They’ll survive of course, but what kind of shape will they be in?
Trust me, I have no pretense of being an expert, but would appreciate others opinion. I’ve read a few reports of strong trout catches, but this year seems a lot weaker. Or people aren’t reporting.
Personally, last year I had many a great trout day, but this year not so much.
My question is, if this winter is as bad as the last 2, what will we have left? I’m a heartfelt believer in DNR looking out for the best interest of the fishery, but lifting the release recommendation suprised me.
No one knows what this winter will bring, but we’ve seen the result of 2 cold winters. I can’t imagine what a 3rd might bring, along with no limitations or recommendations on catches this fall.
Think of it this way, trout have been on this Earth longer than we have. It’s the cycle of nature between hot and cold spells. I kind of compair them to an inshore Dolphin. Short lived and prolific as heck. They spawn at 8". They’ll be around for a good while to come if we don’t kill em from pollution.
I’ve heard the arguement of extra pressure from offshore fishermen due to stupid government regs on bottom fishing, but I see nothing wrong with the current 10 per person limit. Seems most of the people arguing about that limit can’t catch it.
Look at it from a freshwater standpoint and the lack of redbreast in the swamps. We have been dry for a few years, it’ll get wet again and the numbers will return. Or so I imagine.
Still think it’s important to practice conservation and knowing that these fish have been pressured, I’ll be releasing all my trout untill after this winter…Yes populations rise and fall, I understand that. However, I don’t think mother nature is completely responsible for that…Nothing wrong with folks wanting to keep them if they want them…I just feel better helping out and doing my part to protect our fisheries for our children…
livin life one day at a time!!!
2006 Seafox172
05 Mercury90hp(saltwater)
quote:I've heard the arguement of extra pressure from offshore fishermen due to stupid government regs on bottom fishing, but I see nothing wrong with the current 10 per person limit. Seems most of the people arguing about that limit can't catch it.
Is that what that sportfisher was doing up the wando?
I’ve asked some DNR agents about my perception of increasing Dolphin(mammal) numbers impact on Trout and spot tail. I think that’s a study that has not been done?
Hat’s off to all the catch and release going on! I was raised to eat what you catch and also praised as a kid for helping put food on the table. Change comes hard, but I don’t fish as much now and actually threw back 5 nice large mouth bass caught out of the combahee a couple of weeks ago. Not far from the tea house… upstream. Don’t see me throwing too many legal trout back though. That’s my favorite inshore table fair:stuck_out_tongue:
Vin, that brings up an interesting question in my mind. Let’s say that the trout population around Charleston were reduced to almost nothing. How long would it take for trout from points further south to eventually migrate and reproduce in the Charleston area again? I don’t know much about their migration patterns, so I’m not sure. but I would imagine that as long as they have a food source, then they would eventually be back. From what I’m seeing on other fishing forums, Florida and Texas have plenty of trout.
If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.
We’ll never touch Texas or Florida, but DNR is on it for SC. They are successfully breeding trout and will effort to do whatever they can to help our population.
The good news is, trout repopulate rather rapidly due to their shorter life span. BUT, and the BUT concerns me most, if the population gets decimated exponentially high, then it wil take that much longer to become a strong fishery again. Simple math, if you ask me.
My biggest fear is if the tree/fish huggers, regardless of the facts, decide they need to “save” the trout, be it through catch limits or a closure. How long will it take to open it back up again? It will no longer be about angling, science or logic. It will be about “protecting” something that may or not need protecting so much. Thats what, to me anyway, made self-policing so appealing when DNR recommended it before. Let anglers, who love the sport, police themselves. If it works, it says alot about anglers. That takes the bullseye off of us “irresponsible fish killers”.
The BSB regs are rediculous. Bait stealing bass-turds when you got into them. So thick you could walk acrossed them. Yet they need “protecting”? At some point it becomes political, and all the logic in the world can’t save you. MHO.
And by the way, YUM! Best tasting fish out there. I miss them. And one of the coolest fish to catch. A 15" trout fight versus a 19" is like two different species. The bigger they get, the funner the fight!
somethings wrong with SCDNR library site, I tried to link up the Spotted Seatrout publication, if you can find one, I suggest reading it, lost of good information on it. I found the listing for the publication on SCDNR;s web site, but it keeps bring up the Red Drum publication(another good read)
We’ll never touch Texas or Florida, but DNR is on it for SC. They are successfully breeding trout and will effort to do whatever they can to help our population.
The good news is, trout repopulate rather rapidly due to their shorter life span. BUT, and the BUT concerns me most, if the population gets decimated exponentially high, then it wil take that much longer to become a strong fishery again. Simple math, if you ask me.
My biggest fear is if the tree/fish huggers, regardless of the facts, decide they need to “save” the trout, be it through catch limits or a closure. How long will it take to open it back up again? It will no longer be about angling, science or logic. It will be about “protecting” something that may or not need protecting so much. Thats what, to me anyway, made self-policing so appealing when DNR recommended it before. Let anglers, who love the sport, police themselves. If it works, it says alot about anglers. That takes the bullseye off of us “irresponsible fish killers”.
The BSB regs are rediculous. Bait stealing bass-turds when you got into them. So thick you could walk acrossed them. Yet they need “protecting”? At some point it becomes political, and all the logic in the world can’t save you. MHO.
And by the way, YUM! Best tasting fish out there. I miss them. And one of the coolest fish to catch. A 15" trout fight versus a 19" is like two different species. The bigger they get, the funner the fight!
We are definitely in agreement. One of the things that sold me on this forum early this year was how so many of the guys and gals were calling for voluntary catch-and-release of the trout to give the
