A few questions

[MEM1971]

When did the daily limit go from 25 to 15. Did the 2 only over 25" happen at same time? I've always released 25" and over. I went on my first guided trip in 1996 with the Poe's and was hooked instantly. Started fishing with a buddy in his whaler regularly right after that. 1998 bought a new bay boat and fished 3-4 times a week from then til 2006-2007. Then just a few times a year up until 2012. Back from 98-2005 it was common to release 25" or larger trout on every trip and sometimes as many as 10 in a single trip. Also common to bring home all 18"-24" trout. 3 persons would of been 75 of em! My largest trout is only 7 3/4 but it is 29" long and at the time 8.3 was leader in star so I took it to weigh and it died so I had it mounted. I really thought I'd caught a bigger one by now. Anyway I was looking at pics back from 2012 and my dad and son caught several 5 pound and 6 pound fish and that was just a few trips we made that year. I have fished alot this year and have only caught 2-3 fish 25". I did start late at end of April. All year have caught small trout! Pickles, Dink's! Back in may I would never thought I'd still be catching small trout in October. Has it been an off year? Is this the result of limit change? I know some will say its cause I live bait fish but that's wat my 7 3\4 came on and more 5 & 6 pounders than I know to count. Are there so many small fish they bite before the bigger ones? I don't know exactly how many fish I've caught this year but I will just guess and say 500. I would say less than 30 of them were 20" or larger. Maybe less than that. We use to catch limits upon limits of 20-24" fish. I know there is more boats on the water now but there were times back then where there was alot. Did hurricane Rita and Ike hurt play a part? Like today I probably landed 35-40 trout. Now today only a few were under 12" but didn't have any over 15". That's Pickle's for October. Idk. Caught lots of fish this year but all small fish except for a few trips back in June. Red fishing has been better than I remember. Just curious on everyone's opinion. I keep waiting for the day that 3-4 pound fish are being caught one after another like it was back then and I'm not sure it will.

[Gerald]

I checked some of my old emails and letters to the commission but could not find exactly when he change was made.


In the summer of '06 it was still 25 trout limit.... but by summer of '08 it was 15.


I think it changed in June..... but not sure if it was '07 or '08.

[specsultan]

W can tell ya all the info. I remember when it was changed with no scientific data from the biologists. W was on top of all that went on with that decision.

["W"]

2006 it went from 25-15

["W"]

Man reason we have so many small trout is because we are not killing nearly enough fish

Remember only 10% catch 100% of the fish.

[DaPointIsDaBomb]

Originally Posted by "W"

Man reason we have so many small trout is because we are not killing nearly enough fish

Remember only 10% catch 100% of the fish.

That's some messed up math

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by MEM1971

When did the daily limit go from 25 to 15. Did the 2 only over 25" happen at same time? I've always released 25" and over. I went on my first guided trip in 1996 with the Poe's and was hooked instantly. Started fishing with a buddy in his whaler regularly right after that. 1998 bought a new bay boat and fished 3-4 times a week from then til 2006-2007. Then just a few times a year up until 2012. Back from 98-2005 it was common to release 25" or larger trout on every trip and sometimes as many as 10 in a single trip. Also common to bring home all 18"-24" trout. 3 persons would of been 75 of em! My largest trout is only 7 3/4 but it is 29" long and at the time 8.3 was leader in star so I took it to weigh and it died so I had it mounted. I really thought I'd caught a bigger one by now. Anyway I was looking at pics back from 2012 and my dad and son caught several 5 pound and 6 pound fish and that was just a few trips we made that year. I have fished alot this year and have only caught 2-3 fish 25". I did start late at end of April. All year have caught small trout! Pickles, Dink's! Back in may I would never thought I'd still be catching small trout in October. Has it been an off year? Is this the result of limit change? I know some will say its cause I live bait fish but that's wat my 7 3\4 came on and more 5 & 6 pounders than I know to count. Are there so many small fish they bite before the bigger ones? I don't know exactly how many fish I've caught this year but I will just guess and say 500. I would say less than 30 of them were 20" or larger. Maybe less than that. We use to catch limits upon limits of 20-24" fish. I know there is more boats on the water now but there were times back then where there was alot. Did hurricane Rita and Ike hurt play a part? Like today I probably landed 35-40 trout. Now today only a few were under 12" but didn't have any over 15". That's Pickle's for October. Idk. Caught lots of fish this year but all small fish except for a few trips back in June. Red fishing has been better than I remember. Just curious on everyone's opinion. I keep waiting for the day that 3-4 pound fish are being caught one after another like it was back then and I'm not sure it will.

Lots of things change in 20 years and also we tend to remember the highlights but let me ask you this. On any Saturday in big lake back in 1998 how many boats were there fishing? Was it way less? How many guides were around in 1998 vs right now?

Those big fish are still there but pressure (boats running all around all day) will kill the bite for the go fish. If you want to catch big fish you have to fish for both fish. You may catch one every now and again with a shrimp under a cork but you need to fish with bigger baits You aren't going to catch many giants under a flock of bird either. You may have to pass up that flock of birds and go for the bigger ones if that's what you want. Or after yiu catch a limit doing what you are doing, stop and then go try for the if ones

["W"]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

Lots of things change in 20 years and also we tend to remember the highlights but let me ask you this. On any Saturday in big lake back in 1998 how many boats were there fishing? Was it way less? How many guides were around in 1998 vs right now?

Those big fish are still there but pressure (boats running all around all day) will kill the bite for the go fish. If you want to catch big fish you have to fish for both fish. You may catch one every now and again with a shrimp under a cork but you need to fish with bigger baits You aren't going to catch many giants under a flock of bird either. You may have to pass up that flock of birds and go for the bigger ones if that's what you want. Or after yiu catch a limit doing what you are doing, stop and then go try for the if ones

1998 they would have 100 plus boats on Long Point every Saturday

boat pressure is up but not over tremendously!

Just because lake has more guides don't mean it has more fishermen , all these guides fish anyway and were always on the water.
I might of added 20 more days a year on the water than what I fished before I was a guide.

I watch people fish all the time and mistakes is biggest part of the problem when they show back up to lake with 4 fish and all guides have limits.

Bird fishing is the best entertainment known to man. 90% regular guys will not limit out on 10 sets of birds and us guides can do it on 1 o 2 sets depending on weather and if left alone.

Most will run up on a group throwing wakes over the school and blow it out before they make 1st cast and wonder why they only caught 1 or 2 trout..

Some days birds are awesome distraction for us Guides. as it keeps most people chasing them and we can sit on reefs or find busting fish and catch all alone .

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by "W"

1998 they would have 100 plus boats on Long Point every Saturday

boat pressure is up but not over tremendously!

Just because lake has more guides don't mean it has more fishermen , all these guides fish anyway and were always on the water.
I might of added 20 more days a year on the water than what I fished before I was a guide.

I watch people fish all the time and mistakes is biggest part of the problem when they show back up to lake with 4 fish and all guides have limits.

Bird fishing is the best entertainment known to man. 90% regular guys will not limit out on 10 sets of birds and us guides can do it on 1 o 2 sets depending on weather and if left alone.

Most will run up on a group throwing wakes over the school and blow it out before they make 1st cast and wonder why they only caught 1 or 2 trout..

Some days birds are awesome distraction for us Guides. as it keeps most people chasing them and we can sit on reefs or find busting fish and catch all alone .

Yeah it's comical. Seen four and five boats chasing the same schools before and some shouting matches


If OP is looking for larger fish though, you have to leave the school trout behind. May get lucky and catch one here and there but they don't run with the 12 inchers

["W"]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

Yeah it's comical. Seen four and five boats chasing the same schools before and some shouting matches


If OP is looking for larger fish though, you have to leave the school trout behind. May get lucky and catch one here and there but they don't run with the 12 inchers

Yea your not catching big fish under birds and the last few sets I tried your not catching lot of keepers either...

Want to catch big trout go throw big topwater or baits in shallow flats early in the am.
Or soak craoker in May and April some some other do

[MEM1971]

I have not noticed that many more boats on any given day with the exception of some Saturdays. I know a lot of guides been fishing Sabine though. I also know to catch big trout consistently need to throw top water more. My point is I have been fishing same way for years and just not seeing the 16"-20" fish which used to be caught regularly. Back then I may have got away from live shrimp and threw pogies to get better fish and now I'm throwing mullet. I do agree with not killing enough fish and now have so many small trout everywhere. I rarely even fish birds because most fish are under 12". I can remember fishing west cove in the fall where u could pick which sets of birds u want to fish and all be 2-3 pounds. Anyway in my opinion they messed up changing limits but I don't see it ever changing after all these years. That would admit they were wrong! But I guess as long as our neighbors to the east have 25 fish limits there is still hope.

[CharlieFoxtrot]

http://www.saltycajun.com/forum/show...ght=Huge+trout

[CharlieFoxtrot]

Limit changing pictures

[DaPointIsDaBomb]

Originally Posted by MEM1971

When did the daily limit go from 25 to 15. Did the 2 only over 25" happen at same time? I've always released 25" and over. I went on my first guided trip in 1996 with the Poe's and was hooked instantly. Started fishing with a buddy in his whaler regularly right after that. 1998 bought a new bay boat and fished 3-4 times a week from then til 2006-2007. Then just a few times a year up until 2012. Back from 98-2005 it was common to release 25" or larger trout on every trip and sometimes as many as 10 in a single trip. Also common to bring home all 18"-24" trout. 3 persons would of been 75 of em! My largest trout is only 7 3/4 but it is 29" long and at the time 8.3 was leader in star so I took it to weigh and it died so I had it mounted. I really thought I'd caught a bigger one by now. Anyway I was looking at pics back from 2012 and my dad and son caught several 5 pound and 6 pound fish and that was just a few trips we made that year. I have fished alot this year and have only caught 2-3 fish 25". I did start late at end of April. All year have caught small trout! Pickles, Dink's! Back in may I would never thought I'd still be catching small trout in October. Has it been an off year? Is this the result of limit change? I know some will say its cause I live bait fish but that's wat my 7 3\4 came on and more 5 & 6 pounders than I know to count. Are there so many small fish they bite before the bigger ones? I don't know exactly how many fish I've caught this year but I will just guess and say 500. I would say less than 30 of them were 20" or larger. Maybe less than that. We use to catch limits upon limits of 20-24" fish. I know there is more boats on the water now but there were times back then where there was alot. Did hurricane Rita and Ike hurt play a part? Like today I probably landed 35-40 trout. Now today only a few were under 12" but didn't have any over 15". That's Pickle's for October. Idk. Caught lots of fish this year but all small fish except for a few trips back in June. Red fishing has been better than I remember. Just curious on everyone's opinion. I keep waiting for the day that 3-4 pound fish are being caught one after another like it was back then and I'm not sure it will.

The current from the weirs causes the fish to be skinnier

[MEM1971]

Wow! Wow!

[DaPointIsDaBomb]

Originally Posted by MEM1971

Wow! Wow!

http://www.saltycajun.com/forum/show...ight=Calcasieu