catch and release

[Golden Trout]

Yes I was joking guys, you should know that.  I know you already know this but Im going to type it down on the form, wasting fish is illegal and will get you a huge fine.  We are not talking of a small fine.  Everyone needs to keep their fish or let them go.  Please dont waste as yes there are many fish in the lake, but think "what if everyone did that"?    I myself have had 2 ice fishermen come up to my hut on a lake this year and said we dont eat perch, would you like it?  I said hell yeah ill take them and I also recommend everyone on this form does the same thing if you dont want to keep them.

I am curious though Frenchy as to what type of fish and salmon you have down there,  are the populations huge?  I see your from CT and I would like to expand my fishing experience if there is something new that I can not catch in MT.  Please do message when you get the chance

P.s. Good luck to all of you for your fishing season
GT     

[HolePounder]

Here is my take on the subject.  I love catching and eating fish and will spend numerous day on the ice fishing perch/trout/salmon/hammerhandles ect... fishing to accomplish both.  My passion is catching big fish and I know they are a limited and fragile resource.  Example: it takes around 10 years in a fertile lake (up to 20 + in cold infertile) to grow a 40 inch northern (according to many state fish and game depts sutdies I looked at).  These fish are the high end of the gene pool, they have survived predation when young, survived disease and competition as young adults, and are the reproductive base for there species in any body of water (not only do the big females produce more eggs but they are heather and have a higher rate of producing viable offspring (also based on studies I've read).  Taking numbers of large fish out of a system can weaken the gene pool, reduce reproductive efficency, and in the case of pike can take a decade to replace.
 If you don't think selective harvest can produce more and bigger critters, look at the Elkhorn mtns.  In the 80s the bull to cow ratio was 1 to 50 with most of them being spikes and reproductive rates were low.  Now with selective regs(spike bull or special draw for branch antlered) the average age of a bull harvested there is 6 and a half and scores in the 320+ range and the heard is thriving.  Do what you will within the law, but if you want more and bigger fish eat young fish and put the big spawners back.  Would be good to see fwp manage a lake or two for trophy fish and see the results....

They do,for trout.

[vicster]

Mtangler, I was just trying to state my position and back it up with.  Didn't know there was a limit on how long a post could be, I'll try to keep it shorter in the future .  Holepounder, they put a limit on the number of larger fish you can keep in Browns lake last year and I caught more big fishe there in the last spring than I ever have, may be working.  Most of those reservoir trout do not reproduce naturally so it's kind of a different situation also...