Special Treatment For Trout

[hooah212002]

Why are there (typically) special regulations for Trout? for example: in Wisconsin, you have to purchase an inland trout stamp if you fish for "inland" trout (inland meaning away from the Great Lakes), then yet another Great Lakes Trout stamp if you want to fish for trout on one of the Great Lakes. Also, there is a whole seperate regulation book just for trout regulations. Why is this? I know trout is one of the most heavily human stocked fish (or is that wrong?), does that mean it is one of the most heavily fished fish as well?

[Bluebasser86]

Trout are often stocked instead of naturally occurring like most species of fish, that's why there's special permits. If people don't buy those permits then the states often wouldn't be able to afford stocking them in the first place. Not sure about them being the most stocked, probably depends a lot on where you live. Around here the state stocks millions of channel cats, walleye, and wipers every year but not nearly as many trout because of the shallow lakes and warm temps we have during the summer months they wouldn't survive long enough to be caught. 

[Marty]

I agree with BlueBasser. I don't know about Wisconsin, but the same goes here as far as a bunch of special regulations for trout because the state spends more on them.

[flyfisher]

Here in va they stock a lot of trout and there is a special stamp required. The one caveat is you only need the stamp for part of the year, oct-april I think. Trout are also pretty expensive to stock at a few dollars a fish as opposed to bass and other fish which are considerably cheaper.

[tomustang]

It's all about the money.

[Bluebasser86]

Here in va they stock a lot of trout and there is a special stamp required. The one caveat is you only need the stamp for part of the year, oct-april I think. Trout are also pretty expensive to stock at a few dollars a fish as opposed to bass and other fish which are considerably cheaper.

Some of the lakes they stock with trout in Kansas you have to have a state trout permit regardless of whether you're even going to fish for trout. One of them has some of the biggest bass in the state so I have to spend $12.50 on a trout permit...to fish for bass 

[flyfisher]

Same here....you fish where they stock trout during trout season you need the stamp even if you aren't targeting them.

[HLNichols]

Here in WV, I believe you need a trout stamp all year round. IMO, they impose trout stamp regs for three reasons:

1) They spend so much time stocking them and treating the waters to keep them there,

2) To prevent crazy over-fishing, as trout populations in WV are quite sensitive, and

3) To make money off of our addiction... 

And boy, it's a chunk of change! A resident license with a conservation stamp and a trout stamp is nearly $40!

[slonezp]

Same here....you fish where they stock trout during trout season you need the stamp even if you aren't targeting them.

That's BS

[tomustang]

That's BS

Yes it is. They believe it's the salvation from lost revenue when it just pushes more people away.

[CoBass]

No special stamp here in Colorado. Trout are stocked in almost every lake in the state. They are so common that the only time I intentionally target them is when the bass or walleye bite is really slow.

 

Trout can be expensive to stock because they can only reproduce in rivers. When they stock a lake with trout they don't reproduce on their own so they have to be restocked to maintain the population.

[flyfisher]

Trout can reproduce in lakes but not all types.

I don't have a problem getting a trout stamp. To me if I can help support something that helps others get into fishing them so be it. If I am really that concerned I can fish other places that do not require a permit.

[gr8outdoorz]

I agree with needing trout stamps, at least where I fish for them. There are a few local Fly Fishing Associations that have spent millions of dollars in conservation & maintenance of our trout rivers/streams. I believe that is a huge reason our waters produce such healthy populations of trophy trout. I feel lucky that I get to fish these amazing waters so adding a few dollars to my yearly license to help keep that going is no problem in my book. 

[slonezp]

Needing trout stamps is fine. Requiring them even if they are not the target species is robbery. 

[moguy1973]

Some of the best smallmouth streams here in Missouri are stocked with trout.  That means most of them have special regulations on them on what you can use to catch any species.  Those regulations include no plastics or live bait.  So that means no tubes, plastic trailers, or flukes to fish for the smallmouth with.  It's really funny that conservation departments don't want invasive species to invade their waters, but yet they'll stock a non-native fish for sport reasons.  To me the trout in these streams are a detriment to the small mouth population as they both compete for similar foods (e.g. minnows, shad, hoppers, crayfish, etc). 

 

I'd rather they just stock them in the trout parks and Taneycomo.  And if the trout get down into downstream parts of the rivers and streams so be it.  If you catch them you can keep them without needing a stamp.  They don't need to be stocked in every cool water stream though IMO.

[Bluebasser86]

Some of the best smallmouth streams here in Missouri are stocked with trout.  That means most of them have special regulations on them on what you can use to catch any species.  Those regulations include no plastics or live bait.  So that means no tubes, plastic trailers, or flukes to fish for the smallmouth with.  It's really funny that conservation departments don't want invasive species to invade their waters, but yet they'll stock a non-native fish for sport reasons.  To me the trout in these streams are a detriment to the small mouth population as they both compete for similar foods (e.g. minnows, shad, hoppers, crayfish, etc). 

 

I'd rather they just stock them in the trout parks and Taneycomo.  And if the trout get down into downstream parts of the rivers and streams so be it.  If you catch them you can keep them without needing a stamp.  They don't need to be stocked in every cool water stream though IMO.

Kansas does the same thing with wipers. I love catching wipers but I'd much rather they put them in the bigger reservoirs with the forage base capable of supporting those eating machines without hurting the bass population. It seems like anytime they stock wipers in a small lake the bass fishing takes a nosedive. 

[slonezp]

Some of the best smallmouth streams here in Missouri are stocked with trout.  That means most of them have special regulations on them on what you can use to catch any species.  Those regulations include no plastics or live bait.  So that means no tubes, plastic trailers, or flukes to fish for the smallmouth with.  It's really funny that conservation departments don't want invasive species to invade their waters, but yet they'll stock a non-native fish for sport reasons.  To me the trout in these streams are a detriment to the small mouth population as they both compete for similar foods (e.g. minnows, shad, hoppers, crayfish, etc). 

 

I'd rather they just stock them in the trout parks and Taneycomo.  And if the trout get down into downstream parts of the rivers and streams so be it.  If you catch them you can keep them without needing a stamp.  They don't need to be stocked in every cool water stream though IMO.

The Lake Michigan is stocked with salmon which are non native and for the most part cannot reproduce. They were stocked heavily in the 70's and 80's to control the alewife population. Dead alewives were covering the beaches in the summertime and smelled disgusting. The salmon fishery is incredible and many business' thrive on it. The alewife population is under control and the smelt population has been decimated. Smelt fishing used to be a tradition on the lakefront for many folks. A social gathering of sorts. Now, guys are lucky to get a handful of fish n their nets. During the 90's overstocking caused the salmon to become malnourished and diseased. They have since reduced the stocking to keep things in check and fish healthy. Only took them 40 years to get it right.   

[NEjitterbugger]

My favorite smallie spot is in a flyfishing only area... I think this is because they are trying to regain the trout population in the area (the trout fishing is already great there and all around), so I usually need to go just far enough away from all the flyfishing only mumbojumbo. I'm not targeting trout but still don't want to get in trouble or anger anyone...

[SirSnookalot]

Trout can reproduce in lakes but not all types.

I don't have a problem getting a trout stamp. To me if I can help support something that helps others get into fishing them so be it. If I am really that concerned I can fish other places that do not require a permit.

I don't have a problem spending a few extra bucks for any kind of a stamp up and above the fishing license.  Revenue to stock fish has to come from someplace, especially in a state with no income tax.  We spend quite a bit of money on just 1 fishing combo and many of us have lots of them, plus the lures, lines, hooks, etc. add up pretty fast too. A stamp IMO is a pittance compared to our overall expenses.  The option does exist for a state to forego any additional stamp fee, license too, by adding an excise tax to each and every purchase of fishing gear and related items.  This way each one of us could control the amount of $$ we are willing to contribute by buying less or cheaper equipment.  Personally I'd stick with the present format.