Utah Angler Loses Hunting, Fishing Privileges

A Utah man will have three years to ponder the bargain that is an Idaho fishing license. Christopher Berry, 31, of Hill Air Force Base, won't be able to fish or hunt in Idaho for the next three years and must pay $894 in fines, court costs and civil penalties, as well as forfeit two sturgeon rods, following a Memorial Day weekend fishing excursion on C.J. Strike Reservoir. Among several other violations, Berry failed to buy a fishing license before the outing. When contacted on the reservoir by Idaho Department of Fish and Game conservation officers Matt O'Connell and Bill London, Berry was actively fishing with three poles - an angler can fish with no more than two poles, except during ice fishing, if they have a two-pole permit. He told the officers that he had not yet bought a fishing license. He said he was using two of the rods to fish for sturgeon, while using the other to catch smaller fish he would use as sturgeon bait. One of the sturgeon rods had a large piece of smallmouth bass attached to a barbed sturgeon hook - only barbless hooks can be used to fish for sturgeon. Upon further investigation, the officers discovered that Berry had one 8-inch smallmouth bass on a stringer, and another bass of similar size cut up for bait - general fishing rules apply at C.J. Strike, including a 12-inch minimum size for smallmouth bass. When the investigation wrapped up, Berry packed the following paperwork home with him: two misdemeanor citations for fishing without a valid license and for possession of undersized bass; two infraction citations for using a barbed hook for sturgeon and for fishing with three poles. Appearing in Elmore County court on June 14, Berry pleaded guilty to the two misdemeanor charges. Magistrate David C. Epis' sentence included a $300 fine for each of the two misdemeanor violations, a $100 civil penalty for the two short bass, court costs of $80 and $57 for each of the two infractions. In addition, Epis revoked Berry's fishing and hunting privileges for three years and ordered Berry to surrender his two sturgeon rod and reel combos worth about $200. A resident license costs $25.75. A one-day non-resident license is $11.50 plus $5 for each additional day. A two-pole permit cost $13.75. Two days of two-pole non-resident fishing would have cost $30.25.