From the mountains to its valleys, Utah’s rivers, lakes, and streams are home to a diverse fish population.
Because of that, fishing is a very common sport here.
“People come from all over the world to fish in those places, and we have them right here,” said Fred Jepsen, a Utah resident angler as well as the president of the Bonneville Fly Fishers club.
“The main purpose of a club is, well, two-fold, but to get people out and give people places to fish with and people to fish with," said Jepsen.
Jepsen has been fly fishing since 2004. He said he now qualifies for the senior citizen discount to fish the state’s water bodies.
The purchasing of a fishing license is required in all states.
Utah residents pay $40 and non-residents pay $120 dollars each year. This is for people between ages 18 and 64.
“Really, you spread that over a year, it's, it's not much, and it's for a year,” said Jepsen.
Faith Jolley is the public outreach officer for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. She said in an email that these prices have increased between 2014 and 2023 to help with the rising rates of the market.
She said the price increased again in 2025 for the combined fishing and hunting license to help increase the revenue of the state agency.
These price increases help fund habitat preservation projects, like the Blue Ribbon fisheries.
There are more than 40 of these fisheries in Utah and they’re highly rated for quality fishing experiences.
In order to keep up with the anglers' needs and desires, Jolley said the fishing licenses also help pay state biologists who determine how to meet fishery goals. These goals include fish stocking and regulations.
