W. I found your Texans

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Ray

Waltrip is catching all the females with good genes, when they are 12 to 14 inches.
So what's the difference if you catch them before they get big or after they get big???

Exactly right, if you catch a 14" female and keep it that fish will not produce ANY eggs in her lifetime. So she is removed from the 'gene pool'. This is yet another thing in favor of KEEPING the larger trout.

If you wanna compare it to deer hunting (which is silly, but for sihts and giggles). The big thing now is not antler restrictions - its shooting for age, shooting old deer, even the old ones that are not 'trophies'. They are actully selecting the oldest deer in the herd to shoot. And for the record, there is no shoot and release in the deer hunting world. Once that deer is 'selected' it is not coming back to reproduce.

So, keep the big trout if you want, let the little ones have a chance