Quote:
Originally Posted by HunterDave
I voted 3 up to 16" but only because that was the best choice for me of all the options presented. However, the way that the regs are now I have the option of keeping 5 fish bigger than that size if I wanted to. That would be my real choice.  |
I think you misread the poll options. I was suggesting that if the limit was 3 fish of any size, that most fish in the lake would be less than 16". If you caught one bigger than that, you could still keep it. Heck, if you were lucky enough to catch 3 bigger than that, you could whack all 3!
Quote:
If you want to catch a big fish, take a picture, measure and release it and then get a replica made to put on your wall, there are currently bodies of water where you can do that. Why would anyone want to change the current opportunities for other anglers just to make it easier for themselves to catch bigger fish? I don't get it? 
|
I totally agree with you about releasing big fish but I see changing the current "opportunities" a lot different from you HunterDave. I don't know a lot of waterbodies that have a 5 fish limit and have fish over 20". Swan Lake by Valleyview is one but overall size there seems to be going down as well and most likely will continue as fishing pressure increases. I know of one other lake that I won't mention that has a 5 fish limit and some lunkers but don't know of any others.
HunterDave, can you think of even 3 lakes (don't need to name them) out of the 300 stocked lakes that have:
1. a 5 fish limit
2. allow bait
3. are accessible (so within 100m of a road)
4. have some fishing pressure
that you can regularly (nearly every time you fish it) catch a trout larger than 20"?
I want the regs to change not so it is EASIER to catch big fish (although that would be a nice byproduct), I want them changed so that it is POSSIBLE to catch big fish. Big difference. I don't think you can have all 4 of the items I listed and still have a reasonable chance of catching big fish, regardless of how good a fishermen you are.
Some of the posters on here seem to feel that catching big trout in stocked lakes has more to do with superior fishing skill and that the regs aren't the issue, but the lack of fishing knowledge. I think that when you are allowed to take 5 fish out of a lake, that if there is ANY fishing pressure on that lake, you could be the Chuck Norris of fishing and won't be able to catch fish over 20" because someone beat you to it and bonked that fish when it was 12".
Cheers.