afishinado
Moderator
Staff member
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Dave_W
Moderator
Staff member
Short version: The PFBC is thinking about changing the reg from two 14" fish per day, to one 18" fish.
While I have mixed feelings about the trophy trout special reg program, this is a step in the right direction and I intend to write in support of the proposal.
While I have mixed feelings about the trophy trout special reg program, this is a step in the right direction and I intend to write in support of the proposal.
M
Mike
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2006
- Messages
- 5,562
Dave,
I would not support it in each stream where the trophy trout program presently exists. Some of those streams would be fortunate to produce a 14 incher to the extent that one with good conscience could reasonably recommend said streams to anglers who desired to catch a fish of that size. Codorus and Monocacy come to mind. I would recommend including only waters where the abundance of 18 inch and larger fish met some reasonable standard, such as X percent of the trout that were 14 inches and longer were also 18 inches and longer. Such streams could then be recognized as truly larger fish streams.
We once had a program in Pa with an unreasonable size limit; it was called Fish For Fun. There was a 20” size limit and few if any 20” fish. I was a fledgling employee of the PFC, surveyed some of these waters, and quickly dubbed them as “false advertising.” The 20” fish that were present were usually stocked. Based upon some past decisions that have been made, such as Selective Harvest stream sections being moved to Trophy Trout, I fear that without careful evaluation and selection, the new Trophy Trout program will also become one of false advertising. Anglers should have a reasonable expectation in such waters that they have at least fished over a fish of that size and existing TT waters should not automatically be moved into the new program. Having such standards for size and/or abundance would be consistent with other existing programs, such as the Big Bass Program (size and abundance) and the walleye, muskellunge, and channel catfish intensive management programs (abundance).
I would not support it in each stream where the trophy trout program presently exists. Some of those streams would be fortunate to produce a 14 incher to the extent that one with good conscience could reasonably recommend said streams to anglers who desired to catch a fish of that size. Codorus and Monocacy come to mind. I would recommend including only waters where the abundance of 18 inch and larger fish met some reasonable standard, such as X percent of the trout that were 14 inches and longer were also 18 inches and longer. Such streams could then be recognized as truly larger fish streams.
We once had a program in Pa with an unreasonable size limit; it was called Fish For Fun. There was a 20” size limit and few if any 20” fish. I was a fledgling employee of the PFC, surveyed some of these waters, and quickly dubbed them as “false advertising.” The 20” fish that were present were usually stocked. Based upon some past decisions that have been made, such as Selective Harvest stream sections being moved to Trophy Trout, I fear that without careful evaluation and selection, the new Trophy Trout program will also become one of false advertising. Anglers should have a reasonable expectation in such waters that they have at least fished over a fish of that size and existing TT waters should not automatically be moved into the new program. Having such standards for size and/or abundance would be consistent with other existing programs, such as the Big Bass Program (size and abundance) and the walleye, muskellunge, and channel catfish intensive management programs (abundance).
wgmiller
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I think the PFBC should pare down its stream offerings to two types: harvest or no harvest. So that would largely mean "put and take" streams could be earmarked for harvest and we could make the others strictly C & R (fly only, artificial lures, etc.). It seems only logical that anglers either want to harvest fish or they want to catch and release them. So for those who wish to harvest, they can go to harvest streams. And for those who like C & R, they can fish said waters. Certainly I have oversimplified things quite a bit, but I think keeping things simple is the best policy and constantly changing the regs only serves to confuse anglers...
T
troutbert
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They should do away with the label "Trophy Trout" altogether.
It sounds like marketing hype.
It's "undignified."
It sounds like marketing hype.
It's "undignified."
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Agree ^troutbert wrote:
They should do away with the label "Trophy Trout" altogether.
It sounds like marketing hype.
It's "undignified."
I think it's misleading at minimum.
Swattie87
Well-known member
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- May 3, 2011
- Messages
- 5,827
Trophy Trout and Keystone Select should be one and the same IMO. I don’t have any issue if the PFBC wants to stock a greater percentage of “large” stockies in certain, popular stocked streams. Places like Pine Creek (below Galeton), First Fork (below Wharton), Kettle below Cross Fork, Lycoming, Loyalsock, Tully, etc with little to no year round wild Trout population, set up well for this I think.
Maybe allow the harvest of one fish (above whatever size limit) per angler/day prior to June 15th, then open it up to regular STW harvest like the DHALO’s do.
But Cedar Run? Come on. Yeah, there’s big Browns in there, but good luck catching them in anything but ideal conditions. 90% of fish are less than 7”, nonetheless the Trophy size requirement.
Maybe allow the harvest of one fish (above whatever size limit) per angler/day prior to June 15th, then open it up to regular STW harvest like the DHALO’s do.
But Cedar Run? Come on. Yeah, there’s big Browns in there, but good luck catching them in anything but ideal conditions. 90% of fish are less than 7”, nonetheless the Trophy size requirement.
