The economy. People spending money on more rods, boats, tackle etc. Otherwise really you could just use a stick some line/hook and a worm. Gets people more interested in fishing as opposed to just keeping fish. Finally it's multi-tasking and good hand eye coordination for the participant. Need I go on.
Sorry, but that is not exactly a rational explanation.
First, if you allow people to fish two rods from shore, many more people will buy more rods and tackle, which will be good for the economy and for the promotion of our sport.
Second, do you really think we need more boats on our waters? It is being polluted enough the way it is. Encouraging people to buy more boats so they can fish two rods is like encouraging people to buy more cars to stimulate the economy.
Third, how on earth people get more interested in fishing from a boat than from shore? It is much easier to get people interested in fishing by doing it from shore than from boats. I don't know of any "Fish for the future" kind of event that takes place from boats.
Finally, if you allow shore anglers two rods, they will also be multi-tasking and practicing good hand-eye coordination.
Sorry, troutbreath, but your arguments are very weak. You sound to me like one of those people who feels like a superior angler only because you own a little piece of craft. Well, I have news for you: it doesn't impress me.
Rather than enforcing one rod only for shore guys and wasting valuable enforcement resources on such a minor violation that almost exclusively takes place in put and take lakes or coarse fish fisheries, we should, as an angler group, promote more equality among our own.
If I see an old man of likely low financial resources fishing two rods on a lake like Sasamat, I'll probably just let him know he is breaking a rule and warn him that he might get fined if caught. But I sure as hell won't phone him in. Getting all riled up about shore fishers fishing two rods in a put and take fishery does little good to the fishery.
Rodney said:
"Perhaps I will bring this up to those who are in charge when we meet next time."
And so you should, Rod. It isn't fair to allow a guy with a boat the benefit of experimentation with two methods or types of tackle while preventing shore guys from enjoying the same privilege. It is discriminatory.