East Side your Limit drop is comming

[YellaBlazer]

Originally Posted by Reefman

We've become our own worst enemy. To say that trout fishing is as good as it was 20 years ago is not facing the reality of fishing success, or lack there of, today. The presure placed on our resources of trout is infinitely higher than it was back then. I beleive that fishing presure has indeed impacted the fisheries. BL looks like a parking lot on weekends with all the boats beatin the waters. T Butte can have over 50 boats in a small area on calm days. Diamond not much better. The rigs out of
vermilion looks like LaFonda; you need a number to wait in line to fish live bait. Cocodrie is overcrowded on any given day.There are far more people fishing today than there were in the 80-90s.

History will repeat itself in trout fishing just as it did in bass fishing. There are too many competing for an over fished and over stressed trout population. Again, only my personal observations fishing trout for over forty years. I do agree that 10% of the fishermen out there do catch the majority of the fish. However there are 20 times better fishermen now than there were 20 years ago.

We are the custodians of our resources today. Every effort should be made to acknowledge what problems face our natural resources and act accordingly. Responsibilities lay with us to protect them. We need factual information by our WLF along with coastal scientific studies specific to trout populations made public. I just can't see our trout fishing taking the pounding it has over the past ten years continue without a colapse in this fisheries. Just MHO.....

I don't disagree that things aren't what they used to be 20 years ago. That's a painful reality. But over on our end, the decline is more environmental than anything. 20 years ago, there were nice, pretty islands dotting the bay. They all held trout. A combination of storms and a choked off river have cost us a lot of essential trout habitat. Big Island, Cat Island, Manilla Village... the list goes on. Trout will not stay in an environment that will not support them.

As far as having 20x better fishermen now, I highly doubt that when the average guy catches less than 10 trout per trip. The same 10% will catch all the fish.

Also, there are no guides over in Lafitte that use live bait. All of the trout are caught on artificial.

[Reefman]

Originally Posted by YellaBlazer

I don't disagree that things aren't what they used to be 20 years ago. That's a painful reality. But over on our end, the decline is more environmental than anything. 20 years ago, there were nice, pretty islands dotting the bay. They all held trout. A combination of storms and a choked off river have cost us a lot of essential trout habitat. Big Island, Cat Island, Manilla Village... the list goes on. Trout will not stay in an environment that will not support them.

As far as having 20x better fishermen now, I highly doubt that when the average guy catches less than 10 trout per trip. The same 10% will catch all the fish.

Also, there are no guides over in Lafitte that use live bait. All of the trout are caught on artificial.

I think this applies to most of our coastal waters. Check out Montauk's post...scarey. Enviromental issues have played an ever increasing role in fish dynamics. Our waters cannot support what was once thriving estuaries that were growing until we started building levees everywhere.

Its all relative Blazer...there are 20 times more fishermen out here now which also raises the number to 20 times good fishermen.

[Montauk17]

Originally Posted by Reefman

I think this applies to most of our coastal waters. Check out Montauk's post...scarey. Enviromental issues have played an ever increasing role in fish dynamics. Our waters cannot support what was once thriving estuaries that were growing until we started building levees everywhere.

Its all relative Blazer...there are 20 times more fishermen out here now which also raises the number to 20 times good fishermen.

Fish don't need habitat....cause "W" said so

[YellaBlazer]

Originally Posted by Reefman

I think this applies to most of our coastal waters. Check out Montauk's post...scarey. Enviromental issues have played an ever increasing role in fish dynamics. Our waters cannot support what was once thriving estuaries that were growing until we started building levees everywhere.

Its all relative Blazer...there are 20 times more fishermen out here now which also raises the number to 20 times good fishermen.

Agreed. It's sad to watch what's going on down here. Small islands that held trout in the springtime are gone by the fall. It's like having to re-learn the area all over again.