If you ever stood along the crowded bank of a popular trout stream on opening day, there’s a good chance you were being watched.
Somewhere in the distance there may have been a Waterways Conservation Officer scanning the crowd with binoculars, checking if everyone was displaying a valid license.
Yet, you never knew it.
And that’s by design. I’ve talked to numerous WCOs over the years that employ the binocular tactic, and I’m thankful they did. Checking licenses is part of their job, and they were able to do it without disturbing us. As long as there was a valid license pinned to a cap, vest or jacket, there was no reason for a WCO to intrude on one’s angling experience.
But that’s about to change.
Last month the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission board voted to remove the license display requirement. Once the provision takes effect (after it’s printed in the Pennsylvania Bulletin), no longer will anglers have to pin their license on an outer garment.
And no longer can WCOs conduct license checks with binoculars.
The agency cited several reasons for the change, and among them was a desire to be consistent with the Game Commission’s hunting license policy. In 2012, the PGC did away with their license display requirement and, at the time, I wasn’t in favor of the move.
Yet, even though I still chose to wear my hunting license, I found that the change wasn’t that big of a deal. Game Wardens don’t really have the ability to peer through binoculars to conduct mass license checks because hunters aren’t congregated like trout anglers on opening day. It really didn’t matter if hunters wore their license or carried it in their wallet, and giving them the choice to do either wasn’t a bad decision.
But things are different when it comes to fishing.
Whether it’s around a popular fishing hole, the banks of a lake stocked with trout or at a boat launch before a bass tournament, anglers often congregate. And when they do, the first thing a WCO instinctively looks for is a license.
Now, with the display requirement gone, WCOs essentially have probable cause to check every angler they encounter to see if they have a valid license. That’s part of their job, and now such license checks will be intrusive as anglers have to stop fishing and dig out their wallets when a WCO pays a visit.
From a law enforcement perspective, the change is burdensome simply due to the time it will take to conduct license checks. And when a WCO encounters a throng of anglers lining a stream on the first day of trout season, where do they begin? Are they really going to take the time to check every person? Ultimately, with no display requirement, it may open the door for more people to take a chance and not purchase a license. Before, such individuals would stand out, but now they’ll just blend in with the crowd.
I understand the PFBC’s reasoning when it comes to being consistent with the Game Commission’s policy on not having to display a license. But a policy that requires everyone to wear their license is about as streamlined as it can get while taking the guesswork out of determining who is legal and who isn’t.
Simply put, doing away with the fishing license display requirement creates a needless hassle for all parties involved.
I really don’t believe that anglers on the first day of trout season or those lining the banks of the Lake Erie tributaries fishing for steelhead will appreciate being interrupted to pull out their wallet and prove they have a valid license.
Fortunately, there is a solution if you prefer to cast without being bothered.
Wear your license and avoid being interrupted while fishing.
That’s the nice thing about the recent change. In fact, I don’t view the PFBC board motion as a repeal of the license display requirement, but rather a move that gives anglers a choice.
If you don’t mind pinning your fishing license to your hat or vest, go right ahead. And if you prefer to carry it in your wallet, that’s fine to.
Me? I prefer to fish without being bothered, so my license will remain in clear view on hat.
- This story originally appeared in Pennsylvania Outdoor News.
