Going fishing: Fees drop just before trout season opens

STAMFORD -- It paid to procrastinate in buying my fishing license. The savings: $10 for a three-day, non-resident license.

Within Stamford, there are only two ways to purchase a license -- online or at Pete's Place on Jefferson Street.

When I stopped at the bait and tackle store late Thursday morning, owner Pete Miller said he learned some fishing license fees had dropped when he arrived earlier that day.

In October, when the state budget went into effect, fees for outdoor recreation doubled -- the resident inland fishing license went from $20 to $40, for example. On Wednesday evening, the state Senate passed a deficit mitigation package rolling back some of the increase, which Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed. As of Thursday morning, the same permit cost $28.

"I look at this whole thing and call it a regressive tax," Miller said, pointing out that a $40 fee is much tougher for a day laborer than for someone earning millions. But fishermen had no choice but to pay the higher rates, he said. "We're all hooked, we're going to pay for it," Miller said.

As I waited, he sold a saltwater fishing license and received a photo of a 10-pound brown trout from another customer buying lures.

"It's an inspiration for the rest of us," he said of the photo, which would join others on the shop's walls.

Mitch Passero, who publishes the Web site ctfisherman.com, said fishermen were ecstatic at the news.

"With this economy, and the way things are, they are surprised that this happened," he said. Passero called the fee reductions a "win-win" for both the angler and the state, since the more reasonable fees will result in more licenses and more revenue over the long term.

Unfortunately, anyone who already paid $40 for the permit is out the added $12. The budget mitigation package does not include a provision for refunds. And to compensate for the reductions, motor vehicle fines increase, with a ticket for failing to wear a seat belt going up from $15 to $50, for instance. So, drive carefully.

On Saturday, after sunrise, I will attempt to catch my first fish on the Mianus River as the trout season opens.

Jeff Yates, secretary of the Mianus River chapter of Trout Unlimited and a fly fishing guide, has generously offered to introduce me to the sport. His offer, however, came with a caution about opening day.

"There's going to be people who are standing at the pool they want to fish at 4 a.m., and they can't fish till sunrise," he said.

He cited a 1999 angler survey conducted by the state Department of Environmental Protection, which found fishermen catch 58 percent of the season's fish during opening day and the following two weeks.

"To fishermen, this is the start of spring," he said.

While I anticipated slippery rocks and cold water, crowds with flying hooks weren't a concern that had crossed my mind before this conversation.

My chances of catching a fish on Saturday morning?

I hike and consider myself "outdoorsy," which seemed to encourage Yates. However, I am not a particularly athletic person, which is not so good.

"It's hand-eye coordination," he said.