Hartford, Connecticut (WTNH) - Some fishermen are upset after the state lowered the fishing license fees after they had jacked them up.
Fishermen who bought their licenses in the past few months probably noticed that the price had doubled from last year. But then, just before the beginning of the freshwater fishing season, the price dropped dramatically.
“I paid $50 for the combination freshwater and saltwater,” said Patrick Davis of Seymour. “If I went now, it would be $32.”
The fees were increased last fall as the state tried to close the budget gap, but fishermen didn’t like being on the hook for all that extra money.
“Two years back it was $20 and you didn't need a saltwater license. Now I paid $50. That's a 150-percent markup there,” said Davis.
The hunting and fishing lobby was so strong, it got the legislature to pass a bill to lower the fees. Governor Rell signed it and it went into effect last week, just before fishing season began on Saturday. Some lucked out and got their licenses at the new, lower price.
"For the people who did buy it at the higher rate there should be some type of reimbursement down the road,” said Jamie Leffler of Southbury.
A spokesman for the DEP says he understands that some people feel like victims of a bait-and-switch, but that new law says nothing about reimbursements, and the DEP can only obey the law.
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