Capt. Troy Posted April 15, 2016 Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 Been picking away the last few weeks and fishing has been ok but not great. Just a mix of reds trout and snook. Water temps have been all over the place for a month now. :confused: Finally nudged 74 yesterday as Monday was at 69. Some trout to go home for this 11 year old from Michigan. He is here visiting grandma and she has the grease ready. 24 and 25 inches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted April 15, 2016 Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 Good deal Capt. Is it my imagination or have the trout gotten smaller over the past 5 yr.'s? I remember catching 20" trout, repeatedly, that weighed 5 lbs. or dang close to it regularly. Trout which I've caught of same size over the past couple of years are in the 3-3.5 lb range. :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted April 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 Maybe because of this. :susel: We are allowed 1 fish over 20 inches Comms can have 150 up to 24 inches http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/commercial/spotted-seatrout/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurricane Posted April 16, 2016 Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 That would do it. Have you come across any commercial Trout fisherman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted April 16, 2016 Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 Maybe because of this. :susel: We are allowed 1 fish over 20 inches Comms can have 150 up to 24 inches http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/commercial/spotted-seatrout/ Now Troy, You know your therapist told you to try and surround yourself with positive ora and fend off all those negative evil spirits that are driving you crazy, :crazy: And making you want to take all those special interest groups on a one way offshore fishing trip. :susel: I know a guy that knows a guy that knows a guy............ :susel: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted April 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 That would do it. Have you come across any commercial Trout fisherman? Yes. There are several that target them around Tarpon Springs with hook and line. They get on the spawning schools on the beaches and p*** and put a pretty good dent in them. I got really ticked off about the management decision to allow them to take 24 inch fish up to their limit of them. Then the FWC tells me the fish over 20 inches are so valuable to the brood stock and that is why the rec limit is 1 per person over 20. :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted April 16, 2016 Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 Yeah, something definitely needs to be corrected and balanced out for the future or there's a lot of fish that will end up on the endangered list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdsnook Posted April 16, 2016 Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 And...the rest of the story is....when the snook took a hit during the freeze...the trout in the east side of Tampa Bay were huge for about three years....they had a lot less competition for the bait fish. Same in Charlotte Harbor...I caught multiple 24+ inch fish on a vacation down there three years ago, the biggest was 27".... :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted April 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 Well, the commissioners didn't take to kindly when I told them these new trout regs were going to make the sport fishing capital of the world famous for having the smallest trout in the south. There has been a noticeable decrease in the size and abundance in my area along with the redfish as well. The new trout regs came in at the same time the FWC upped the redfish limits for the northwest region to 2 per person. What were they thinking? That's a 100% increase in harvest. :susel: Seems they are taking a look at that again. :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Posted April 16, 2016 Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 Thank you for keeping them honest, Capt. Troy.. Mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linesider 159 Posted April 16, 2016 Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 The summer after the freeze I caught the most/biggest trout and redfish than I have in recent years. While it hurt the snook, the other fish went crazy Nice trout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinbill85 Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 I remember the days of the big abundant trout. Even then I usually tossed my 20+'s back in. The challenge was catching some in the 15-19 slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh B Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 I wish they would change it so the slot was 16-22 or something like that for the top end, maybe 24"... but they should cap it off. It makes me cringe when I see these guys at the ramp cleaning 26-28-30 inch trout. We have a big tournament here every spring that's heaviest weight of one red, one trout. They kill just about every 26-30 inch trout that can be found. I hate it. The 18-22 inchers are perfect for eating, let those big girls breed. I may also be a bit aggravated that i haven't caught my 30-incher yet. A 29.5, 29, a couple 28's, but no 30... yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmc22 Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Totally agree. Bunch of tiny trout on the flats these days. FWC needs to recognize they are doing more harm than good when it comes to the trout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted May 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 6 hours ago, gmc22 said: Totally agree. Bunch of tiny trout on the flats these days. FWC needs to recognize they are doing more harm than good when it comes to the trout. Trout get no respect from the management side. They should be a not for sale game fish like snook and reds. I have seen a dramatic decline in mullet, jacks and ladyfish in my area simply because they bring a buck a pound or more. They get pounded every day by both legal and illegal methods. Trout are the fish that everyone can enjoy without being a pro. I would say they may be the most important fish as they are some what easy to catch and they are great entertainment for the novice angler and youngsters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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