15 Trout Limit Discussion PUBLIC

[MathGeek]

The biggest lake in Colorado is Blue Mesa Reservoir which produced a state record lake trout in 2007 at over 50 pounds, which edged out a 46+ pound lake trout caught in 2003. However, the lake trout were beginning to be overpopulated and once there were too many lake trout for their food supply, their growth rates slowed and fatness plummeted. There simply was not enough food for them to reach trophy potential.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife moved to remedy the situation with a combination of completely removing the limit on lake trout under 38" long in the reservoir combined with an aggressive culling program (the state nets and kills thousands of lake trout in a certain size range). First, the lake trout's food sources began to rebound, and then their fatness and growth rates increase so that the reservoir is returning to the trophy potential of earlier years.

[Salty]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

The biggest lake in Colorado is Blue Mesa Reservoir which produced a state record lake trout in 2007 at over 50 pounds, which edged out a 46+ pound lake trout caught in 2003. However, the lake trout were beginning to be overpopulated and once there were too many lake trout for their food supply, their growth rates slowed and fatness plummeted. There simply was not enough food for them to reach trophy potential.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife moved to remedy the situation with a combination of completely removing the limit on lake trout under 38" long in the reservoir combined with an aggressive culling program (the state nets and kills thousands of lake trout in a certain size range). First, the lake trout's food sources began to rebound, and then their fatness and growth rates increase so that the reservoir is returning to the trophy potential of earlier years.

To be comparable, I'm assuming this lake opens into the Gulf?

["W"]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

The biggest lake in Colorado is Blue Mesa Reservoir which produced a state record lake trout in 2007 at over 50 pounds, which edged out a 46+ pound lake trout caught in 2003. However, the lake trout were beginning to be overpopulated and once there were too many lake trout for their food supply, their growth rates slowed and fatness plummeted. There simply was not enough food for them to reach trophy potential.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife moved to remedy the situation with a combination of completely removing the limit on lake trout under 38" long in the reservoir combined with an aggressive culling program (the state nets and kills thousands of lake trout in a certain size range). First, the lake trout's food sources began to rebound, and then their fatness and growth rates increase so that the reservoir is returning to the trophy potential of earlier years.

Same is true on Big Lake...Studies already proved that 90% of the trout stay and live in the estuary year round

The ones who voted for this dumb crap....now try to use that big trout come in cycles ....hell almost 7 years later that cycle is getting longer and longer

Guess it will come once we get the limit back to 25

[Salty]

Originally Posted by "W"

Same is true on Big Lake...Studies already proved that 90% of the trout stay and live in the estuary year round

The ones who voted for this dumb crap....now try to use that big trout come in cycles ....hell almost 7 years later that cycle is getting longer and longer

Guess it will come once we get the limit back to 25

I got a buddy that fishes down in Florida. Maybe, while you're at it, you can get their redfish limit doubled....to two. I'm sure Texas inland guys would appreciate a little boost, as well.

[jdm4x43732]

Originally Posted by Salty

I got a buddy that fishes down in Florida. Maybe, while you're at it, you can get their redfish limit doubled....to two. I'm sure Texas inland guys would appreciate a little boost, as well.

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Don't you have some Price is Right to go watch or something

[Salty]

Originally Posted by jdm4x43732

Attachment 35515
Don't you have some Price is Right to go watch or something

This is priceless right here.

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by Salty

I got a buddy that fishes down in Florida. Maybe, while you're at it, you can get their redfish limit doubled....to two. I'm sure Texas inland guys would appreciate a little boost, as well.

Comparisons with Florida and Texas miss the mark, because they assume that fishing pressure is the biggest factor in productivity of a fishery. It isn't.

The two overwhelmingly most important factors for productivity in a fishery are habitat quality and food. Louisiana kicks butt in the production of shrimp, crabs, and oysters because it's inshore waters and marshes are simply much higher quality. The Mississippi river supplies higher levels of fertility and the delta habitat is simply superior to FL and TX. Many decades ago, Galveston Bay had nearly the potential of most LA estuaries, but it was destroyed by overharvesting of oysters, run-off and pollution from Houston area development, and by other ecological abuses.

You don't produce quality seatrout by being overprotective of younger seatrout, especially when there are already too many hungry mouths to feed. The habitat (oyster beds) and food sources (shrimp and gulf menhaden primarily) are in need of protection, and the way to most effectively protect them is to reduce the numbers of their biggest predator, the spotted seatrout.

FL redfish also have to compete with lots of other species in the inshore and nearshore waters that are much less common in inshore LA waters. The expected weight of a FL redfish of a given length is much thinner than a LA redfish, because there is a lot more competition for the same food, and the competitors tend to be more effective predators than the redfish in the clearer FL waters.

When the deer population exceeds about 15 deer per square mile, you no longer get many monster 10 pointers, you get a lot of runt bucks and does.

[Salty]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

Comparisons with Florida and Texas miss the mark, because they assume that fishing pressure is the biggest factor in productivity of a fishery. It isn't.

The two overwhelmingly most important factors for productivity in a fishery are habitat quality and food. Louisiana kicks butt in the production of shrimp, crabs, and oysters because it's inshore waters and marshes are simply much higher quality. The Mississippi river supplies higher levels of fertility and the delta habitat is simply superior to FL and TX. Many decades ago, Galveston Bay had nearly the potential of most LA estuaries, but it was destroyed by overharvesting of oysters, run-off and pollution from Houston area development, and by other ecological abuses.

You don't produce quality seatrout by being overprotective of younger seatrout, especially when there are already too many hungry mouths to feed. The habitat (oyster beds) and food sources (shrimp and gulf menhaden primarily) are in need of protection, and the way to most effectively protect them is to reduce the numbers of their biggest predator, the spotted seatrout.

FL redfish also have to compete with lots of other species in the inshore and nearshore waters that are much less common in inshore LA waters. The expected weight of a FL redfish of a given length is much thinner than a LA redfish, because there is a lot more competition for the same food, and the competitors tend to be more effective predators than the redfish in the clearer FL waters.

When the deer population exceeds about 15 deer per square mile, you no longer get many monster 10 pointers, you get a lot of runt bucks and does.

First of all, I was being sarcastic. Secondly, Florida and Texas' regs are where they're at because of one thing....GILL NETS!!