One trout limit?

[wildtrout2]

After reading DWB's thread about his experience on Ceder Creek with those folks keeping trout (which they are entitled to do) and pretty much stifling the local wild trout population, it got me thinking. How many of us would support a "one trout limit" (trophy size) on all streams supporting a strictly wild/native population? After catching and keeping one large trout you would then be done trout fishing for the day. If you wanted to fish all day, you just don't keep any. What do the wild trout fishers think of this?

 

[AdamM]

Its a good idea but it stil wouldnt work, if you wanted to keep fish all you would have to do is take it to you car and throw the fish in a cooler. The solution is simple but will never happen, you just need more law enforcement. I have never been checked and hsve only seen one officer in all my years fishing. No matter what the laws are people are still going to break them.

 

[troutbert]

In MD the limit on unstocked wild trout streams is two fish per day, regardless of size. It actually better to harvest small fish if you are going to harvest, because they are just a whole lot more 8-9 inchers around then there are 14-inchers.

I don't fish MD, but I've heard this works pretty well down there.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I dont think there are going to be too many fly fisherman....on a fly fishing website, that are going to argue against not wanting it. It just inst going to happen until we become a majority.;-)

 

[Fishidiot]

Sal is right.

 

[tomgamber]

sal, do you really want the majority of the states 1.? million fishermen to be fly fishermen? Think about that...

 

[PALongbow]

I personally like the idea of having slot limits. I know this probably would not fit the 'put and take mentality' we have here in PA but would be interesting to adopt. BTW other states have this in place today so this isn't anything new.

- Trout under 11 inches - can keep five trout per day.
- 11 inches to 20 inches - no harvest.
- 20 inches and over one trophy trout per day.

This methodology would keep trout between 12-20 inches in the stream longer and also please the folks who like to take trout.

Ron

 

[Hook_Jaw]

There is a reason the rules and limits are the way they are. They shock streams to check on populations. Penns trophey section is still in good shape with 2 limit 14 inches rule. I would love if it was catch and release as I do not keep trout but Im not going to complain and belly ache about it.

 

[jaybo41]

I would be favor of incresing the size of creel from 7 inches up to 10 or some comparable number. The smaller fish need to get bigger in order to grow the overall sizes. Along with this, I'd be favor of closing the fishing in the fall in order to foster the natural reproduction and keep some streams on the list open, such as special regs.

 

[troutbert]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
I dont think there are going to be too many fly fisherman....on a fly fishing website, that are going to argue against not wanting it. It just inst going to happen until we become a majority.;-)

In MD the limit on wild trout streams is 2 fish per day. Flyfishers aren't the majority there either, or in any state for that matter. But they still have a bag limit on wild trout that is much more conservative than we have here in PA.

Yellowstone Park is mostly no harvest and low harvest. Yellowstone is visited by millions of people from all over the country. The majority of people aren't flyfishers.

Good fisheries management can be accomplished without having the majority of the population be flyfishers.

 

[JackM]

PALongbow has an interesting proposal. I would favor a wild stream limit of 2 or 3 and believe anything more restrictive is unneccesary on 95% of the wild trout streams.

 

[wetnet]

My only problem with a 1 trout limit is that the stocked trout are meant to be caught. You limit the total fish, you limit the number of stocked fish you pull out. I would like to see the stockies removed. For the first time in a long while I kept 2 fish. Both rainbows, I assumed both were stocked, until I cleaned them. Stomach contents from the larger, basically not much. The smaller still 11 inches and a nice fish was loaded with nymphs and what looked like fry. Too small to be bait fish. The meat on the larger fish believe it or not was pink and the smaller was more pale, even though the fish had great color and jumped like crazy. The browns and brookies I caught there was no mistake. Fit on the palm of my hand. Maybe if they tagged stockies and had people fill out a questionaire with info about what and how and where they caught it for the chance of winning something, people would focus on the stockies instead of just filling their quota with natives. Or just stock golden rainbows. I should have kept more fish than I did. I always feel bad keeping them but unlike other streams this one is extremely healthy and needs the stocked fish out.

 

[wildtrout2]

wetnet wrote:
My only problem with a 1 trout limit is that the stocked trout are meant to be caught. You limit the total fish, you limit the number of stocked fish you pull out.

My question was regarding native/wild trout on wild (unstocked) streams.

 

[OVERMAN4]

I would like to see all Class A, B, C stream C&R only. I think this would make for some great fishing across the state. Think how many B and C streams may become Class A.

 

[Meangreenstick]

i cringe at the fact that someone would take a native....

 

[tomgamber]

Most strictly wild streams don't get that much harvest. Its the streams where wild and stocked attempt to coexist that you have a greater effect.

So again the bigger problem is the stocking over wild fish in the first place. If you never stocked over wild fish you could probably lower the creel limit or raise the minimum size. But as long as they are stocking class B and C and even some class A's (yeah, right I know) they can't change the limit as long as stocked fish are there.

They also break up streams into sections which makes creel limits impossible to enforce. All you have to do is pass the lower limited section on your way back to the car from the ATW section and you'd be breaking the law.

 

[jayL]

OVERMAN4 wrote:
I would like to see all Class A, B, C stream C&R only. I think this would make for some great fishing across the state. Think how many B and C streams may become Class A.

Many B&C streams are stocked. For reasons mentioned earlier, catch and release will not get support on a stocked stream. I agree that it shouldn't.

Unstocked class B and C streams more than likely see minimal pressure, so I have my doubts that it would make a difference.

 

[crs5942]

I wish that the PFBC would make more wild trout streams C&R barbless hook only. I fish many streams that have decent wild trout populations but receive lots of stocked fish and are managed as a put and take fishery. The one I can not figure out is why the PFBC started stocking rainbows in Cross Fork Creek. 5.4 miles of C&R brook trout water and they decide to start stocking rainbows. There are many fisheries that do not support trout year round and function well as put and take streams; however, since the PFBC has advised that anglers limit trout consumption to one meal per month, it seems pretty stupid that we can keep 35 per week. Trout fishing in our state is a very cheap recreation. If someone wants to eat trout then they should pay the $6/lb and quit whining about "getting their monies worth". Our trout fishing herritage is one of the greatest in the nation and yet the PFBC continues to operate a "pay-pond" fishery. IMO, wild trout fisheries should have a creel limit of 0 with no stocking. Stocked trout streams should have a creel limit of 2/daily. The notion that stocking trout protects the wild fish is bogus. If the fish were not stocked, "those type of people" would not waste their time because they would assume that there are not many fish anyway.

 

[Stone_Fly]

A one trout limit on fish over a certain size will only reduce the number of large fish. Cedar Creek is a Class A stream and should not be stocked, period, that will get the meat hunters off it.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

sal, do you really want the majority of the states 1.? million fishermen to be fly fishermen? Think about that...

of course id like that, the question is why wouldnt you?