Wyoming’s Fishing Outfitter and Guides Advisory Board is dialing into a virtual Zoom huddle on February 10 at 6 p.m., and while it sounds like a sleepy chat about rods, reels, and river runs, this one’s got teeth—especially for those of us in the 2A community who see government creep wherever it swims upstream. The agenda hits on implementing registration processes, beefing up commercial operator reporting, and charting the future direction post-House Bill 5, which greenlit state regs for commercially guided fishing boats. On the surface, it’s about ensuring outfitters don’t overcrowd prime trout spots or dodge fees, but peel back the scales, and it’s a textbook case of bureaucratic expansion: mandatory registrations, paperwork trails, and oversight that could balloon into fees, licenses, and compliance headaches mirroring the very regulatory sludge the NRA fights against for firearms guides and instructors.
Think about it—House Bill 5 didn’t just authorize regs; it handed the Wyoming Game and Fish Department a new leash on an industry that’s thrived on freedom and self-reliance, much like the armed hunting guides who navigate public lands with rifles at the ready. We’ve seen this playbook before: start with safety and resource management for boats on the North Platte, and next thing you know, it’s quotas on outfitters, digital tracking of trips, and audits that stifle small operators. For 2A folks, the parallel is stark—imagine if FFLs or range owners faced advisory boards mandating virtual check-ins to report every customer or future direction after some enabling legislation. This isn’t hyperbole; Wyoming’s own history with hunting guide regs has flirted with Second Amendment tensions, where outfitters pack heat for bear defense and client protection. If fishing boats get this scrutiny, how long before armed wilderness pros face the same net?
The implications ripple wider: as states like Wyoming—red heartland bedrock—normalize these incremental controls, it trains the public (and regulators) to accept government as the default arbiter of commercial outdoor pursuits. 2A advocates should watch this Zoom feed closely (public access details via Wyoming Game and Fish site), because resisting overreach here preserves the wild, unregulated ethos that underpins our gun rights. Drop a line to the board, rally local outfitters who carry concealed, and remind them: once the state’s hooking your business, good luck cutting the line. This Feb. 10 meeting isn’t just about fish—it’s a bellwether for freedom on the water and beyond.
