WATERBURY, Vt. -
Saturday marks the opening day of trout fishing season in Vermont. To show support of the sport, even Governor Peter Shumlin cast a line under the Winooski River bridge in Waterbury.
The sun was shining and the fish were biting... at least for local fly fisherman Drew Price. The Governor on the other hand didn't have much luck, but regardless has a love for the sport and is a proponent of outdoor recreation. "Mostly a great time to get together with family and friends and go out and enjoy our natural resources," the Governor said.
Lately, Governor Shumlin is proving his love of the outdoors... just last week he encountered four bears, this week, he's down by the river fishing for trout. "I'd rather have a bite from a fish, than a bite from a bear," Shumlin joked.
Shumlin also showed five year old Aidan Good his technique. "One of my favorite memories was going out with my best friend Jordie, we'd start fishing first thing in the morning and we wouldn't end until dusk."
And many Vermonters have fond memories of fishing, in fact it attracts anglers from all over the globe and plays a major role in Vermont's economy. "About 65-million dollars is spent in the state on fishing every year, we have about 86-thousand people buy fishing licenses every year," Fisheries Biologist, Shawn Good said. But to give everyone the opportunity to have this experience, there's a free fishing day on June 9th. "We have more than 7,000 miles of streams and rivers in the state... almost all of them have some sort of fishing population worth fishing for," added Good.
Although Saturday was just about the fishing... Governor Shumlin did say that everything done at the legislature is somehow related to the quality of life in Vermont.
