Small rant - trout comes in tomorrow (PA)

[rtwvumtneer6]

This is nothing more than me ranting.  You've been warned.

 

Tomorrow marks the opening day for trout across PA.  It's the day most casual anglers believe "fishing season" starts.  They will show up shoulder to shoulder at every body of water that the Fish and Boat Commission has dumped thousands upon thousands of hatchery fish in.  Though the congestion and frustration doesn't last as long as recreational boating season, I am always concerned with the impact this has on bass fishing. 

 

I'm a guy who fishes when I can.  Often this means my time is limited and I need to stay local.  The majority of my local bass fishing waters are stocked with trout.  Typically the start of trout season coincides with warming temperatures both through the day and overnight.  Here's where I have concern and some curiosity.  Bass are wanting to move shallow, feed and ultimately do their thing.  For the next few weeks, the amount of pressure on the waters will be the highest it will be until the fall trout stock (where we will revisit a similar situation with the fall shallow water bass feed).  You may see where I'm headed...

 

The mortality rate from this period of time is high.  A lot of anglers intend to keep their trout, leaving no reason to care if their catches are gut hooked.  Let them really take it, and I'll land every one that bites!  Problem is, they're killing bass, too.  Others don't follow (or know) the regulations, keeping anything they catch.  And the amount of line and trash that's left behind is completely unacceptable.  Some of the rigs I've snagged and pulled up really just blow my mind.  

 

I get it, we share the water and they bought a license just the same as I did.  If they didn't stock trout they wouldn't sell nearly as many license or rent as many boats.  The few local bait shops we have left would undoubtedly disappear.  There are also a large number who respect the water and play by the rules.  But, I fear the impact on our small local fisheries is both negative and significant and lasts much longer than the few weeks of crowd.  

 

 

[Bird]

Completely understand.

 

Just last week in a lake in WV, I had to abort because they just stocked trout.

This was a Tuesday and couldn't get to the boat ramp.

That said, this particular lake has always been a good bass fishery, you just have to wait a few weeks and let the trout fisherman get it out of their system. Lol

[casts_by_fly]

It’s only about 3 days a year for pa lakes. The first day and the first spring and fall in season stockings. In my prior experience of living in pa and also fishing the lakes the first day growing up, most guys are throwing power bait, eggs, meal/wax worms, etc.  nothing that I worry about them catching tons of bass on.  And some of those trout lakes are some of the best bass lakes in western pa. 
 

slob will always be slobs though.  That’s a universal truth in every place.  Every trip out I feel like I’m picking up a half bag of trash.  

[Further North]

I'd be frustrated too.

It kinda goes to what I posted about on that "record musky" topic:  I really wish we spent more time and money on angler education.

...and I have a real problem with "giving license buyers what they paid for" with any species, fish, fowl, or critters.

[rtwvumtneer6]

27 minutes ago, Further North said:

...and I have a real problem with "giving license buyers what they paid for" with any species, fish, fowl, or critters.

Just an assumption, but if they put 2,500 bass in a 60 acre lake it would defeat the reason I chase bass. Preparing and rigging, finding them and figuring them out is the fun part.  Catching them is just a reward for the time I put in.  YMMV.

[Further North]

58 minutes ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

Just an assumption, but if they put 2,500 bass in a 60 acre lake it would defeat the reason I chase bass. Preparing and rigging, finding them and figuring them out is the fun part.  Catching them is just a reward for the time I put in.  YMMV.

MMDV from that at all, in any way that could possibly matter.

It's like the difference between hunting wild upland game birds and going to hunt club to chase poultry.

[Jigfishn10]

I look at trout stocking like spring training in baseball. It's the start of a new season, better weather is here and it's a better chance to catch a fish early in the season. 

 

Trout stocking has been here since I can remember. I'll just break out light tackle - spoons and inlines - and see if I can get a trout, a pickerel, bluegill or if I'm lucky, get a green bass, then all is good.

 

Just embrace it, it's still fishing.

[gim]

I think this is still a big reason that Minnesota has a closed bass season.  The walleye is the king here, and they close all gamefish seasons until mid May on inland waters to protect the walleye.  A few states near here have year round open seasons for bass and Wisconsin recently changed theirs too.  We are usually a few years behind Wisconsin on many of these conservation issues, so I don't see it happening for a while.

 

Trout season opens this month (for harvest) but I don't think people line the banks of streams for them.  And incidental catches of other species like bass in a trout stream are rare anyways.  The die hard trout anglers here have been fishing for them on a catch n release basis already anyways, which opened in January.

 

Not much you can do about the trash or line left behind.  Slobs are slobs.  It happens here more often with ice anglers and that debris ends up in the lake.  Its unfortunate.

[Dwight Hottle]

1 hour ago, Jigfishn10 said:

I look at trout stocking like spring training in baseball. It's the start of a new season, better weather is here and it's a better chance to catch a fish early in the season. 

 

Trout stocking has been here since I can remember. I'll just break out light tackle, spoons and inlines and see if I can get a trout, a pickerel, bluegill or if I'm lucky and get a green bass then all is good.

 

Just embrace it, it's still fishing.

X2 

As a 11 year previous PA resident I always associated the beginning of trout season as a prelude to spring. It also was a big opportunity for family fishing & introducing kids to fishing. That in itself was & is good for fishing. As a disclosure I never fished for trout except steelhead out in Lake Erie. 

[TnRiver46]

I can’t stand stocked trout haha. I quit buying the stamp and fishing for them, bout the only way I can hit them where it hurts 

[MN Fisher]

40 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I can’t stand stocked trout haha. I quit buying the stamp and fishing for them, bout the only way I can hit them where it hurts 

Unfortunately, one of the lakes I like fishing for bass and panfish is a designated trout lake...so if I want to fish it, I need the stamp.

[TnRiver46]

7 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Unfortunately, one of the lakes I like fishing for bass and panfish is a designated trout lake...so if I want to fish it, I need the stamp.

It’s always been a bit of a gray area here but if you don’t have a trout in your possession, I don’t think it would hold up in court . 

[PaulVE64]

The only solution for pollution is action.

I pick it up and go.

[gim]

34 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Unfortunately, one of the lakes I like fishing for bass and panfish is a designated trout lake...so if I want to fish it, I need the stamp.

Could you be fishing for bass/panfish, accidentally catch a trout or two, and not have to buy the stamp?  I understand you wouldn't be permitted to keep any trout whether or not you were targeting them, but if you were specifically targeting another species and just happened to catch one, I think you could just release it legally without the stamp.

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

It’s always been a bit of a gray area here but if you don’t have a trout in your possession, I don’t think it would hold up in court . 

 

36 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Could you be fishing for bass/panfish, accidentally catch a trout or two, and not have to buy the stamp?

Not a gray area here - if you fish designated trout waters, even if you're not going after trout, you need the stamp. From the regs.

 

"Except as noted, anglers need a Minnesota trout/salmon stamp validation and a fishing or sports license when fishing in designated trout streams, designated trout lakes, Lake Superior, or when possessing trout on waters that are not designated trout water."

 

So ya - if you fish a lake or stream that's designated as 'trout waters', you need the stamp even if you're not targeting trout.

[rtwvumtneer6]

10 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Just embrace it, it's still fishing.

Fair point, but it makes bass fishing very difficult!  

4 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Unfortunately, one of the lakes I like fishing for bass and panfish is a designated trout lake...so if I want to fish it, I need the stamp.

I buy a trout/Erie combo stamp... It's more cost effective ?

 

And yes, I believe the right (or wrong) official could see me throwing something like a jerkbait and accuse me of trout fishing.  Would it hold up or be worth the time/effort, no. Likewise, if I catch one on accident most of the hatchery fish don't survive.

[Further North]

On 4/4/2022 at 2:39 PM, TnRiver46 said:

It’s always been a bit of a gray area here but if you don’t have a trout in your possession, I don’t think it would hold up in court . 

That's how I'd approach it.

 

[TnRiver46]

9 hours ago, Further North said:

That's how I'd approach it.

 

Ha! Well I don’t want to go to court but I also don’t want to support the stocking program. Unless they see you targeting trout or obviously keeping trout, you don’t have to have the stamp 

[Jigfishn10]

On 4/4/2022 at 7:40 PM, rtwvumtneer6 said:

Fair point, but it makes bass fishing very difficult!  

 true! 

[Vilas15]

On 4/4/2022 at 8:07 AM, gimruis said:

Trout season opens this month (for harvest) but I don't think people line the banks of streams for them.  And incidental catches of other species like bass in a trout stream are rare anyways.  The die hard trout anglers here have been fishing for them on a catch n release basis already anyways, which opened in January.

You'll see the parking spots and bridge crossings full on opening weekend. But thank god its nothing like out east. Trout stocking is spread over thousands of miles of streams instead of a few lakes. And the stocking for the most part is browns or brooks to supplement the existing populations, not put and take rainbows. Thats probably the biggest reason, once its harvest season you can catch them all season not just until all the stockers are taken.

[gim]

42 minutes ago, Vilas15 said:

Trout stocking is spread over thousands of miles of streams instead of a few lakes. And the stocking for the most part is browns or brooks to supplement the existing populations, not put and take rainbows.

I have a co-worker who regularly fishes the Kinnickinnic River in eastern Wisconsin near River Falls and I swear all he catches are dinky browns.  He says a 16 inch brown from that river is huge.  Most of the time he sends me photos of 10 or 12 inchers and I'm just not that impressed lol.  Maybe that is good size for a "stream" trout.  I'm not a trout guy so I really have no comparison for a 10 inch brown trout, but I regularly catch bigger crappies than that.

[LrgmouthShad]

Trout stocked here too. Lot more fishermen and fisherwomen for sure, but it ain't too bad around here. I've been tossing little shad raps in the evening and caught several small trout, but with those little shad raps... you never know what you might catch. Makes for really fun fishing actually, full of mystery. 

 

Quite convinced that some of the larger bass around here feed on the smaller trout 6-8". 

[PressuredFishing]

On 4/4/2022 at 11:49 AM, TnRiver46 said:

can’t stand stocked trout haha. I quit buying the stamp and fishing for them, bout the only way I can hit them where it hurts 

Y? U don't like em?

[TnRiver46]

11 hours ago, PressuredFishing said:

Y? U don't like em?

I sure dont, slimy boogers 

[bulldog1935]

People who are after the trout are missing the point of trout fishing. 

The good news is most of those people stack up at the stocking points. 

 

The point of trout fishing is busting far away from the crowds to where the trout don't know the difference between stocked and native. 

 

For me on a month project in Kingsport, TN, it was Beaverdam Creek.  Had to drive through miles of VA where the river was wall to wall trout stamps.  As soon as I crossed the state line back into TN, it was all mine.  The trout I'll never forget required laying across a leaning tree and daubing the fly just upstream from her.