Stockies: Keep or Release?

[L_soult]

I haven't kept any fish, and I'll never keep a brookie or any other wild trout. But what about stockies? Is there any good reason this dad shouldn't bring home some fish to fry up for the kids?

 

[pro4mance]

nope

 

[pro4mance]

saute with butter and a little lemon

 

[FlyGuyFromPa]

I catch and release, but I'm not against someone taking their limit. They did pay for those stockies to be raised.

 

[streamerguy]

The only time I ever keep any stockies is on the opener. It's tradition. C&R the rest of the year, I just don't like going through the hassle with a stringer, cooler, cleaning/gutting, etc. Plus they don't taste all that great compared to walleye, crappie, etc.

 

[L_soult]

I never had crappie but I like walleye. The only warm water fish I've been able to catch around here are smallies. My neighbor the guide had some at his fish fry last year. It was my least favorite.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

No reason at all not to keep a few stockies to eat. The last two years I kept only two trout though. One a nice holdover 16" rainbow and the other a 18" golden rainbow that I gave to my neighbor to eat. Hey, those goldfish don't belong in the water anyway. He told me it was very tasty.

 

[streamerguy]

I'm mostly c&r with warmwater too, but sometimes(idk, 1-5 times a year) I'll keep some. Walleye, perch, crappie, and gills are my favorites. Depends how you cook them too. I never had bass, and probably never will, but yeah I heard they aren't great.

 

[csoult]

L_soult wrote:
I never had crappie but I like walleye. The only warm water fish I've been able to catch around here are smallies. My neighbor the guide had some at his fish fry last year. It was my least favorite.

You've had crappie, beer battered, a long time ago.

 

[csoult]

Brookies>Rainbows>Browns

 

[jbomb]

Limit your "catch." nothing wrong with keepin' a few here and there.

 

[Love2fish]

If your gonna eat 'em keep 'em. Some butter lemon and wrap em up in foil place on grill yummy

 

[osprey]

Stocked trout taste leaves alot to be desired , what they feed them and the way they are raised is why. But whatever floats yer boat. You are perfectly within your right to do so. GO GET 'EM...GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Chaz]

Cook 'em up with butter, garlic and a little lemon, onions if you like.
You can keep five which isn't much of a meal but if you go out a couple of times and keep a limit that's not going toimpact any population, the reason they stock trout is for guys to catch and keep them. It's not conservation to throw them back.

 

[melvinp]

Nice thing about fishing if you dont want to cleen it you dont have to.Trout are much nicer to eat and look at later in the year.

 

[DGC]

Let's leave aside your obvious right to harvest. After that it depends on what you think is important to you and to that particular stream.

Wild trout present? A good idea to harvest so they have less competition. Be sure you have a good idea as to what are wild and what are stocked.

No wild trout present and the water later on warms to the point of suffocation? They are going to migrate or die or be preyed upon no matter what, so it's your call.

No wild trout or very few present but water stays cool for survival and growth? I would leave them be to catch again. Quite a few of our excellent wild trout streams in this country started because stockers reproduced and started a wild fishery on that basis. Your stream in question may do the same.

 

[csoult]

DGC wrote:
Let's leave aside your obvious right to harvest. After that it depends on what you think is important to you and to that particular stream.

Wild trout present? A good idea to harvest so they have less competition. Be sure you have a good idea as to what are wild and what are stocked.

No wild trout present and the water later on warms to the point of suffocation? They are going to migrate or die or be preyed upon no matter what, so it's your call.

No wild trout or very few present but water stays cool for survival and growth? I would leave them be to catch again. Quite a few of our excellent wild trout streams in this country started because stockers reproduced and started a wild fishery on that basis. Your stream in question may do the same.

I can agree with this. Unless you just want to take some home to eat, because you like trout.

 

[FlyGuyFromPa]

Crappie is the only kind of fish I eat. I put salt, pepper, a little bit of garlic, and squeeze some lemon juice on them. Don't laugh at me, but I cook them in the microwave. It's an old trick my father taught me when I was a kid.

 

[djs12354]

I'm a C & R supporter, but will probably keep a couple of stockies for some friends who have been asking for fish.

 

[Phish_On]

Always CnR. Can't remember the last time I kept a trout. We would keep a slot red an our limit of mangrove snapper when I used to live in Florida. I hate the way trout taste. Unless its smoked, then bring it on. But it's your right to keep your limit.