The New Year brings us to new Licenses, and mailing back the old “report cards”
The new computer-based system seemed to have printed the waterproof fishing and hunting license faster than it had when it first started a few years back. It helps to have your past license or your driver’s license with you.
If you have that, the system works fast and efficient these days — if you don’t mind folding several feet of license up.
At $46.44 for a basic fishing license that covers fresh and salt water, the license may come with sticker shock, but I still feel like this is a bargain. What a treat to go fishing in so many places, all year long, for less than fifty dollars.
If you fish for steelhead, sturgeon, abalone or lobster, you will need addition punch cards to cover these species. The punch cards range from $6 to $22 for the abalone punch card.
Remember that the punch cards must be sent in by the end of the month after the beginning of the year and or 30 days after a season closes.
Currently, the rock fish season has closed, crab fishing has been fair and we need rain to raise our rivers for the returning steelhead.
It was a great rock fish season and is nice to close for a while to give the fish a rest.
While the weather has been perfect for crabbing, both sport and commercial crabbers are catching far fewer than in the past few years.
Commercial crab fishermen were able to harvest holiday catches of crabs with calm weather. Many anglers are working harder for crabs this year finding 1 to 3 crabs per trap.
The San Lorenzo River has been very low and clear, as many rivers in California have been in a drought state and some close due to low flow restrictions.
I hope the New Year brings water for the fish and happiness to the people.
