Story updated below…
Looks like Dierks Bentley learned a hard lesson over the weekend that even the rich and famous can’t get away from the long arm of the law … the Colorado fish and fur law, that is.
Dierks, who was in Colorado for his second annual Seven Peaks Festival, decided to spend a little of his downtime taking in the natural wonders of Colorado and doing a little fishing. Luke Bryan, who also performed over the weekend at the festival, did the same thing.
On Sunday, Dierks shared a photo of himself with a beautiful trout, teasing Luke about having caught three fish to his one.
Day 3 off to a good start @SevenPeaksFest! (btw… @LukeBryanOnline only caught one and this is my third in 30 mins…not that it’s a competition…fishing and Seven Peaks is all about community and good vibes…but if it was a competition…I would be crushing him. Just saying)
Unfortunately, the good fishing vibes didn’t last long because on Monday Dierks was caught by Colorado Parks and Wildlife fishing without a license.
Ooops.
Dierks took to Twitter to share a video of himself sitting in the ranger’s vehicle getting a ticket. He also had a warning for his fishing buddy Luke, who, it seems, also didn’t have a fishing license.
“Hey Luke, those fish we caught in the Cottonwood Creek this week here in Buena Vista, we should probably be getting a fishing license next time because I just got pulled over,” Dierks said. He then jokingly added, “You’re next.”
Of course, every bad thing has a silver lining and Dierks said he appreciated being treated like the normal minor criminal that he was.
Little heads up Lukey. Hardy…..?!?
Actually appreciate the ticket. Appreciate being treated like a regular person. Appreciate what @COParksWildlife does. I’ll be all licensed up next time! @LukeBryanOnline @HardyMusic pic.twitter.com/m13EWYrXsN
The video has since been removed. Not sure if Dierks had a change of heart about implicating his fellow law breaker, Luke Bryan, or what, but I did manage to snag a screenshot before it disappeared.
Not sure what the pair were thinking fishing without a license, but it looks like Dierks, at least, has learned his lesson.
On a side note, fishing without a license in Colorado carries a $50 fine, while buying a five-day fishing license for out-of-staters is $31.75. Definitely worth sticking to the rules.
Update:
So apparently it was concertgoers to the Seven Peaks Festival who ratted Dierks and Luke out.
Yikes!
The Denver Post reports that Luke and Dierks bragged on stage about the fishing they had been doing. The Colorado tattletale concertgoers then contacted the Colorado Parks and Wildlife department to check and see if the the pair had fishing licenses.
“It was very heartening that they cared that much,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Bill Vogrin told the Denver Post.
Fortunately for the duo, the department didn’t have enough evidence to be able to do anything about the possible illegal fishing … until Dierks ratted himself out by posting the trout picture above.
See, bragging is never a good idea. LOL.
“We didn’t have any proof until Mr. Bentley posted a photo on his Instagram,” Vogrin said.
That’s when an officer tracked Dierks down, confirmed he didn’t have the proper license, and slapped Dierks with a $139.50 ticket, which is a little more than the $50 I mentioned above.
Bentley reportedly paid the ticket on the spot in cash and made a good impression.
“He was as nice as can be,” Vogrin said. “We welcome him back any time to fish, as long as he gets a license next time.”
As for the fans who tattled? Vogrin says, “In Colorado, people love country music — but they also love their trout.”
Oh, and Luke never got a ticket because, well because he didn’t brag about the fish he caught on social media.
Ha! Looks like Luke got the last laugh on this one.
