Trout Limits
 

Borrowing this from another post.....always an interesting topic.

What is everyone's opinion on LA Trout Limits? Most of TX is 10 or 5. LA still has the most liberal limits of any state on Gulf Coast.

What about size minimums? Ours is 12 inches, TX is 14 inches.

I for one would like to see minimum raised to 14 inches, to increase the spawn. Science has proven that this is the best spawning size for trout.

I'm ok with 15 per person limit (calcasieu limit), 25 on the east side is just silly, but would rather see it at 10. Still plenty of meat to take home. Nobody says you have to stop catching at 10, just can't keep em. Lots more people on the water this day & age than what there used to be.

Thats my 2 cents.......blast away!

I agree on the 14inch trout size limit!! Dont think 15 trout per person is necessary but I like the 15 trout limit!!! I release a ton of trout a year and keep a lot of trout per year!!! In what I learned is if you manage a good healthy estuary you fish take care of them selves!! One of the most Knowledgeable guides on Big Lake wanted to keep the 25 trout per person!!! He said you can only hold so many trout in one area and you will never fish them out with rod n reel

I think if you lower your trout limites to low then you will over pouplate your area!!
Take a crawfish pond for example....You must take crawfish out of you pond everyday to get them to grow in size....If you dont take out the right number in a given area you will have overload with small crawfish.....

Same with trout!!! Most lay eggs under 14inch and there are millions of trout 14inchs and under!!! I think too many trout willl shrink your size per trout as small ones eat up the food resource quicker!!! Thats my outlook!!!!

There are limits set for a reason. The LDWF takes into account all the people that fish here and they would change that if it was necessary. We have the largest estuary for trout in Louisiana especially south central/south east Louisiana that is why the limits are higher on that side of the state. If anyone thought for a second that it was hurting the population it would change. Look at red snapper for instance people are catching huge amounts of them but can only keep two due to the fact the govt thinks they might be in danger.

I think whoever wrote this fishes everyday or at least more than most get a chance to. If I could only fish 2 or 3 times a year, I would be looking for somewhere to fish where the limit was the highest so I could stock up! Trout are plentiful here. Texas just sucks!

I like the limit how it is. I think size limit should stay the same. I also think they should put the redfish size limit down to 12-14 in.

I would be for the 14" limit but keep the bag the same. Or maybe going with a slot (which i think they do a lot on the east coast).

well if you think it should be 10 then dont keep more than 10. nobody said you had to keep 15 or 25. im pretty sure the biologist working for the state have a pretty good idea on what we should keep and throw back. i personally think the trout size should be raise to 16 and let all them little ones spawn like crazy and then limiting out 25 trout 16 and over would be a challenge.

That same guide has been quoted as saying that a 15 trout limit was the best thing to ever happen to Big Lake.

But I agree with you, that you have to correctly manage the population.

it's hard to prove your point by saying LDWF knows what they are doing....LOL

follow the MONEY

I've talked with LDWF several times on this issue. They do not have the funding to correctly manage the trout fishery. They have told me this. They manage the SPR ranges on trout statewide, and generally issue a best guess on the health of the fishery statewide. They rely heavily on public input, either from charter captains or CCA or whomever.

Red Snapper debacle is a perfect example of fisheries mis-management.

I love the 15 trout limit myself!! Don't get me wrong!! I have been fishing Big Lake for 25 years and I find you have GOOD years and Bad Years!!! The one thing I dont like on our lake is the Weirs!!! They should let it flow like mother nature wanted it to!!! Put rock to keep erosion down but dont manage the water flow!!!! Im just a fisherman what do I know!!!

meau said:
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That is not exactly true.

The reason the limit in SW Louisiana was lowered, had nothing to do with the fish population, any change in the habitat or any recommendation from the LDWF. Big Lake trout fishing and the trout population were doing just fine before the change was made.

Why was the limit lowered.......because some of the CCA members and a few Big Lake guides "THOUGHT" there was too much fishing pressure and convienced the LDWF that it would be good "Pro-active" move to make the change......before there was a problem. This made all the supporters "FEEL GOOD" that they had "SAVED" the trout in Big Lake.

I think this same reasioning should apply to ALL of Louisiana. Why not!!!

this isn't just about big lake, seems like a lot of the cocodrie/dularge fish are < 14"

reading troutmasters book the other day (Poe's section) and it said the fishery on big lake was better in the late 90's than now, lot of small fish now, is it because of the storms or the limits?

talked to another one of the "best of the best" big lake guys, he said there are less big trout on the lake now due to more people fishing for them and not releasing......

who knows....

Has alot to do with storms/coastal eroision. Loss of marshes & habitat for shrimp, crabs, etc.

All the marshes Rita & Ike killed.....fishing could take a hit in the next couple of years.

Back in the late 80's early 90's you could go to big lake and catch 300 trout easy!!! No problem...But look back and there were only a hand full of guide boats!!!! I don't think the trout population has changed. I thinks is harder to catch fish because of all the boats that don't know how to fish!!! Just like Sunday..Were on fish one after another until this boat comes right behind us and dropped anchor on the reef where casting on!!! Right there he keep us from a limit of trout!!!

We have a winner!!!

i think big lake has it's own set of problems, too many guides, the invention of the bay boat, lower limits offshore & higher fuel = more inshore fisherman.......

but if these numbers are true, the 25 fish limit isn't hurting the rest of the state...

Last year Louisiana's estimated 443,000 licensed saltwater anglers brought home10.8 million speckled trout weighing a total of 11.6 million pounds. That total has been topped only once - in 2006 when the figures were 13.2 million fish at 14.4 million pounds.Those numbers are even more astounding when you consider they came the year after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a period when many anglers had still not returned to the water.

Gerald seems like a very knowledgable guy. I'd go with what he says..

Me too because he is right. The biologists concluded the fishery was fine and did not warrant a lower limit.

I think it should be against the law to corker soak or use live or dead bait!!!! Talk about would thin the number of boats quickly!!!!! Thats what I want to see....Outlaw live bait make Big Lake artificial only!!! Then see who the real fisherman are!!!!

i dont know why people keep big trout. they dont taste good at all, sure if its like a 12 lber mount that sucker!
i can understand that after a fight most big trout tend to be "tired and almost dead" but let em chill in the water for awhile then they swim off. If you aint got the patience to do this, then you shouldn't be fishing.


wasn't trout considered a commercial fish a few yrs back? and people could like gill net them? if so that would prolly be the reason trout fishing isn't like it used to be

I would'nt close all fishing with live bait....i would make it seasons. artificial year long. but livies a certain time of the year.

Gill net wars were late 80's I beleive. Stories I heard are unreal!

W....on no live bait. Go billfishing in Mexico, they won't let you use it over there! Outlawed for americans....go figure

more rules more regulations, blah blah blah

just fish! LDWF's regulations already takes half the fun out of it

I agree with this. No bait = No Fish. Just to let everyone know, the Army Corp of Engineers has a marsh creation/rebuilding job on the board to rebuild Black Lakes Marshes. It is going to be 50 million $ job.

i wish they would open all marshes with in a certain distance of a public accesible waterway to open with public. sorry kinda off topic but yall mentioned marshes..

Question for anyone that knows the History......?

When were the wiers built on the South and East side of Big Lake?

I use to work with a guy that would talk about all the ice chest full of Trout that he and is Dad would catch before the wiers were built.

When the wiers were busted open after Rita you could catch trout behind the weirs.

I think weirs were put in around early 80s

Their purpose is to restrict saltwater intrusion...correct me if i'm wrong.

overflowing of marshes i think. idk i wasnt born yet :)

I like a 25 trout limit. I dont get to fish nearly as much as I would like so when I do, the more I can bring home the better. now 14" minimum I wouldnt be totally against that but Id prolly never help push for it

texas is 15in on the trout.

Ive heard of truck beds full of trout!

I don't know about this...When my kids were too young to accurately work an artificial bait we had alot of fun watching them catch fish on live or fresh bait...Maybe amend it for the kids...

Open
 

Amen Fool. when the weirs were busted open in 2005 there were more trout than I had ever seen on the lake. There were groups of hundreds of birds working throughout the lake months after the hole had busted open.

That marsh is the heart of Big Lake when it was wide open and bait was freeflowing in and out year round it created the largest influx of shrimp and overall baitfish I had seen. Then the small schooling trout followed--

W I like that response about live bait. I too think it should be against the law no matter where you fish in LA. Or if you are able to use it you can from JULY to AUG. Funny thing most that use live bait use it year round even during the winter and they have $500 or so of plastic in their tackle bag. I guess that is for show!

I think that the 14" min. But a 25' limit would work for the whole state. I noticed that last year the big trout for the whole state came out if a lake off vermillion bay. They have a 12" limit and 25 fish per day and also they have plenty of boats out their as well. Still the big fish came out of a lake that is off borders vermillion bay. It is a perpelexing question and like a-holes everyone has one. I think in the future you will see that the 14" size and 15 per day will not catch on west of the mermentau river.

vermillion bay is really a decent place to fish. fishing usually doesnt pick up untill late summer but if you have the right boat you can run out to the rigs and clean up on some serious trout. i talked to one of my buddies and they went out to a rig the other day and caught 150 between 2-5 pounds. trout are in the bay all year long you just need to know where to go. the only potlicking you see is around the reefs. if you fish the bay long enough you find some sweet spots and may never see a boat all day except at the landing. now come september its a different story. someones going to get hurt out there its just a matter of time. them people from biglake must migrate early fall. lol

QUESTION.

Did you or did you not, at anytime, use live shrimp on Big Lake this past weekend?

Don't lie! :shaking:

isn't there some good wadefishing on the south end of marsh island? they catch some huge trout out there, i wonder if the rubber mullets would work.

Your caught like a deer in the head-LIGHTS AT NIGHT

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

there i edited it i forgot a word and that made it confusing

I sure did off the wharf under the lights with a zepco killing the drum with Hunting fool!!!! :*****::*****::*****::*****: I was acting the FOOL with FOOL and I only used them because they were bring them to me!!! LMAO

This dude was like watch i dont miss nothing,It's all bout the hook set. He was pulling in 3-5 in hard heads:*****:

Thank you...that answers my question.

Sounds like a blast! :spineyes: :shaking:

the shrimp was free so why not?

pretty good wade fishing. if you see some guys out there in lawn chairs and umbrellas thats us. got a spot between diamond reef and marsh island where its all sand. water is about 2feet there and we set up lawn chairs and sit in the water and catch reds and trout. got kind of nervous last year. my buddy was using dead shrimp and caught about a 20 pound ray 30 yards from us. we usually catch the specs on queen cocahoes purp/white chartruse/red lsu's and catch 2000's the biggest we pulled out last year was a little over six. i know they have bigger fish there but usually drink to much to care. this year i will target big ones only. i need to get some corkys and see what i can do with those. i thought about using the norton eels but from what i see w catching the big fish dont like um.:D