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Fishing license
When I first met my husband I knew that he enjoyed fishing. It was not until we were married and moved into a duplex that I realized that he is a fishing fanatic. He had more fishing stuff than anything else I had ever known. He had all of his clothing in two suit cases and a box. He had one box that had towels and sheets. He had two boxes of kitchen supplies and utensils. He had fishing stuff that filled one side of the double garage, and his boat was parked on the other side! It was clear to me from that day forward that I was married to a very serious fisherman.
Through the years we have upgraded from the duplex to a country home and finally to the lake home that we presently live in. Each time we have moved the fishing stuff seems to multiple. Now that we live on a lake it seems that there is fishing stuff everywhere. We had to come up with a system that would keep the tackle in one central location so that my husband could find what he needed, when he needed it, and that I did not have fishing stuff in the house.
My husband receives many different magazines and catalogs that offer a range of hunting and fishing supplies. I started looking through one of the catalogs and found a rod holder that would hold up to 8 fishing rods. I ordered two of these to accommodate the fishing rods that he had. I then went to a local discount store and purchased a closet that had shelving on one side and a rod for hanging clothing on the other side. The closet was made of sturdy plastic and was the right size to fit in the corner of our garage.
When I returned home I set up the closet. I placed his tackle boxes and other fishing stuff on the shelves. On the clothing rod I hung the raingear, life jackets and some of his hunting clothing. When the rod holders arrived I placed all of his fishing rods in the holders and stood them next to the closet. I also found a storage box for his filet knives and placed them in the closet. My last purchase to deal with the fishing stuff was a small refrigerator that was placed on the other side of the closet. This refrigerator is for him to store his live bait and extra beverages that he takes along in the boat.
Organizing the fishing stuff was inexpensive to accomplish and now everything is easy to locate. My husband is going to purchase a locked box to store his electronics for the boat in and we will be all set. I did point out to my husband that his closet of fishing stuff is full, but I still see him combing through the catalogs each month when they arrive.
We live on a lake in central Minnesota. The fishing is excellent on our lake and as a result we have house guests on a regular basis that come to fish. Recently a high school friend of my husband’s came for the weekend and brought along a female companion and her 17 year old son. On Saturday morning we got in the boat to go fishing. We had been fishing for an hour when the 17 year old hooked a fish. He was very excited and told us that he had never fished before. We took pictures and released the fish. Out of curiosity I asked him if he had bought a fishing license. By the blank look on his face I could tell that he did not have one in his pocket. His mother then said that she had bought a license two years ago so she did not think she needed another one.
My husband had everyone reel up their lines and we headed towards a marina that sells bait and fishing license. We explained that you need to buy a new fishing license every year. Neither the mom nor her son thought that they would go fishing again this season, so the bait shop owner suggested that they purchase a one day permit. This was less expensive than buying a one year resident’s license.
To purchase a fishing license you need to show a driver’s license or some sort of identification that verifies that you are a resident of the state where you are getting the fishing license. The reason for this is that non-residents are charged a higher fee, especially in states where fishing and tourism adds to the economy. In our state you have the choice of a one day, a 3 day license or a 10 day license. These are available to residents as well as non-residents. There is also the standard annual permit that the majority of the people buy. The annual fishing license is valid from March 1st of the year it is purchased until the last day of February of the next year. If you are buying a fishing license on February 15th, you need to purchase another one on March 1st. Many people get confused by this because they assume that they are covered for a full year, no matter when they purchase the license. My husband and I purchase a combination husband and wife sportsman’s license. With this license we can both fish and he can hunt small game. By buying the combination license we save money and my husband does not have to worry about carrying two permits.
Some people feel that it is too expensive to buy a fishing license for one day of fishing, but the fines that you have to pay if you get caught fishing with out one are very steep. It is well worth the investment and the time that it takes to get.
Once everyone had their permits we went back on the lake. We did not catch another fish that day, so I guess the first one really was beginners luck.
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