Sales of Iowa Fishing Licenses 2002-2008

Iowans and visitors to the state bought season fishing licenses at a record clip through June 1, ending a seven-year trend of declining sales. Possible reasons more people are hooked: better weather, restored lakes, and hot fishing at Clear Lake, Big Spirit Lake and elsewhere. The lure of trout-fishing in Ankeny and other urban spots also helped, said Kevin Baskins, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  Or maybe a weak economy has coaxed many families to look for fun closer to home, boosting fishing-license sales across the Midwest.

“We have seen some noticeable improvements (in sales), particularly in southwest Iowa, where a number of lakes have been restored,” Baskins said. Winter trout stocking also has helped, including new stocking at Des Moines Area Community College’s pond in Ankeny. “You can get to most fishing places in Iowa with a short drive, and you could end up with a meal or two at the end of the trip, too.”

State records show Iowans through June 1 bought 34,000 more season fishing licenses this year than in the same part of 2008, a jump of 17 percent. Nonresidents purchased 1,761 more, up 19 percent. Most sales come in the first five months of the year, Baskins said.

Perhaps more important, both groups posted the highest sales since the state’s electronic licensing system went online in 2002. Residents bought 229,667 through June 1, breaking the 2003 record by 6,845 for the comparable period. Nonresidents bought 11,157, nearly 700 over the record number in 2002.

At Kabele’s Trading Post & Lodge near Big Spirit Lake, fishing-license and bait sales soared this year when word got around last winter that perch were biting. They still are.

“We usually sell about $50,000 in fishing licenses in a year, and we’ve already sold $60,000 this year,” said Kabele’s co-owner Thane Johnson. “I think we’ll hit $75,000 for the year.”

Kabele’s bait shop usually sells 4,000 waxworms a week in winter. But when perch started hitting, that went to 5,000 to 10,000, he said. “We had one person on Saturday and Sunday who basically did nothing but count waxworms and wigglers,” sorting bulk supplies into small containers.

People have caught perch and walleye in big numbers on Big Spirit, which benefits from higher water and more protected spawning grounds, Johnson said. He and his father have caught hundreds of perch. It’s quite a turnaround from recent years.

A Des Moines Register analysis of state records showed that the dive in license sales before this year was broad. All but 10 Iowa counties sold fewer licenses in the first five months of 2008 than they did in the same part of 2002. (County-by-county figures for this year aren’t available yet.)

The biggest gainers were Cerro Gordo, Woodbury and Ida counties, but even then the highest boost was approximately 11 percent.

Small counties such as Monona, Louisa and Fremont dropped 40 to 60 percent, perhaps in part because even a small change in the raw number of sales could change the percentage sharply. The average county dropped 16.5 percent.

This year is different. In Atlantic, Cappel’s Ace Hardware is selling double the usual amount of bait, said manager Tim Cappel. “The fishing has been phenomenal. People are pulling in 9- to 11-inch crappies, people are getting their limits on bass, and the bluegills are starting to hit. We are seeing a lot of new faces come in and get licenses.”

The state tried to spawn sales by mailing weekly fishing reports to those who stopped buying licenses. The reports, at www.iowadnr.com, also suggest techniques and bait strategies.

It didn’t hurt that trout fishing heated up. Anglers landed big stringers of yellow bass at Clear Lake this spring. Yellow perch, walleyes and bluegills have been hot at the Iowa Great Lakes, especially Big Spirit Lake.

Fishing news around the country is good this year.

Wisconsin’s sales through Memorial Day weekend were up 8 percent over last year, the state reported. “We’ve been collecting license sales data for 35 years and we know that during tough economic times, Wisconsin’s fishing license sales increase,” said Dennis Schenborn of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

A survey by the American Sportfishing Association found an 11 percent increase in license sales nationwide in the first quarter of ‘09 compared with those months in 2008. The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation runs a “Take Me Fishing” direct-mail campaign in 32 states, including Iowa, to drum up sales, said spokeswoman Heather Sieber. There’s hope for Iowa’s fishing future. A DNR survey finds 50 percent of Iowa kids 8 to 15 say they fish.

]]> http://www.bigbassfisher.com/2009/07/04/iowa-fishing-license-sales-hit-7-year-high/feed/ 0 http://www.bigbassfisher.com/2009/06/28/iowa-increases-requirements-to-claim-residency-to-hunt-fish/ http://www.bigbassfisher.com/2009/06/28/iowa-increases-requirements-to-claim-residency-to-hunt-fish/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:34:11 +0000 admin http://www.bigbassfisher.com/?p=46

DES MOINES – Beginning July 1, the minimum requirement to claim Iowa as a state of residence will increase from 30 consecutive days where Iowa is the principle and primary residence, to 90 consecutive days, before someone may purchase a resident hunting, fishing or trapping privilege.

The new residency requirements were approved during the 2009 legislative session and signed by Iowa Governor Chet Culver. It becomes effective July 1.

The new residency rule also specifically excludes people from claiming residency for a special or temporary purpose which includes engaging in hunting, fishing or trapping.

Owning land in Iowa, having an Iowa driver’s license or registering a vehicle or to vote does not mean a person is an Iowa resident.

The new residency requirements can be found in the 2009-10 Iowa Hunting and Trapping Regulations booklet available in early August at locations where hunting and fishing licenses are sold, DNR offices statewide, and on the Web at www.iowadnr.gov.