Stupid general trout questions

dont say never

each person is allowed to have their own limit and should be on a seperate stringer unless you tag who's fish is who's on one stringer. remember, whoever catches the trout is who's fish it is.
 good luck!

Don't forget you need a trout stamp.

Keep whatever the kids will eat, man, and dont feel the least bit bad about it. These guys are pretty much giving you exactly what you need to know here, I hope ya slam em! If you like the taste of trout (I do), I'm sure you could certainly justify keeping a dozen or more to make 2-3 good meals for the family. The trout are put there for our enjoyment. You pay for em, after all. If part of your enjoyment is eating them, more power to ya! It's not like you're gonna make the Pennsylvania Crick Pellethead and endagered species.

It somewhat rare, but I agree with you, Cold.

Aint it the truth!

Honest to Pete !!!  If you and your family want to keep the fish, go right ahead, and don't feel the least bit "guilty" fer cryin out loud.   I'm sure you aren't taking them to some Class A Wild Trout stream.  I for one, keep Trout, and can't stand to eat one.  My family on the other hand, eats the heck out of them, and the rest get shipped to Va. Beach to my in-laws who think they are getting Lobster. 
 
...... and by the way, I'm trying to think of what part of C&R actually makes one "a better fisherman".

ORIGINAL: Cold

Keep whatever the kids will eat, man, and dont feel the least bit bad about it. These guys are pretty much giving you exactly what you need to know here, I hope ya slam em! If you like the taste of trout (I do), I'm sure you could certainly justify keeping a dozen or more to make 2-3 good meals for the family. The trout are put there for our enjoyment. You pay for em, after all. If part of your enjoyment is eating them, more power to ya! It's not like you're gonna make the Pennsylvania Crick Pellethead and endagered species.

I still trying to figure out how the heck 12 PA trout equates to 2-3 "GOOD meals" for 4???

Where do you think you are fishing?  The Norfork or White River in Arkansas' Ozarks?

3 meals = 1 trout per person, ha, even 2 meals is just 2 each per adult and 1 per kid.  That is laughable.

It's not always, but usually, the dudes keeping fish every outing who are crying the PFABC does a horrible job. 

I catch and release with distance... downstream, so I can find some fish come early July

If you fish in the fall and know your water, you'd be suprised

To Puffy

After all the fish are taken out, what do you fish for?  Or do you stock your bath tub and fish there???

 
I'm certainly not against the practice of C&R, but I won't admonish those that keep Trout.  It is simply put and take for the most part, and most western PA streams (non-mountainous) cannot holdover Trout.  Kids especially like to see the little fishies on the stringers.  Reckon some big burly men also like to see the little fishies on the stringers.

jim,  this isn't an ethics discussion really.  The reality is that the majority of stocked waters are not good summer waters for trout.  Sure, a few will survive, but only a small portion.  And you are out of your mind if you think any of the state stockies are gonna reproduce.  I believe in catch and release for all native and wild fish, but the stockies are simply not viable in the numbers they stock them, in the streams they stock them.

If you find a stream that is still loaded with stocked trout, PULL SOME OUT.  there is no way that the stream can sustain the population of fish that is stocked, so pulling them out prevents the trout from destroying the rest of the stream's ecological balance. 

i live right next to a class A trout stream and as soon as the water hits the mid 60s, the fish all run for the conemaugh river and disappear.  any stream that is not spring fed will not adequately support stocked trout.  I know, I see it every year.  The streams that ARE spring fed are usually too small to support (provide food for) 10-15" fish.  Of course there are exceptions, but I am correct for the majority of cases. 

And you can't tell me that all the ponds and 'lakes' the state stocks are going to remain cool all summer.  the fish go to the bottom and go dormant.  Thus, my opinion is that I support and encourage harvesting of them in may.

Wild, non-stocked fish in PA are species like bass, perch, catfish...all the other game fish that are abundant in so many areas and make for better summer fishing than a handfull of dormant trout or 5" native brookies. 

The bass have started hitting in the river, so that is where I will be spending my time now. Chasing big bass and 13" perch.  30+ a day of them is way better than 2-5 lazy summer trout, in my own oppinion.  You are welcome to enjoy whatever type of fishing you choose to do.  I am just glad that we live in an area where this discussion is even possible and relevant.

hiclass,

Brook trout are the only native species of in PA, therefore, wild browns, rainbows, and yes, wild brook trout have to of been introduced and somehow sustained their population, so before you go belittling, check your facts

And you are out of your mind if you think any of the state stockies are gonna reproduce.

of course other species of trout have been able to spawn in certain areas

Logic FAIL. Go take your meds.

i live right next to a class A trout stream and as soon as the water hits the mid 60s, the fish all run for the conemaugh river and disappear

Gotta watch that conemaugh water...it dissolves live trout and they disappear.

the fish go to the bottom and go dormant. Thus, my opinion is that I support and encourage harvesting of them in may.

Clearly, a dormant trout that YOU cant catch, that will perk up and feed again in 4 months, that you STILL probably wont be able to catch...clearly, that fish might as well be dead.

The POINT, good sir, is that most stocked streams are stocked for a reason: THEY DO NOT HOLD NATIVES OF THEIR OWN.

No. The POINT is, that regardless of whether or not the waterways could support natives (many could), the state HAS TO stock, to support this vicious cycle of put and take that its started. Love it or hate it, thats how 95% of the state's trout waters work.

I would like to see how you can possibley argue with any of that logic.

Explain wild (non-native) brookies. Explain the WILD (not native) brook trout enhancement waters. Explain how, if all trout simply die on Memorial day, we have the term Holdover. Explain why I, and many others, have managed to have summers with low, but well-earned numbers of trout brought to hand.

Man, it sounds to me like you either adopt the opinions of people you admire, or you come up with things on your own that sound good to you, without really considering any other possibility. I've seen your other posts and in many areas you seem pretty knowledgeable in other areas, but in this discussion you seem to have some flaws in your reasoning. Dont you think its a little short-sighted to assume that just because trout get really hard to catch in the summer (when you give up and chase easier quarry), that they simply vaporize, never to be seen again?

Cold,

Your rebuttal is based almost exclusively on sarcastic remarks and opinion.

My arguements are based on facts and observations....

Take a debate class and learn how to debate in a sensable way.
 
Your next to last paragraph actually substantiates my arguement. You admit that there are low numbers to be caught, which I have said is a possibility in areas. 
 
The enhancement areas you are trying to get me to explain are among the minority of streams that are cold water year round and have enough forage to support fish populations.  I fished a native bookie stream the opening day and caught 13  of them before i got to waters where the state stocked.  I could see 30 fish in multiple holes.  The stream cannot support those numbers of fish for any length of time or the rest of the stream's ecosystem would collapse.   That is why certain bodies of water need to have fish pulled out in may if there is still alot of fish in the stream.