Year-round season is one of many changes in Utah over the years

It's one of those challenges fishermen face today — decisions.

It was much simpler centuries ago when fishing gear consisted of a spear or a willow basket, and there was no such thing as "catch and release." All fish caught were the evening meal — period.

Go into any tackle shop today and there are aisles of fish-specific lures and hooks, each with its own appeal and technique, and racks of different rods designed for different fishing and rows of reels.

Then comes the decision — where to go? There are more than a thousand lakes and streams in Utah with fish and a long list of different fish. Then comes the decision of whether to keep a catch or wait for a bigger one, or even more difficult: whether the fish will fit into the week's menu or be bumped by home-delivered pizza or drive-in take-out.

Let's face it, fishing has changed and continues to change.

There were enough fish that earlier settlers could scoop them out by hand if necessary. Story is Wilford Woodruff introduced the sporting approach when he returned from England with a cane fly rod and an assortment of artificial flies.

With no rules or limits, though, fish numbers dropped significantly.

Take Utah Lake, for example. It was once a pristine trophy trout water. Overfishing of the trout pushed settlers to the June sucker. When they were gone, it was suggested a new fish be brought in that grew fast, was popular in Asia and reproduced in large number, and so the carp was introduced to Utah.

The first laws put in place to control fishing date back to 1853.

In more recent times, and some fishermen may remember, there was an opening and a closing day up until 1985.

The opening of fishing was the official welcoming of summer. The season ran from June 1 to Nov. 31. Opening day was a big event.

Fishermen stood elbow-to-elbow along the banks of rivers and lakes on opening morning, and it was sometimes difficult to effectively cast from a boat without dropping a lure into another boat, the waters were so crowded. There were huge traffic jams in the canyons, and finding an open campsite was impossible on opening weekend.

The whole complexion of fishing changed in 1985 when the state went to year-round fishing. Fishermen could go when and where they wanted without worry of large crowds or busy waterways.