more in the industry had promoted lakes, rivers and streams as the resource they are rather than the playground they seem to have become.  The industry had a captive audience and seems to have either taken it for granted or decided to just strike while the iron was hot.  The industry has, in part, become one of excess rather than of purpose.  Those in it who have a proven track record, a sound business model and invest in the sport, not just its trappings, will do just fine.  
Will I suffer if the industry suffers?  Not unless I find having only 50 different spinnerbaits to choose from instead of 150 is painful, or being told that not having a rod/reel “dedicated” for throwing it is crippling, or if not having an app that tells me the day and time to use it results in sleepless nights.

And in reality, there are greater threats to the sport than participation, but this is not the forum to discuss them.

On 10/22/2025 at 12:06 PM, WRB-2.0 said:

this why taking kids fishing and enjoying it is so important to this sport.

Very important to the kids as well, on several different levels, when done right. #QUALITYTIME

^ That's why when schedules line up - I take the 15yo granddaughter and/or the 13yo grandson out as often as I can. Teens you know - active social lives.

6 hours ago, Glenn said:

During Covid, our lakes were PACKED with anglers and recreational boaters every day.  Some of our best lakes were decimated by people who couldn't care less about limits.  I'd bet many of them never bothered to get a license.

 

In my state, all the fishing license revenue goes straight to the general fund, not fishing.  And they just upped the license fees...and raised the park fees 50%.

Do registration fees for boats also go into the general fund? 

According to their website, "boat registration fees go toward funding aquatic conservation and safety programs." 

 

So...not boat launches.

A portion of the money from fishing licenses and boat registrations go to the FWC, (Florida Wildlife Conservation). How much of it, I’m not sure, depends on who you ask.

During Covid I saw a big jump, in boaters and anglers.

 

The upside, was I saw families out together, fishing or getting towed on tubes. Families eating sandwiches in the boat and their Moms telling the kids, “they can’t go back in the water for an hour”.

 

Downside, a ton of inexperienced boaters, sometimes it was mayhem around here. I stayed away from the springs and other gathering places. Way too many people.