1st fish for 2011 ===

Since I had not caught a fish this year I decided to help stock the local stream and then fish it. I usually do not do that, maybe once last year when the club did the stocking and that was the first time in many years...
I caught and released 15 this morning in two hours of fishing.

oppppppppss phone I'll be back .....

Went back over at 3pm (IN THE RAIN ) for two hours .... I can't remember the last time I fished in the rain.. but I remember why now...only caught 4 and lost 3 before I could touch them.. I don't count them as caught unless I touch them :)

But it was fun and I caught 19 for the 4 hours..

I was TOTALLY surprised at how many guys caught limits and KEPT THEM ALL...
I probably saw 20 guys fishing today and at least 15 of them kept limits and the rest just a few .. I was the ONLY one I saw putting them back .. that surprises me.. and only heard one guy say he did not catch any.. by watching I think he threw nothing but spinners though...

Two of the guys from the club kept theirs but they were taking them back to camp and smoke them... anyone every have fresh stockies smoked ??????

I thought more guys practiced C & R than I saw today.... BUMMER....

BTW.. the bucket I carried down ( of 10 buckets put in plus more at the bridge) was full to the brim and there was 4 Brookies that I know were close to 20 inches.. one of the guys that helped stock caught one that was probably that big... and I had something on this afternoon that was giving me a GREAT fight til it "spit the hook".. oh well there's always another day..

I did see two guys catch a limit each BEFORE the stocking truck even got there....

all in all great day of trout fishing... maybe be back on Thursday...

I think it would be nice if the fish at least had a chance. If you're going to fish for them and keep them as soon as they're stocked then it almost feels like you may as well stand right up on the stock truck and fish. Sadly there are people out there that would probably be willing to do that. If you only fish the first weekend or two of the season then you probably don't care but for the rest of us it's always disappointing to see this sort of thing happen. Personally I'm happy to see the high water and miserable conditions. By the time a lot of people quit fishing the fishing should really start heating up.

Can I ask where you stocked?

I haven't done much pellethead fishing for a couple of decades but even back then the C&R guys usually were not the ones who followed the stock truck. The nice thing is the truck followers are the guys who normally only fish a few days a season. They kill all they can when they are easy and then are done for the year. I never ate many of them so can't comment on the taste.

No problem.. as I said I have nothing against anyone keepinbg fish and eating them, I even keep a few for the grill, but I like the big 20 inchers most of the time for that.. I do not like the stockies.. they taste "mushy" once they get pink or orange inside they taste like a different fish completely...

But of course if they keep dumping (trickling) Marcellus waste water in the Clarion River the trout may "glow" when I put them on the grill...

how did the .4 work?

gottcha, i thought maybe it was roadkill or something

I agree, that I like C&R/CPR fishing for trout most of the time. It depends though on when & where I'm fishing. If it is ice fishing then I will keep some, lake fishing in the early season as well, these waters recive additional spring stockings. If a stream gets 2 or more inseason stocking, then yes I might consider keeping a nice fish, more fish will be put in. But, if the stream only gets one or none (Mill creek in BC only gets a pre) in season stocking then I'm 99.9% CPR. My dad eats all that he can, none go to waste and I do keep some early season fish for him. I just like to put the fish back so fish on that certain water will last longer.
But the law is the, and it's perfectly legal to keep your limit and I have no issues with the law, just prefer to not see a limited stocked water get cleaned out in 2 days.
Just my thoughts on the matter....

i fillet a limit now and then. ive had many folks say they like mine that say they dont eat trout. 

why? those pellet heads are junk..  hang em' all.  kill them right away rather than stringing and letting them suffer

or gill blast them like most here do... or rip your 10 pound test last piece of crawler and then throw them back

the indians were proud of their catch butt.. these guys are too.  I wouldn't doubt he was wearing Army Camo rather than Mossy Oak.