CENTRE COUNTY, Pa (WJAC) — It's almost time to go fishing.
Trout fishing season in Pennsylvania is set to begin next week.
For many anglers, it’s a date they've had circled for months, but say the cost of a fishing license has gone up.
On Friday morning, near Milesburg, state officials were busy trout stocking.
The Fish and Boat Commission hatchery trucks always draw a crowd.
For the commission, this is an important time of year to raise vital revenue.
“Our revenue gets generated by license sales. It’s a pretty narrow window, at the beginning of trout season is when most of our license buyers, most of the sales happen, right before and right after opening day.”
Last year, the commission reported selling more than 790 thousand fishing licenses, which goes a long way in paying the expenses to stock approximately 3.2 million trout statewide this year.
Several years ago, the authority for setting fishing license fees was shifted from the legislature to the Fish and Boat Commission.
When COVID hit, license sales increased so there was no need to hike license prices, but in 2023 a $2.50 increase.
Officials, however, say anglers should not expect that to be an annual trend.
“Couple those extra dollars from the license increase with our reserve, and we are in a good place. We can afford everything that we are doing. We have no plans for a license increase this year.”
Like many places, the fish commission is looking to increase staffing, especially for its waterway conservation officers.
Currently, there are about one hundred officers working statewide.
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