Creeling wild trout

wildtrout2

wildtrout2

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Montgomery County, Pa
While I know it's quite legal to keep them, I was curious how many folks actually keep wild trout with any kind of regularity? I've only kept 3 wild trout in 30 years. Two were mounted and one was eaten. I think almost (except for a trophy on that water) all wild trout should be released.
 
I put them all back. Also fish without barbs, which makes it easier for the angler and on the wild fish.
 
wildtrout2 wrote:
While I know it's quite legal to keep them, I was curious how many folks actually keep wild trout with any kind of regularity? I've only kept 3 wild trout in 30 years. Two were mounted and one was eaten. I think almost (except for a trophy on that water) all wild trout should be released.

What is your logic/criteria/rationale for keeping a wild trophy trout?
 
I don't keep any fish and I crimp barbs. That being said, im sure that not every fish released survives but I try. Also, i have no problem with people keeping stocked fish. I just don't care to do it. That's not why i like fishing. I do it for the frustration. I think that the wild ones have enough problems on their own let alone people keeping them. That's just me tho.
 
I have killed two wild trout unintentionally on barbless hooks. Seems when they get poked in the back of the tongue they bleed out. Both were small (but legal). I took one home to eat (which was weird) and left the other on the stream (no creel area).
 
Long ago in a far away galaxy I kept a handful of wild trout. Enough for a meal, and I haven't kept any since. I do however keep some stockies if I go for them, which is about once evey 100 years. I get my trout at the grocery store.
 
They are delicious. Far better than that pasty white stocked meat, if you can call it that. Deep orange or red, firm, with actual flavor. I have eaten dozens. Only two in Pa when I was a teenager but in Idaho? Dozens. I didn't eat the stocked ones there either.

edit: can someone tell me why..if you Google "wild trout" images, about 11 rows down a picture of Snookie appears? :lol:


 
I fish mostly wild trout streams so I don't keep them, they have to do the stocking in the streams. Back when there were people around from the days of the mountaineers, I would keep some trout for them. They didn't like stocked trout, They liked Mountain Trout, thats what they called wild Brook trout. with all the people travaling to the area today to fish, it would be to mutch pressure if every one kept trout.

I was born in S.E. PA, My father was from Elk Co., (PA Dutch ancestory) My mothers side from down here. My ancestory goes back over 12,000 yrs. right here where I live now. This was the land of the Mannahoac Federation (Eastern Sioux). They lived off the land all those years. About 3 miles up the river my Great Great Grandmother and Grandfather are buried, over the next mountain somewhere His father is buried.

The last "Mountain Trout" I kept was back in the 90s, they were for my mother, when I cooked them for Her I tried one, they are good. My mother died in 1994, If she was still here and wanted some trout I would keep some for her.
 
I started creeling large wild browns... the 12 plus in inches in a predominant brook stream at the tail waters, but leave the little guys alone.

 
stevehalupka wrote:
I started creeling large wild browns... the 12 plus in inches in a predominant brook stream at the tail waters, but leave the little guys alone.

Down here in the Shenandoah National park, you are prohibited to put a brown trout back in the streams, thats why I stop catching brown trout when I go into the park. I think the browns would do more harm in the headwaters than down in the lower part of a native brook trout stream. The Browns can survive in the lowlands but the Brook trout can't in warm weather.
 
edit: can someone tell me why..if you Google "wild trout" images, about 11 rows down a picture of Snookie appears?

I'm money is on relations to a very distinct 'wild fish smell'
 
salmonoid wrote:
wildtrout2 wrote:
While I know it's quite legal to keep them, I was curious how many folks actually keep wild trout with any kind of regularity? I've only kept 3 wild trout in 30 years. Two were mounted and one was eaten. I think almost (except for a trophy on that water) all wild trout should be released.

What is your logic/criteria/rationale for keeping a wild trophy trout?
My logic is when a wild trout gets to a certain size (18"+) it plays hell on the smaller trout numbers in a given stream. Once a trout gets to be this big they are generally reaching the end of their life span on a small stream, which is what I fish. There's obviously no right or wrong on this, I'm simply curious how other folks go with this.
 
I am too lazy to keep trout ever, and that includes injured ones. Raccoons, water snakes and other animals need an easy meal now and then too. But, if I ever keep a trout to eat again it will be a wild trout-- I'm thinking 2-3 9" brookies for starters. No freezing-- eaten fresh, perhaps on grill or small fire streamside. I have never tasted one and I think it is something I simply MUST do soon before the poachers clean them out.
 
I put them back, if I want fish I will go to the grocery store and get it. With that being said if the rules for that stream say that you are allowed to keep fish there is not much that I can say about it.
 
While I love eating fish, there are some exceptions where I don't care to harvest - these include wild trout as well as large smallmouth bass, muskies, and large stripers in the ocean. I don't kill sharks either. I reserve the right to make an exception to these general beliefs and, although I haven't done it in years, a deeply hooked wild trout caught on a camping trip would certainly see a frying pan...and I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Most of the stocked trout streams around my home get too warm to hold fish through the summer so I can catch plenty of trout meals from these waters.
 
buffalo7 wrote:
stevehalupka wrote:
I started creeling large wild browns... the 12 plus in inches in a predominant brook stream at the tail waters, but leave the little guys alone.

Down here in the Shenandoah National park, you are prohibited to put a brown trout back in the streams, thats why I stop catching brown trout when I go into the park. I think the browns would do more harm in the headwaters than down in the lower part of a native brook trout stream. The Browns can survive in the lowlands but the Brook trout can't in warm weather.

I wish the idiots in this state would put some restrictions like that...

At first, I was afraid the browns would make it to the headwaters, and I'm sure they eventually will, but their growth rate is so much better than the brooks. This particular stream has produced browns in the 15 + range, wild bows of decent size, and brooks right at a foot. There are some gems in the highlands that rest on private property with massive wild fish.

Has anyone ever had the oppurtunity at fishing the headwaters of Indian?? Where the farm is.
 
a fish does not have to be 18 inches to wreak havoc. even a 12 inch brown in a bow or brook stream can do so

I've posted this before but this was taken in a wild bow stream... at first I did think the prey was a wild bow, but later learned it to be a dace.

See it popping out of the mouth in the first pic. This brook was only about 10 inches.

100_2545.jpg


100_2551.jpg


a 10-11'' fish feeding on 4'' fish haha
 
I don't keep any non-injured trout. I agree with those who believe wild trout have a tough enough time w/o anglers keeping them. I see absolutely nothing wrong with keeping stocked trout; most of them aren't going to survive a season anyhow.
 
Will one day kill and eat a few brook trout when I locate a stream for a multi-day hike. Of course, it's all dependent on finding a stream that I feel can handle the harvest.

For the most part, the thought of killing a wild fish greatly saddens me.
 
jayL wrote:
Will one day kill and eat a few brook trout when I locate a stream for a multi-day hike. Of course, it's all dependent on finding a stream that I feel can handle the harvest.

I don't like to kill things, period, and see fishing as an outdoor bloodsport I can generally keep a clean concense about.

I'm thinking, now, that I might take a stocked fish or two home and try to smoke them, but I imagine when it comes time to priest 'em and clean 'em I'm going to balk and never do it again.

I'd also like to take one wild brook or brown from a stream, kill it, clean it, and fry it stream side in a short window, just once, because of how many times I've heard how good wild fish are.

Only need to do it once, though. After that, the thrill is gone.
 
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