My only point to it is, we are opening up to being charged more and receiving less again. I'm not against it, but as sportsmen, I think we should have been smarter than just laying down and allowing this to happen with no plan that the Representatives in Hartford can go back on. I know the trout program has been greatly undermined by budget cuts, but our budget cuts are long from over. This State's long term fiscal prognosis is poor at best.

On to my point. We all pay for the trout program now, and the hatcheries have been under fire every year. When the stamp comes out, will all of that money be guaranteed to be spent on the hatcheries and trout stocking programs? Very unlikely, but if this becomes a cash cow, is there anything that mandates increased stocking and prevents DEEP from hiring people under the trout program, to use in other places?

Second, all of us pay for the trout we currently stock when we purchase our license. I wouldn't expect a dollar for dollar offset, but what is in it for us? Will license prices be slightly reduced for those that don't buy a trout stamp? Better yet, and what I would like to see is, are there any plans to offset it by increasing something like the walleye stocking program? I have no problem paying a few bucks more as a sportsman, but show me what you plan to do to make Connecticut more enjoyable for fishermen. More importantly, show me where it's cast in stone that those thieves in Hartford can't undermine us during future budget negotiations.

Lastly, I think this is the beginning of the end of the trout program in CT. The average trout fisherman that buys a stamp will go out and catch a couple limits early in the season when the fish population is high, and this will equate to far more than his/her $5 stamp.That is currently offset because every license holder pays into the trout porogram. Once we give non-trout fishermen an option to essentially "unfund" the trout program, I'm concerned there won't be enough $5 stamps sold to offset the change.

License sales have been dropping at a steady rate here in CT. I think part of that is because many people want to go fishing, and catch something they can take home and eat. (Imagine hunters spending hours in the woods, only to take home a "picture" of their game) If we remove trout from the list, and do nothing about increasing the walleye population, I worry much of CT will be full of panfish and overpopulated dink bass. That will only further hurt license sales, and reduce much needed revenue.

OK, rant over...... I know it won't help, but I had to get it out!









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