Does anyone know about any fishing conservation organizations doing things here in utah for all fish species? I know the big group is going to be trout unlimited but are they just trout? and being that they are a nationwide organization how much do they do in utah? I have an e-mail in to don peay of the utah group sportsmen for fish and wildlife, asking what things they do for the fish, but I think they are more for big game and turkeys. I will post his response when I get one. i was just wondering if anyone knows of another group who does things for wipers, walleye, trout, catfish, ect?
Don was pretty quick on the reply, heres what he had to say;
[font "Arial"][size 2]One of the main things SFW did for fishing was to pass the $5 habitat authorization bill –the legislature passed the bill we asked them to do it, and we had to overcome some major opposition against it. This bill allocates nearly $1 Million a year for fishing projects via the DWR habitat bill. We also worked to gain legislative support to get funding for rebuilding the state’s fish hatcheries, and we put $5,000 into establishing the fishing pond out near Midvale for kids.[/size][/font]
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[font "Arial"][size 2]While it is not direct money, SFW has done a lot to make fishing better for all fisherman.[/size][/font]
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The Rocky Mountain Anglers' focus leans toward walleyes, but encompasses all freshwater fish. They have regular monthly meetings and a monthly newsletter, and the regular meetings frequently feature guest speakers, including officials from the DWR. The club has been actively involved in many service projects, as well as donating funds to benefit a variety of fish species, including walleye, catfish, tiger muskie, smallmouth bass, and wiper. They helped the DWR build the fish cleaning station at Yuba, and helped to place old Christmas trees in Yuba last winter, among other projects. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend the meetings. You can email Ray Schelble at [url "mailto:rschelble@quest.net"]rschelble@quest.net[/url] or visit the website at [url "http://www.walleyecentral.com/rocky-mountain.htm"]www.walleyecentral.com/rocky-mountain.htm[/url]. OR try the homepage at [url "http://www.walleyecentral.com/index.htm"]www.walleyecentral.com/index.htm[/url]. There's enough reading there to keep you busy for awhile anyway, especially if you're interested in walleye like I am.
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The Utah Bass Federation web site shows that they do some conservation activities. I saw that they had a Yuba project going. Check their site [url "http://www.utahbassfederation.org/"]http://www.utahbassfederation.org/[/url]
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[size 2]Just to clarify Mister Completely's post above, WalleyeCentral IS NOT the Web site for the Rocky Mountain Anglers. WalleyeCentral is privately owned and caters to walleye anglers and pros throughout the US. One of their services is to provide local walleye club information. As far as I know, the Rocky Mountain Anglers do not have a Web presence.[/size]
Not to argue, Dennis, but you can get to the RMA web page through the first WalleyeCentral address I referred to. The second one is the main Walleye Central page, in case anyone is interested in browsing their website for walleye-related info. Sorry, I should have clarified that.[
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what i would really like to see happen is regulation enforcement. the biggest problem with fishing that ive experienced is simply not enforcing the rules they make. i have been checked once in 5 years of fishing. do you guys know how much i fish? different bodies of water etc. that to me is unbelievable that a guy like me can spend that much time on the water and never have my licensed checked. thats scary to me. i feel if we have all these dollars millions at a time. why cant that be allocated for patrolman to check things sometimes. that would stop the over the limit problems on popular waters, and people poaching and fishing with out licenses, fishing outside of regs etc. this to me makes alot more sense to managing fish. if the regulations are made to manage the fish then the best management now is to enforce the regs right? i think so.
i feel its good for these urban fisheries to come up etc. what bothers me is i buy my license everyyear and so do alot of other people that will never use those types of fisheries. i have fished one this year maybe five times so thats that. i wish they would manage them like arizona its alot like a pay to fish. you buy a trout stamp there therefore the trout they stock is the equivalent to the amount of money they made from the trout stamps. instead of making a fishery funded by all the sportsman but is only utilized by a select small group. and to attract some new group of fisherman which of course makes more revenues for the state. i would like to see my dollars spent in a way that is better for the fish out in the environment and manage the regulations. my three cents for the day
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Amen to that, Xman! I get especially angered by so many people that abuse the hunting laws. DWR says they just don't have the manpower they need, and rely very heavily on people reporting violations they see, but very few actually get caught even if reported, and then the judge usually lets them off easy anyway. Really ticks me off! I do think things have improved through the years, though, not so much with enforcement, but MOST people seem to be more conscientious nowadays, I think. It still TICKS ME OFF to hear a guy bragging about getting his deer, his wife's deer, and his 2 daughters' deer. I too have only been asked for my license a couple of times in 28 years of fishing in Utah.
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