I agree the trout population is in decline and I think it is probably due to all of the reasons that were listed.
I think oyster dredging played a big part. Tonging and dredging are two different animals. The dredging not only removes the oysters, it silts over the reefs. Thank god that has been stopped. But now my understanding is the high salinity from the ship channel is going to make it tough for oyster reefs to recover.
Excessive fishing pressure from trophy fisherman played a part in removing the bigger sow trout. The 2 fish over 25" rule was too late coming. Guides in particular, because they were more proficient at targeting and staying on big fish, put clients on sow after sow.
The growing numbers of fishermen, armed with GPS coordinates, is another factor.
I'm not too sure about a die off from a freeze theory. Big Lake has never been overly susceptible to freeze kills because the ship channel gives the fish quick access to deep water. But who knows.
I even wonder about the redfish population. There's no shortage of reds for sure. Could they be hurting the trout population? I've found lots of little trout in the stomachs of redfish.
Bottom line, once the population is in decline, it isn't easy to get it to come back without some serious intervention. Either by man or by nature.
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