Anglers won’t have to display their fishing licenses after a change that the board of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission approved Tuesday takes effect.
Keeping licenses in wallets protects them against loss, especially for anglers walking or wading through terrain where a branch might pluck the license from their hat or jacket.
Replacing lost licenses costs $6.90.
Anglers, however, remain free to display licenses and to display fishing license buttons, which are collectibles that anglers may purchase in addition to regular licenses.
A license for Pennsylvania residents 16 and older costs $22.90; a stamp allowing anglers to fish for salmon or trout costs $9.90; and the optional button, which this year has the coloring of pumpkinseed panfish, costs $10.
Anglers who continue to display licenses might prevent a waterways conservation officer from interrupting them while they fish. Officers using binoculars can tell at distance if an angler has a license, which is yellow plastic.
Officers can ask anglers to show their license. Also, officers monitor for behavior such as snagging fish or other illegal actions while on patrol, Michael Parker, spokesman for the commission, said.
He said the board approved the final rule for the license requirement. The change, however, doesn’t become official until it is published in the Pennsylvania Manual, which Parker said should happen before trout season opens.
Hunters, meanwhile, haven’t had to display licenses in Pennsylvania since 2011.
Even after three decades as a reporter at the Standard-Speaker, Kent Jackson still enjoys meeting people, learning more about the community and sharing stories with readers. He currently covers schools but has reported on local government, health, police and the environment. Regularly, he writes about outdoor sports, wildlife and conservation for the Wildlife page on Sundays. Contact: 570-455-3636; kjackson@standardspeaker.com
