Research helps put together the puzzle of anglers, lakes, and fish to show why fish catches change over time.
All anglers have their favorite fishing holes.
But few anglers can keep their favorites to themselves anymore. Record numbers of anglers have changed fishing on Minnesota lakes. Fishing license sales tell the story of more anglers on the water. Resident fishing licenses first went on sale in 1927 and cost 50 cents each. The number of licenses sold each year has been on an upward trend ever since major world events such as the Great Depression and World War II caused dips in license sales.