Selectivly Collecting Specimens at location X

[What a mess]

We went to the area reputed to hold the largest quantity of the elusive 30 + inch trout in the Big Bend to collect a photo we were sure everyone would have sworn was photoshopped and was unable to detain our quarry.

The guest I had on my boat obviously was a far bigger liar than I he claims to have caught at least 5 of these more rare than a Unicorn type fish per year in that area for many many years. Of course because some of you have not done it your self there is no way that could be possible, right?

However so as not to have wasted the day completly we caught a bunch of nice Trout and Redfish.

The other boat that joined us for the adventure caught even more than we did.

The other boats Captian Chug Bug once again said he had never caught that many or that large a bunch of Trout ever.

Seeing he had never done it before clearly it is not possible he did it today either, circular logic right?

He must be a liar as well and don't ask me what his fish looked like it was foggy I think some of them were large enough to offend.

They were not where they had been in the mood they had been or number they had been but we still caught a few real nice Trout and a couple of good Reds.

I will fish some of the upcoming tournies and heaven help anyone that brings a Trout to the scales that is larger than they deem appropriate for me to be worthy of keeping I will call you on it in a heart beat. Fair is fair right? Do not bring big Trout to the weigh in boys, no double standards right?

[Barhopr]

uh........OK. Nice trip!?

[Redbelly]

I think I will fish some tournys wid ya WAM....I'd like to see what size trout comes in for those!

But tournaments are different, didnt you know that?

Y'all had fun, way to go.

[chugbug]

We ended with 10. Biggest was 22 or so. Color of the day was Electric Chicken. Strike King Redfish Magic slow rolled on a jig head did it for us. I caught two early on a trout Chugbug. Fishing didn't get good until the tide started coming in and the water got dirty... I need to look into trolling motor insurance.

[snatch-n-reel]

Well lets see. If 28"=24" on the new WAM tape then that means a 30"=26" so I guess I have caught a few 30" trout myself guess I need to get a new goal for my fishing career. Hope you boys bring some good stringers to the weigh-ins. A little pressure never hurt anybody.

[Redbelly]

Here's my question for you guys that are resource management specialist:

You are fishing a $ tournament.....you pull in a true to tape measured 30" beauty of a trout.....

Do you throw her back?

You would see mine at the weigh fellas!

I have yet to see a seatrout tournament with a length limit on the one over 20" leagal trout.

Are you now gonna quit fishing those tournaments because they allow this catch size to the weigh in?

[Chalk]

Tournament fishing and recreational fishing is a black and white subject...lets use a little common sense here.

[flounderpounder]

Great debate fella's. With all this talk about 30 plus inch trout being caught on a regular basis is crazy, I dont think I have ever seen a trout on this forum in that size range. I have caught a few in the upper 20's but to be honest in my 20 years of fishing I have only seen a few that were over 30. I googled a shot of a 30 plus incher, and there is a huge difference between 25" and this 30".
Myself and TallTails will be fishing the tourneys this year and look forward to meeting with everybody.

[chugbug]

I know I have never seen a 30" trout but I wouldn't be surprised if someone caught one out there. I never dreamed of catching a bass over 10 pounds but I did. In my mind I don't see the difference in killing a trout for a tournament or killing one to eat. A dead trout is a dead trout. If it were catch and release like a bass tournament I would understand. To say that you would kill a trout for a tourney for 100-200 bucks and not to eat doesnt make sense.

[Redbelly]

Tournament fishing and recreational fishing is a black and white subject...lets use a little common sense here.

Well......my common sense tells me a dead fish is dead either way.

Chalk what is the justification for the change in ethics?

Are tournament fishers supposed to be more priveledged than a recreational fisher who wants to eat what he catches, legally?

[Redbelly]

I know I have never seen a 30" trout but I wouldn't be surprised if someone caught one out there. I never dreamed of catching a bass over 10 pounds but I did. In my mind I don't see the difference in killing a trout for a tournament or killing one to eat. A dead trout is a dead trout. If it were catch and release like a bass tournament I would understand. To say that you would kill a trout for a tourney for 100-200 bucks and not to eat doesnt make sense.

I guess me and you agree Chris.

[Chalk]

Tournament fishing has a goal of bringing in the biggest fish, right? If you fish tournaments and you have to bring your catch in, that's the rules of the road. As a recreational fishermen you have every right to keep what you want with in the laws of the FWC. I guess nobody understands that a large trout can produce over a million eggs in a spawning year. I guess nobody remembers how you used to could catch trout til yours arms almost fell off in the 70's. Next time your at St. Marks or Econfina and you count over 100 boats on the flats and you think if they all catch a limit of trout that's 500 trout in one day. Going even further to speculate that if only 5 boats catch a 25" trout in one day and take it home, that's a potential loss of 5,000,000 eggs from a gene pool capable of a 25" trout and that's only on Saturday....multiply that times 2 for a weekend, 8 for a month and 96 for a year (480,000,000 potential trout lost from only 120 trout), if my math is right.

Summarize the story line - WAM keeps a 24ish trout and now we are rationalizing tournament fishing. As I stated already I can care less if you keep a large one, but if I can inform you that it's a valuable resource more worthy of its continuous reproduction vice a skillet and five minutes in the outhouse.

I've already stated my ethics on tournaments in the other post and it's not a change, I would gladly pay triple the entry fee to accommodate a release tournament.

[Redbelly]

I understand your desired goal, but with the "rules of the road", looks an awful lot like a double standard to me.

If your ethics are such, why are you participating in a "kill" tourny?

The reason this has boiled over into debating tourny fishing is because a few tourny fishermen started the admonishment of WAM's fish.
Even after I explained the measurement mistake, which really is not the issue.

The issue is double standards. IMHO

[Reel Cowboy]

Thanks for the report WAM and all of the views it brought with it.

[jsuber]

I get criticized all year long for releasing fish from boaters at work and got vetted on forums for wanting to have a kayak tournament that we were gonna keep fish in, and then have a fish fry afterwards. You can't win for losing. I did have a release to keep ratio of about 300-1. I release them mostly cause I'm lazy and don't want to clean them, and also I feel a little guilty when I keep fish. Oh well.