TexasKayakFisherman.com est. 2000

[Knot Right]

Next you will have to have a permit to wade fish. Your fishing license is only a license to buy all the other permits that you need to fish!
Chad

[T-Bart]

I don't think I could put up with a kayak registration fee either. The appeal of kayaks is what everyone else has already said. Easy access, affordable, little oversight, and low impact. Annual registration for each kayak is a little too much, especially considering all the people who build their own kayaks and canoes. If you're registering kayaks, why not register fishing poles and sunblock, too?

Here's a solution, though. Instead of registering kayaks, what if you register the kayaker? Similar to hunter education, you could have kayaker registration, which will serve as a lifetime endorsement for the kayaker, and would also cover any paddlecraft that person operates. The advantage is you'd only have to carry arround your certification, you wouldn't need numbers, it would be the same price regardless of how many you own, and it wouldn't be annual. The other obvious benefit is you educate people on safety and such.

[jharry3]

This whole thing opens up a Pandora's box of issues.

If they registar the kayak then all of us with multiple kayaks, some for fishing some for paddleing, need to track multiple registrations and the people who rent them need to do the same.

If they registar the kayaker it is a yearly fee + anyone who shows up to rent a kayak for the day (probably canoes as well) needs to produce a kayak license in order for the outfitter to let them ride.

Either of the above reduces particpation which is bad for business.

On the other hand why should hunters and fishermen be forced to pay for habitat maintenance and the "nature worship only" people get to use it for free?


My prediction is some kind of fee is coming - the recession has tax & fee revenue down.
The government departments are all looking for ways to get back that lost revenue.
Just look at all the cops writing tickets lately to make up for the lost of sales tax revenue.

Once fees for kayaks is started it will never be repealed even if good times come back - new programs will be invented to use the "wind-fall".

[Imaexpat2]

I oppose a registration fee on Kayaks. Its just another form of a back door tax designed to generate revenue which will go into the general fund and be used in what ever wasteful way with little or no benefit to those paying it.

[AggieWayne]

My .02. Yak registration is a horrible idea. There are other ways to raise money. Hambone (I think that was his handle, it was a page or two back) had the best idea, pay a small sales tax on each new kayak/canoe sold with the money earmarked for recreation. At least you would only pay it once. Or maybe Texas could do what Arkansas did.
I don't live in Texas anymore I live in Arkansas. In 1996 the voters here passed a 1/8 of 1 percent sales tax (the conservation sales tax, it is called). 45% goes to AG&F, 45% goes to Ark. State Parks, 9% to Ark. Heritage Comm. and 1% to Keep Ark. Beautiful Comm. Now our State Parks and Game and Fish Comm. don't have to beg our esteemed Legislature for funds every year. Everybody pays it as it is a general sales tax, but just about everybody benefits. Hey, I hate more and higher taxes as much as the next guy, but 1/8 of a percent is not much, and it goes to something useful that my family and I can and do use and everybody pays. The 'guvmnt' will get the money one way or another, or they will start closing parks, access, boat launches, etc. Thats what was happening here. Looking back, just about everybody, even the biggest opponents, think it was a good idea.
Like I said, just my .02. TKF is a great forum, by the way.

[finfisher1]

I disagree totaly.
One of the reasons kayaks are so popular is there cheap to operate, a great way to start new anglers, and for family outings. Most folks on here own more than one yak so your not talking about 1 registration . Now most yaks carry one person a power boat may carry half dozen. But they buy one we buy 6 .
I own 7 yaks I have built and have two more I want to build, if I pay 35.00 a boat thats 315.00 a year.
Plus with my wooden boats I do not want a TX number splashed all over the side of a boat I spent a lot of hours on to look like it does.

As far as I know every penny tpw collects winds up being accessed by the general fund.
Kayaking is growing so more license are sold and more tags young folks are getting involved, instead of doing something to slow the sport down
let it grow because for every yak sold dollars are generated.
Ron

What Ron said X3
No more draining my pockets!!!

[Davy Jones]

It will be the beginning of the end of kayaking. I've seen the Government in action too many times. They won't stop at just registration, they will figure out how to make you buy a stamp with it or something. Remeber when you bought a fishing license! Now it is a stamp for this a stamp for that. Sorry, I am opposed to the government being involved it at all. I used to hunt, but they got that so expensive, I quit it. Now it looks like they are going to set in on fishing.

NO< NO< NO!!!!!!

[BaitGuru]

What service is TPWD offering those who utilize Kayaks? In order to fish, we pay TPWD for the fishing license. The CORE constructs the lakes and they or the city maintains the ramps.

I'm against registering a Kayak in Texas. Bad enough I have to pay for a tag on my little Kayak trailer.
I pay more than enough for a fishing license, and I don't feel the TPWD should be charging us a fee to use our kayaks. They are not constructing any special structures for the utilization of kayaks on the water that I am aware.

It appears that they are just trying to stick kayak owners for TPWD mis-management of funds. If they want more funds, then do more to encourage fishing and new license revenue!!

I have a Kayak at home, along with a 6 kayak trailer (Magenta). The cost to currently register/tag a kayak (same cost as my regular boat trailer) is too large of a percentage of the initial kayaks cost. Then add the cost to tag the trailer, so I don't register/tag my 'Texas Kayak'.

Oklahoma requires that Kayaks be Tagged, so I purchased a kayak for my parents lake house in Oklahoma (An O.K. Drifter), for which I paid around $500.00 new, then had to pay another fee to prove that it was new for registration purposes, and then a stupid fee to register the kayak. I don't visit my parents too often, so when I got around to visiting the local tag agency, I had to pay another expensive late fee for registering the kayak (I hadn't even had the opportunity to use it but twice during all of last year). At least Oklahoma doesn't require you to tag your boat trailers.

[Barnacle Bill]

I'm completely 150% against any registration fees for a kayak. They won't use it properly. They can't function now and we expect them to function better with more money? We expect the state to miraculously start using our money where it is meant to be used? My kayak doesn't put pollutants in the air and water, my kayak doesn't destroy seagrass beds, my kayak can't run away and hurt someone should I fall out, my kayak doesn't make loud noises and disturb other people (unless I had one too many bean burritos for dinner the night before) and I don't usually keep the fish I catch.

[Rockfish Dave]

I disagree totaly.
One of the reasons kayaks are so popular is there cheap to operate, a great way to start new anglers, and for family outings. Most folks on here own more than one yak so your not talking about 1 registration . Now most yaks carry one person a power boat may carry half dozen. But they buy one we buy 6 .
I own 7 yaks I have built and have two more I want to build, if I pay 35.00 a boat thats 315.00 a year.
Plus with my wooden boats I do not want a TX number splashed all over the side of a boat I spent a lot of hours on to look like it does.

As far as I know every penny tpw collects winds up being accessed by the general fund.
Kayaking is growing so more license are sold and more tags young folks are getting involved, instead of doing something to slow the sport down
let it grow because for every yak sold dollars are generated.
Ron

I agree! Government agencies need to learn to operate within their budgets. When things get tight they need to innovate like the rest of us. So often agencies subcomb to the temptation of an ever growing budget...

[The Nothing]

2010 will be the first year we in Oregon have to "register" kayaks and canoes over 10' in length. I'd call it more of a paddle license though. $5 per person for 1 year. So $5 will cover me in either kayak, but my wife will also have to pay $5 to come out in a kayak with me. Its an odd deal, and time for me to get a couple capers!

These fees will fund mobile boat inspection/decontamination teams across Oregon, train personnel to identify aquatic invaders and for education and outreach to all boaters (motorized and non-motorized). In theory...

It still doesn't make much sense out of me. The cause is awesome, I'm all for invasive species protection, but I'd be more afraid of grampas 8' fold up boat carrying some quagga mussles from his last visit to Lake Havasu than any kayak...

[jharry3]

“The percentage of taxes on GDP (in Pakistan) is among the lowest in the world... We (the United States) tax everything that moves and doesn’t move, and that’s not what we see in Pakistan,” she said.
(Hillary Clinton complaining that Pakistan needs to charge their people more taxes.)

This above is the mentality you are dealing with when it comes to government officials.
They want to increase revenue. Everything that moves and doesn't move is a target.

[Grady]

WHAT WILL THEY DO WITH THE MONEY? Kayak trails?If you need a trail you need a motor.Launch sites,If you need a launch site you need a motor. Lets keep Kayaking primitive and hardcore and not worry about such nonsense.
Sounds like some people are feeling guilty about having so much fun kayaking that they should pay more for it.
All government has to do is through around a few catch phrases or buzz words like safety , enviorment protection, preservation and people jump on the rose colored band wagon. TPW has plenty of money. Man up or give up.Ill not GIVE another dime... just a matter of principle.

[Grady]

Im not going to worry about it untill somrthing happens. Untill then im not reading this thread anymore its making me sick.
Im going to have fun insted.

[Weird1]

thanks for making this a sticky..........
now it will never go away

[Blind.In.Texas]

Might I just say that, without the TPWD authority, very few of us would EVER have legal access to ANY waters, moving or still, up to and including coastal waters and major rivers. Because of the fact that MOST land in the state of Texas is private, most of us would NEVER have a shot at our many rivers and small streams, from public road crossings, if the federal government and the state had not stepped in and asserted that we ALL have a devine right to make use of moving waters for our recreation or travel.

Without the state stepping in to improve, create, and maintain public launch areas, where would we go to get into the water? Any land owners here? Any of you land owners going to make a trail for us, build or create an access, and then maintain it? All on your buck, with no help from strangers who use it? I doubt many would. An access fee would be in order to help with the costs. The state is no different. I believe it is similar to going dutch, right?

It's not the state's fault or problem that our mommas and daddies created consumers. If I ride a bike to work, then, I don't have to pay for emissions testing, rental taxes, registrations, inpections, or the like. However, I am getting to use the roads for nothing more than some sales/property taxes. Everyone else is footing more of the bill than myself for those roads.

I believe activity related funds ARE appropriate and I would be much happier to see a Recreational Water Activity fund, as opposed to a General Fund. I just don't believe it will happen. I like the idea of a registration card, with your yak serial on it, as opposed to a painting it on the boat.

How many people are willing to go down to the public launch and clean up trash, repairing curbing, fill in pot holes, cut the grass, paint the signs, buy the signs, pay for a rules board, and such? OR, are we saying it is someone else's job? If we won't do it ourselves, then, we must pay someone right? Or, do we expect THEM to do it for free, or do we complain about how nasty this launch is and look for somewhere else, public and free, to go? Who's going to pay for the printing of the boating rules or the fishing rules? Me? I can't afford that. I would need help form other peoples' pockets.

I don't think a small luxury fee is so outrageous. Without setting rules, people would do just as they please and our resources would not be resources, but, refuse. Just junk no one wants to be part of.

Mi dos Pesos.

End of Rant

[slacker1105]

I know this is kind of like but I'm gonna say it anyways...

It seems that the government has its hands in more and more each passing day. Unfortunately, its our pockets that their hands are in. The government cannot give anything to you that they don't first take from either you or someone else.

One of the major reasons I considered buying a kayak over a pb is the fact that it didn't require registration and the general up-keep of a pb. Kayaks do little to NO environmental damage (except the angler leaving his used and discarded line in the water floating around, come on guys, seriously take it with you). They don't produce exhaust into the water, don't require oil or leaded batteries (except for a fish finder if you have one). They are ecologically friendly and therefore do not cause the damage that TPW has to spend money to correct or repair. If anything, they should be sponsored and given a tax break under the new obama-kare because they create wellness by exercise... thus preventing serious health problems in the future. If you still feel the need to give money away and see little return for it, please pm me... i will give my home address and you can make the checks out to me. .

As to the argument of us investing in our youth to get them interested in the sport... Lets face it, Kayaking itself is a big enough draw to get people out there. Give them the opportunity to catch a beautiful fish... and the sport sells itself. I don't need TPW to promote something that is this addicting and fun already. Its the equivalent of Trojan condoms promoting sex. TPW only stands to gain from taxing us.

Hey, Its just my two cents... if you agree cool. If not, thats fine too. We still have our 1st amendment in this country. Like all things, if you don't use it... you'll surely lose it.

[ProfPlum]

Just my 2 cents but what about a nominal fee for use of facilities operated by TPWD? THey have a decal that cost $8 per for offroad vehicles that use public trails why not the same pay-to-play for using public tramps/trails/etc?

Texas OHV Program

A Texas OHV decal costs $8 and is good through August 31 of the year it was purchased. Many other states also require this decal for their OHV users. A decal purchased in Texas is also valid in other states and other states' decals are valid in Texas.

Revenue generated by the sale of the decals will be used as grant monies to help municipalities, counties, state or federal agencies and non-profit corporations to create new or improve existing OHV recreation areas in Texas.

Need a decal? Find out how and where to buy one!

[YakinTX]

For those of you that "personally don't see anything wrong with a nominal registration fee... to develop and sustain interest in kayaking especially among children... the future of Outdoorsman" please start making DONATIONS today.

Stealing from folks through a new registration fee (tax) is not the solution.

[DarrellS]

Texas OHV Program

A Texas OHV decal costs $8 and is good through August 31 of the year it was purchased. Many other states also require this decal for their OHV users. A decal purchased in Texas is also valid in other states and other states' decals are valid in Texas.

Revenue generated by the sale of the decals will be used as grant monies to help municipalities, counties, state or federal agencies and non-profit corporations to create new or improve existing OHV recreation areas in Texas.

Need a decal? Find out how and where to buy one!

That is the sort of program I back, IF all of the money stayed with TPWD. Then they would not be stealing from one person.

[cbriscoe73]

I would strongly disaggree with any fees in association with kayaking. A friend of mine gave me a 14' semi-v boat and decided to give it back to him and go with a kayak based on all the transfer fees and the cost of gas. I can put my yak in the truck and head to my favorite fishing hole with little or no cost other than gas for the truck but not the yak. I have found that with my yak I enjoy the trip much more and not in a hurry to get to the fishing spot. Y'all get my drift so please no fees with kayaking since we are truly eco-friendly.

[Weird1]

The problem with thinking this would be a good thing is all of the if's if they, if it.... ect. we know from the times that other programs have been implemented exactly where this money will go, and it is not where it should go so why all of the debate. I for one second YakinTX, so to all of you who think this is a good idea put your money where your mouth is I for one pass enough of my income up the food chian.

For those of you that "personally don't see anything wrong with a nominal registration fee... to develop and sustain interest in kayaking especially among children... the future of Outdoorsman" please start making DONATIONS today.

Stealing from folks through a new registration fee (tax) is not the solution.

[Late Bloomer]

When you stop to think of all the money you have already spent in a year's time in taxes and licensing fees associated with kayak fishing you will more than likely be against any futher fees. The government controls too much of our lives as it is. Much more than I believe the Constitution really allows, but that is another subject.
We are now paying:
tax on new yak purchase (on second hand purchaces also if Registered)
licensing fees on vehicle to transport yak
licensing fees on trailer if used to transport yak
tax on gasoline burned to transport yak
tax on any and all purchases of accessories and safey equipment
And as stated by others, there has always been a problem at all levels for funds to be used as proposed.
Thanks but no thanks....

[BullyARed]

No. We have paid enough taxes (TEA)! What's next? register your paddle? lifejacket? Oops, we already paid taxes on them.

[nbflydude]

I disagree totaly.
One of the reasons kayaks are so popular is there cheap to operate, a great way to start new anglers, and for family outings. Most folks on here own more than one yak so your not talking about 1 registration . Now most yaks carry one person a power boat may carry half dozen. But they buy one we buy 6 .
I own 7 yaks I have built and have two more I want to build, if I pay 35.00 a boat thats 315.00 a year.
Plus with my wooden boats I do not want a TX number splashed all over the side of a boat I spent a lot of hours on to look like it does.

As far as I know every penny tpw collects winds up being accessed by the general fund.
Kayaking is growing so more license are sold and more tags young folks are getting involved, instead of doing something to slow the sport down
let it grow because for every yak sold dollars are generated.
Ron

I agree! Government agencies need to learn to operate within their budgets. When things get tight they need to innovate like the rest of us. So often agencies subcomb to the temptation of an ever growing budget...

I totally agree with this.

Since I'm new to the forum, I didn't read all 4 pages of this thread...However, here's my 2 cents.

Compare the water ways to our roads. You have to pay a registration for a car. However, you can still drive those same roads on a bike and not have to pay a registration on that bike.

That's how it should be for Kayaks.