Sadly this is not an April Fools post...

Fellow fly angler, Kurt Finlayson, sends sad news to all anglers thinking about spending their hard earned cash to fish in Utah. He writes:

"Anglers in Utah recently lost a major stream access battle.The Utah Legislature passed the bill during this past legislative session. Gov. Gary Herbert signed the bill on March 31 in the face of extensive public outcry.The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has placed some information on its Web site regarding how the bill affects anglers.The information is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/streamaccess .The new law goes into effect May 11, 2010."

We also found a few facts on the web via the Utah Anglers Coalition.

Licensed anglers constitute 21 percent of Utah’s population.*
Angling generate(s) over $11-million in Utah sales tax, over $5-million in state income tax, nearly $12-million in federal income tax, and over $3.5-million in Sport Fish Restoration excise tax.**

The economic impact of anglers’ expenditures generate an additional $468-million in other benefits to local communities.