The Editor’s Note: New license proposal

If Assemblyman Jim Wood’s 365-day fishing license proposal is voted through, an increase in license purchases should be beneficial for everyone. (CHRIS COCOLES)

THEEDITOR’SNOTE

fter I moved to Arkansas in 2003, it had been a couple

Ayears since I had had a chance to fish (I had a memorable Lake Tahoe experience a few weeks before making the move from my California roots to the Natural State and was getting the urge to wet a line again).

So when myself and Chris – my great friend from college who had also moved to Arkansas and convinced me to pursue a job at the same newspaper he worked for – wanted to get in on some of the state’s famed fishing opportunities, we settled on a spring trout outing.

Of course, we had to buy a resident sport fishing license and we decided to get a full one-year license so we could fish again. When we went to a local bait shop to pick up our licenses, we were encouraged that our purchase was good for one year starting that day. Arkansas was one of just a handful of states that offered anglers that perk at the time.

I remembered how frustrating it was during my days in California, when no matter when I bought my license it would expire the following Dec. 31. While the most diehard anglers are going to buy no matter what, as the number of fishing and hunting licenses purchased in California has plummeted – the Golden State also has the highest licensing fees in America – it’s clear that something must change.

It seems finally everyone is on board with the push to make all California license purchases valid for 365 days. State assemblyman Jim Wood (D) recently introduced AB 817, which “will transition California’s calendar-based fishing license to one that is valid a full 365 days from the date of purchase and a mobile phone app that makes compliance and renewal easier,” as Wood’s press release states. Consider that even today, just 13 other states have joined Arkansas in the 365-day license format, so California isn’t alone in its reluctance to do the right thing for aspiring sportsmen and -women.

“It’s time for California to abandon an antiquated fishing license that’s harming our participation rate,” said Wood, who represents the Santa Rosa area, of his bill that, if voted through, would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. “Modernizing our sport fishing license to one that is valid a full 365 days from the date of purchase will encourage more Californians to fish and increase fishing license revenue that funds critical state fishing and conservation programs.”

At a time when we all need something good to happen, this one seems like a no-brainer. -Chris Cocoles