BigBendFishing.Net

sure seems that way over the last several years....

have to work a lot harder, move around constantly, try all kinds of baits, plastics, etc. only real luck ive had is mostly in the fall/winter and usually in a river or creek.

this weekend was no exception.

still love being on the water, soaking up the sun and salt air, running the boat, etc.


just wondering why, what is going on, etc.

seems that way to me as well... used to limit out fairly easy and quickly in Steinhatchee back in the 00's. Friend of mine thinks the amount of tournaments going on every weekend has something to do with it. May be too much pressure, I don't know though.

im thinking you are right.

fishing pressure.


and maybe you have to go deeper to find them.

A lot of people fish for trout in steinhatchee. Even without tournaments there are hundreds of boats fishing for their 3 man limit littering those flats. Tournaments may contribute, but those guys would probably be catching trout if they were in the tourney anyway. With that said, I do think the number of Big breeders being killed may go up. Most good anglers release Big trout when not tourney fishing. But bring them to the scales on tourney day. A lot of tournaments have gone to cpr (catch photo release) tournaments. I’d love to see more go to that for the over 20” trout. But people love weigh ins

Salty Gator wrote:A lot of people fish for trout in steinhatchee. Even without tournaments there are hundreds of boats fishing for their 3 man limit littering those flats. Tournaments may contribute, but those guys would probably be catching trout if they were in the tourney anyway. With that said, I do think the number of Big breeders being killed may go up. Most good anglers release Big trout when not tourney fishing. But bring them to the scales on tourney day. A lot of tournaments have gone to cpr (catch photo release) tournaments. I’d love to see more go to that for the over 20” trout. But people love weigh ins

I agree, compared to the overall number of boats on the water fishing, the tournament guys numbers seem low. I do think tournaments should do more to promote catch and release of big trout through photos. Those big breeders are very old fish, and given the ethics of conservation amongst anglers, photos would serve the resource better than the livewell. Even then, I am still not sure about trout getting harder to catch. Seems to be a lot out there despite the pressure. Maybe they have gotten a little wiser, at least the ones over 14 3/4"

I think it has more to do with the offshore guys fed up with being able to only keep small number of fish. It costs too much for such a little return. They are selling the big boats & coming inshore. Much more inshore pressure than there used to be.

That's one reason I like the CCA Star Tourney, which is all photo. I'm pathetic at taking nice pix on the water, but it felt good to photo/release a few breeder 24" trout and still get credit for the catch. Of course, those 15 inchers are still destined for inclusion in my ceviche recipe...

I've yet to catch a trout bigger than a 23" out of Steinhatchee and I've fished out there a LOT over the past two years. I thought I just wasn't jigging it right . Lots of 20"-23" though.

If you want to see more tournaments go to CPR stop fishing those that don’t. I get really upset with kill kayak tournaments. Way to many kayakers lack the discipline to release a 26” trout when they already have a 24” on ice.

cotton wrote:If you want to see more tournaments go to CPR stop fishing those that don’t. I get really upset with kill kayak tournaments. Way to many kayakers lack the discipline to release a 26” trout when they already have a 24” on ice.

I think the man would also object to keeping two trout over 20".......

no

Do Trout and all fish move around from year to year and season to season?

Yes, that's why they have fins.

Does hundreds and hundreds of man-hours spent on the water trying to "catch my limit" influence the number of Trout in a given area.

Yes......absolutely.

If Trout and Red's were catch and release only, and all commercial harvest was prohibited.......would the fishing improve.

YES.......the fishing would be unimaginably good.

But....some folks think that's crazy talk. lol

I think the fresh water pouring down around econfina has affected the fishing although we did catch some nice trout last saturday am Didnt worry about catching our limit but had 4 nice large trout.18-23 inch Too many worry about the pressure of catching a limit each time . Now we have done the same but we dont expect it every time we fish for trout. I am also an off shore fisherman and really started fish for trout this year since we got a new boat.

The off shore federal season for gags severely affected the off shore fisherman. The state waters season has not benefited me too much but have caught some red grouper off shore in federal waters . My favorite time for fishing off shore is in the spring which has been closed in federal waters for the past several years. The weather stirs up with thunderstorms in the summer and has limited our time fishing on weekends ....an which is what most working people have to fish. The 2 fish limit on gags caught on the weekends should have been adequate to preserve the fisherary... my opinion. We have never had a problem finding fish in 36 feet out of econfina and have dont think there is a shortage of gags. Many almost legal fish are evey where any plentiful. The new size limit is a great way to conserve also.

This inconsistent weather this year hasn't helped. The fish really stay screwed up with the weather changing daily. Maybe soon!

There are fewer Trout and Redfish here on the east coast, plenty of pressure from all directions on the fish, more boats and fishermen every year, continuing open commercial hook and line Seatrout harvesting for 5 months a year with 75 Specks per commercial fisherman a day, enormous loss of most of our seagrass beds in the non tidal areas to algae blooms , not to mention more fishing guides than ever. Several Mosquito Lagoon guides have gone to catch and release only over the past few years to try to protect what is left.