Does anyone keep any trout that that you catch?

[Tabasco-Joe]

I don't keep freshwater fish that I catch fly fishing. For a number of reasons.

1. I often fish catch and release waters.
2. Many times, I have no way of keeping the fish fresh on the trip home.
3. Since I have a family, I'm never sure I'm going to catch enough for several people.
4. Many areas I fish are heavily fished streams. If we all keep fish it will soon impact the stream.

I'm not against those who keep fish.

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

Trout was often on the menu when I was growing up. My best friend's dad seemed to fish constantly and would make it in foil, on the grill. Good memories.

I haven't had wild trout in at least 30 years. Even if I wasn't in a catch and release area, I don't have the desire to clean it.

I come from a hunting/fishing/farming family and wild game was always on the table. We ate what we killed. My circle of friends now have very different thoughts on that, especially when it comes to trout. Prior to our area going C&R, a neighbor was horrified when a teen son of friends stopped by to show us a monster trout he caught and was excited to make for family dinner.

I spent a lot of time growing up on my grandfather's farm in Union County not far from you. My grandfather always had trout from Penns in the freezer. We also ate most of what we shot.

 

[dudemanspecial]

Also, IMO its a pain to not be able to gut the fish streamside. I don’t fish close to home and I don't carry a cooler around with me.

 

[Cznymph]

I’ll keep lakers, they are excellent brined and smoked.

Otherwise, you couldn’t pay me to eat a stocked trout.

 

[wildtrout2]

Also, IMO its a pain to not be able to gut the fish streamside.

Why is that? When I used to fish for stockers, I always cleaned my fish streamside. Is there a new/newer law I'm not aware of?

 

[Bamboozle]

Why is that? When I used to fish for stockers, I always cleaned my fish streamside. Is there a new/newer law I'm not aware of?

Just leave the fish whole (head & tail intact) and properly dispose of the guts or any fish parts (meaning don't leave them in the water or on adjacent property without permission) and you are legal.

I don't know if this is a change from when I was a kid but I can check...

 

[dudemanspecial]

Why is that? When I used to fish for stockers, I always cleaned my fish streamside. Is there a new/newer law I'm not aware of?

You can't leave the guts.

 

[wildtrout2]

You can't leave the guts.

For years, I left the guts where the coons could get to them for an easy dinner. It's illegal to do that? Is it any different than gutting your deer in the woods?

 

[dudemanspecial]

For years, I left the guts where the coons could get to them for an easy dinner. It's illegal to do that? Is it any different than gutting your deer in the woods?

Yes its in the fishing regs. Dont remember the exact wording. I got yelled at years ago by a WCO. I was only 20 or so, he didn't fine me.

 

[Cznymph]

For years, I left the guts where the coons could get to them for an easy dinner. It's illegal to do that? Is it any different than gutting your deer in the woods?

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

You can't leave the guts.

News to me but keeping fish is an occasional thing. We always feed the crawdads and coons. We'll also necropsy the big ones to see if they ate a mouse or little trout.

 

[wildtrout2]

News to me but keeping fish is an occasional thing. We always feed the crawdads and coons. We'll also necropsy the big ones to see if they ate a mouse or little trout.

News to me too. In all my years, it's the first I've heard this. It is quite the opposite to being allowed to gut a deer in the woods on public land. Makes zero sense, like many laws.

 

[Bamboozle]

News to me too. In all my years, it's the first I've heard this. It is quite the opposite to being allowed to gut a deer in the woods on public land. Makes zero sense, like many laws.

I looked it up...

The verbiage for field dressing, meaning the requirement to leave the head & tail on for fish with size limits was added to the 1984 edition of the Summary Booklet.

The "don't throw the guts in the water or adjacent property" provision was added to 2007 edition of the Summary Booklet.

I assume after complaints...

So if you want to gut you keepers, you'll be taking the guts home with you OR properly disposing of them in an appropriate receptacle.

 

[5footfenwick]

Crayfish everywhere are up in arms about it

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

So if you want to gut you keepers, you'll be taking the guts home with you OR properly disposing of them in an appropriate receptacle.

You'll need to SCUBA into the deepest holes in the creek to find mine from now on.

 

[Bamboozle]

Crayfish everywhere are up in arms about it

Up in claws actually...

I heard cats are up in paws too. 😎

 

[wildtrout2]

I looked it up...

The verbiage for field dressing, meaning the requirement to leave the head & tail on for fish with size limits was added to the 1984 edition of the Summary Booklet.

The "don't throw the guts in the water or adjacent property" provision was added to 2007 edition of the Summary Booklet.

I assume after complaints...

So if you want to gut you keepers, you'll be taking the guts home with you OR properly disposing of them in an appropriate receptacle.

That's interesting, thanks for the info.

 

[dudemanspecial]

I looked it up...

The verbiage for field dressing, meaning the requirement to leave the head & tail on for fish with size limits was added to the 1984 edition of the Summary Booklet.

The "don't throw the guts in the water or adjacent property" provision was added to 2007 edition of the Summary Booklet.

I assume after complaints...

So if you want to gut you keepers, you'll be taking the guts home with you OR properly disposing of them in an appropriate receptacle.

I guess i was older than I thought, 2007 I was 28. I bet I got caught the year they put that in, probably why he didn't fine me.

 

[wildtrout2]

The "don't throw the guts in the water or adjacent property" provision was added to 2007 edition of the Summary Booklet.

I assume after complaints...

That explains why I'd never heard of that regulation before. It was instituted long after I fished for, kept, and gutted stocked trout streamside.

 

[Kyle]

best freshwater fish i ever ate was a wild trout. i was camping though so it seemed fit for the night near the campfire. as for stockies, ill keep just a few to make my "rainbow trout style crab cakes". i try to hold out with stockies until i catch one that looks like a hold over from the fall stocking. its truely amazing the difference between a hold over stockie and a freshly stocked one. night and day. after all that i use the trout heads for bait in my crayfish traps or freeze them for trapping bait next fall. then take the cray fish catfishing with my kids. next night is a fish fry full of catfish nuggets. thats the extent of my fish eating, minus all the sardines i eat. now thats good eating. everything is a full circle here. yes i sell fur that i caught with fish heads, but some of it also goes into my fly tying bin. then i get to catch more trout with the flys i tied from the fur. its like those revolving doors at hotel entrance.