A trout spawned this spring 2012, is at best a fingerling now. They do not grow over the winter… then next spring 2013, when the water temp warms up, they will begin to eat and grow… May June and July and just might reach that 12 inch size by August… but here is the kicker…trout spawning season is over and that one year old, 12" fish did not spawn.
If it were legal, you’d be killing a trout that never had a chance to reproduce… “never get to fall in love, never get to be cool”-Neil Young.
So over the winter, if that trout survives the cold and flipper attacks, it stays 12" BUT come the spring of 2014 it is a spawning fool… still 12" because all it’s energy is going towards spawning not growing. Then after it spawns x amount of times, it’s energy is focused towards eating and growing those extra inches.
So, while a 15" trout is not much more than a “trailer park panfish”, at least it made a reproductive contribution to enhance the species before being taken out the gene pool.
Hope this helps.
A pig gets fat and a hog gets slaughtered