Monday, April 26, 2010

License renewal approaching

Well, it's that time of year again.

The angling license you bought for the 2009 season will expire on Friday. While it's hard to imagine many anglers will forget abbout the April 30 expiration — this is only the second year since the angling license expiration moved from February to April — stranger things have happened.

I really like the extended season and compliment the decision to move back the expiration date. I'll be the first to admit that panfish rarely drew me in for a license renewal in March under the old guidelines.

But in the past two years I've fished the shores come ice-out religiously, and after Friday, I will purchase a new license for my wife and I.

So don't forget. Buying a license and fishing legally is one of the more noble ways to support your environment. Think of it like the newspaper honor system — you can drop 75 cents into a newspaper box, but once you open that door, you could clean out that newspaper stand.

Like that newspaper stand, a person can easily disappear along a river shoreline or some other remote spot and likely fish without a license. And that same person could likely take fish, within the limit or over the limit, illegally.

So, avoid a fine and any possible interruption in your ability to own a license and fish legally by ponying up and buying a license.

You can renew online or find a list of licensed agents on the DNR's website.