Quote:
Originally Posted by schol
So, although counterintuitive, I definitely see the logic there.
My main issue is, why does Texas produce so many huge trout with their lower limits? Is it bc they have so many fisherman their total harvest is equivalent to ours with a 25 fish limit?
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Could be. Each estuary is really different with regard to the speckled trout dynamics. I've had a very close eye on Big Lake since our fisheries work began in earnest there in 2011 (in addition to growing up in Lake Charles as a fishing enthusiast). I've carefully reviewed every bit of published data relating to specks and redfish in Big Lake, as well as a lot of unpublished data about Big Lake from LDWF and other private sources. My level of confidence in describing the fisheries at Big Lake is simply much higher than anything in Texas due to much greater care. I've spent thousands of hours studying Big Lake.
In contrast, I've spent between 10-20 hours studying most of the estuaries along the Texas coast, so my knowledge is much more limited. I will note that the variation from the different estuaries in Texas is much greater than the variation between Louisiana estuaries (which is also large). The Laguna Madre is a much different deal from Sabine. In the Laguna Madre, for example, speck on speck predation is a significant component of the diets of larger specks. The waters are clear and very salty and lots of 10-12" specks are not strong competitors for the food of the big ladies, they ARE food for the big ladies. That ain't at all how Big Lake works.