Locked Out

Utah anglers go to court (again) for their rights to fish by Brett Pettyman
For Utah anglers it was the fish of a lifetime that snapped the line while the net was being dipped. Less than two years after the Utah Supreme Court returned public access to streams and rivers that had wrongly been denied for decades, politicians decided in 2010 to create a new law taking that right away again.
The Utah Stream Access Law, or HB141, may sound like a good thing for anglers and other water recreationalists in the state, but don’t let the misleading name deceive you. There is nothing inviting about HB141. In fact, the law, passed by the 2010 Utah Legislature in February 2010 and signed by Governor Gary Herbert in March, could very well be against the law.

So, while the big fish got away after a couple of years of thrills for fly fishers, anglers know where it lives, and will be returning to the spot …

Download the PDF –> Fly Fisherman article “Locked Out” by Brett Prettyman