Unknown Massive Migratory Brown Trout?

Is there any chance that those are stocked? Any stocked streams connected? Any sportsman clubs stock it? The colors look a little dull to me for a wild trout, but the fins look good.
 
VictoryLights said:
Is there any chance that those are stocked? Any stocked streams connected? Any sportsman clubs stock it? The colors look a little dull to me for a wild trout, but the fins look good.
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There are some stocked streams miles further up in the watershed but I do not know of any sportsmans clubs stocking this section. I assume they wouldn't only stock brown trout as well. All the browns I caught were more silver than any other population I have fished so I think it may just be a product of the large river system they were born into and live in.
 
Stenonema said:
Years ago I used this page to gauge the level of understanding on this topic from the angling community. I confirmed my suspicion.. It was not received well here. Late in 2020 myself and the few who joined the fight petitioned for change with the PFBC. You can view how the members of this forum received that petition with a simple search. Congratulations on your discovery of these special trout. Trout like those you discovered are now protected by catch and release regulations across the state from september to the opener where priorly it was three a day over seven inches. I pray that you don't experience the loss of what you found there. Conservationists are born from that sense of loss.
Last year wild trout received the protection of catch and release regulations across the state on all waters downstream of designated stocked sections of stream for over six months of the year. Trout like the ones you discovered were the target of that protection.
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Thanks for bringing up the subject of trout not able to be harvested Sept to trout season, just for my awareness. I bought a 10 year license a few years ago so I don’t see the annual changes in form of the annual regulations booklet. However I rarely keep any trout. I love to eat them but I hate dragging them around when I’m fishing. I cover a lot of water.

Plus in the streams this topic started with would be taboo for me to ever keep a fish from. However I know a taxidermist who loves to catch big browns. He searches for big log jams in small stocked streams and unstocked streams. When the rain starts he heads to one armed with night crawlers. He may have one or two dozen 18+ inchers in his freezer at any one time. The new regs should save some of the big guys (if people are aware of the change).
 
Stenonema said:
Years ago I used this page to gauge the level of understanding on this topic from the angling community. I confirmed my suspicion.. It was not received well here. Late in 2020 myself and the few who joined the fight petitioned for change with the PFBC. You can view how the members of this forum received that petition with a simple search. Congratulations on your discovery of these special trout. Trout like those you discovered are now protected by catch and release regulations across the state from september to the opener where priorly it was three a day over seven inches. I pray that you don't experience the loss of what you found there. Conservationists are born from that sense of loss.
Last year wild trout received the protection of catch and release regulations across the state on all waters downstream of designated stocked sections of stream for over six months of the year. Trout like the ones you discovered were the target of that protection.
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Ugh. I have no idea where this place is but I get angry just thinking about people keeping these trout. It’s unreal to me that wild trout can be harvested anywhere.
 
It’s not unreal to me. Read about compensatory survival and compensatory mortality. That’s even more important when there is limited space available in thermal refugia.

As for the harvesting these truly big trout, they are near the ends of their lives anyway, but I still doubt there is much harvest. If there is much harvest, it just helps my point about compensatory survival because they keep showing up at the same winter locations despite harvest.
 
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Mike said:
It’s not unreal to me. Read about compensatory survival and compensatory mortality. That’s even more important when there is limited space available in thermal refugia.

As for the harvesting these truly big trout, they are near the ends of their lives anyway, but I still doubt there is much harvest. If there is much harvest, it just helps my point about compensatory survival because they keep showing up at the same winter locations despite harvest.
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Completely agree with Mike here. Also, where these fish are near me, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would eat one. Maybe they’d keep one for a trophy mount. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of people that even know they exist frankly.
 
Mike said:
It’s not unreal to me. Read about compensatory survival and compensatory mortality. That’s even more important when there is limited space available in thermal refugia.

As for the harvesting these truly big trout, they are near the ends of their lives anyway, but I still doubt there is much harvest. If there is much harvest, it just helps my point about compensatory survival because they keep showing up at the same winter locations despite harvest.
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I just read a little bit. I guess that makes sense until Billy comes with his coffee can of night crawlers and treble hooks to wipe them all out lol.
 
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Mike said:
It’s not unreal to me. Read about compensatory survival and compensatory mortality. That’s even more important when there is limited space available in thermal refugia.

As for the harvesting these truly big trout, they are near the ends of their lives anyway, but I still doubt there is much harvest. If there is much harvest, it just helps my point about compensatory survival because they keep showing up at the same winter locations despite harvest.
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Then how can one justify stocking more trout into a Class "A" stream with the fish population at or near their carrying capacity?
 
VictoryLights said:
I just read a little bit. I guess that makes sense until Billy comes with his coffee can of night crawlers and treble hooks to wipe them all out lol.
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Billy will never get them all! Or so I like to think.
 
The new regs are fine. Most people after these big fish arent keeping them anyways. I kept 1 or so a year for the first 10 or more years I really figured out the big ones to get some mounts, then that was it. I do agree most poeple dont know they exist, and with Mike that it doesnt hurt for some fish to be killed in these fisheries.

And victorylights, whats wrong with some nightcrawlers??? Not everyone, by any stretch that fishes bait is a bum. I bait fish and fly fish, LOTS. And as ive said 1000 times on here, when Im serious about catching really big ones, and im not talking about 20 inchers LOL, nightcrawlers are one of THE go to baits. Period. My Dad and I have caught literally 100's of very large trout on them over the years. 95+ percent of them were released.
 
Brown71 said:
The new regs are fine. Most people after these big fish arent keeping them anyways. I kept 1 or so a year for the first 10 or more years I really figured out the big ones to get some mounts, then that was it. I do agree most poeple dont know they exist, and with Mike that it doesnt hurt for some fish to be killed in these fisheries.

And victorylights, whats wrong with some nightcrawlers??? Not everyone, by any stretch that fishes bait is a bum. I bait fish and fly fish, LOTS. And as ive said 1000 times on here, when Im serious about catching really big ones, and im not talking about 20 inchers LOL, nightcrawlers are one of THE go to baits. Period. My Dad and I have caught literally 100's of very large trout on them over the years. 95+ percent of them were released.
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The thing wrong with nightcrawlers is that this is a fly fishing website.
 
moon1284 said:
The thing wrong with nightcrawlers is that this is a fly fishing website.
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Not only that, but there is a distinct possibility of a trout swallowing that worm before (most wait too long) the hook set, leading to a fatally gut hooked fish.
 
I'm friends with many people on this board. And fish with quite a few flyfishers. I enjoy the discussion, any trout fishing related.

Yea a worm can kill a trout, as can a fly, and many other things. But I get ya, some wait to long.
 
Brown71 said:
Yea a worm can kill a trout, as can a fly, and many other things. But I get ya, some wait to long.
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There's no comparison between the mortality rate from fly fishing and that of worm fishing. Not even close. It can be rationalized until the cows come home, but there's no comparison.
 
I get ya man. Im just saying fish die and will always die.
 
Found this pic of a 8.6 lb brown trout reportedly caught in the Susky....wow!
 

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Wow. And blood gushing out of its mouth and gills. I guess it was the catch of a lifetime!
 
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