Brookie Bonking

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

what needs to be done with these bonked brookies? do they have to be consumed or can you just whack them and chuck them on the bank?

[Taco]

eat'em fresh fish are good for you.

[Taco]

Oh well sh*t don't I feel dumb. Carry on folks,! LOL

No worries but you made more than a few guys a tad apprehensive

[jstelfox]

I don't really understand what bonking a ton of brookies will do to this fishery so I'll leave my personal opinion out of it, but I'd like to know how this would improve the current fishery at Willow?

 

The following excerpt, from the e-mail that I just sent out to those who participated in the Stewardship Licence Pilot Project, indicates what I hope we will be able to do for the fishery on upper Willow Creek.

 

Since 1998, over 9,600 brook trout have been harvested from Quirk Creek by anglers via the Quirk Creek Brook Trout Suppression Project and now under the Stewardship Licence Pilot Project. Recent data suggests that the harvest of so many brook trout may finally be facilitating a recovery of the native cutthroat trout population in Quirk Creek. Brook trout comprised less than 20% of the angler catch in Quirk Creek in the last three years and only 8% of the catch in 2012 (versus 72% in 1998). The density of brook trout is also way done, since the brook trout catch rate in Quirk Creek was only 0.2 per hour in 2012, versus 2.5 in 1998. Some long-time participants in the Quirk Creek Brook Trout Suppression Project are now "complaining" that they are having a hard time catching brook trout in Quirk Creek, but report catching lots of large cutthroat trout, some exceeding 40 cm. The solution to their "problem" is simple -- spend more time fishing in Margaret, Meadow or Willow Creeks :-)

[dutchie]

eat'em fresh fish are good for you.

 

X 2

i like eating brookies , best eating of the trout in my opinion , nothing better then a hot cast iron frying pan with butter and just'a sizzle to it , add flour to them babies ,drop in say 8 to 12 inches of fresh brookies and watch them curl , they are tasty for sure , enjoy the best on fresh bread

 

yep nothing like a dozen to go , i will be going after a few feeds this year for sure

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

i understand eating the first 20 or 30 but there are a few places where i could probably clear out over 100 in a day (not in the area this program covers) so do you just feed to bears, yots and trees?

 

how many brookies for a L of bio fuel?

[midgetwaiter]

i understand eating the first 20 or 30 but there are a few places where i could probably clear out over 100 in a day (not in the area this program covers) so do you just feed to bears, yots and trees?

 

Everybody that went on my supervised outing gave me their fish so I had a little bit more than 40 to deal with. The cats got a few of the really little ones but I had a bunch to play with. This is a very good recipe for some of the larger ones after they've been dressed and frozen

http://www.marthastewart.com/943328/speckled-trout-gumbo#908803

 

If you really like Southern French or Spanish cooking give the Trout with Chorizo and Peppers from that site a try. If they are fresh though nothing beats the dredge and fry method as dutchie has pointed out.

[slingshotz]

I caught a ton of brookies in Willow, anything smaller than 6", I simply deheaded and gutted them. They are so small that I treated them like whitebait or smelts, batter and deep fry the entire fish. Everything gets nice and crispy so you can eat bones and all. Brookie fish sticks, YUM!

 

I am itching to get back out there. They should open it up to winter harvesting, harassing brookies while they are in concentrated pools would be awesome but I understand that it would be hard to not harass the cutties and bulls at the same time.

[troutfriend]

^{420 and others:}

 

 

^{I think it is critical to understand that these liberal harvest limits are ONLY allocated to participants who have:}

 

^{1: Taken and passed the fish identification test;}

^{2: Participated on at least one supervised outing;}

^{3: And most importantly ONLY for Specific streams in the project area!}

 

 

^{"Ditching" of brookies from any systems is illegal and should get you poaching charges.}

 

^{This project does not include systems like Cataract Creek as there are NO remnant populations of native fish upstream from the first waterfall. Therefore, it would be pointless to remove Brook Trout from Cataract Creek. This project would also never be used in systems like the Bow River as dams and river temperatures and other water quality conditions would never facilitate a meaningful recovery of native Cutthroat Trout / Bull Trout populations in this system – this would be pointless- it is a great fishery now.}

 

^{In the case of the few specified creeks included in the Stewardship License Project, there is still an opportunity to facilitate the recovery of the native Cutthroat Trout / Bull Trout populations. Anyone who has participated on the Quirk Project over the years can tell you how great it is now to catch a nice 16 inch Cutthroat from that system today.}

[McLeod]

"Ditching" of brookies from any systems is illegal and should get you poaching charges.

 

Thank you for this !

 

I get the projects and their value and support them .. The overall Brookie BASHING however by some makes me sick !

 

 

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

yah, no kidding. But as long as the fish are used and not discarded its all good? can i make them into biodesil with out being a poacher? provided its withing the water systems and i have signed up and passed the fish ID quiz.

and if you really want to get rid of them then why care what their outcome is?

 

im not trying to high jack this thread, i just want to get some legal clarification.

[troutfriend]

Really.... Seriously…? I have to post this????

 

 

http://www.albertaregulations.ca/fishingregs/general-regs.html

Alberta fishing regulations state:

Additional Restrictions:

• The edible flesh of legally kept game fish must not be wasted, destroyed, spoiled or abandoned.

[SilverDoctor]

Love fishing for those Brookies, should really sign up for that project for next year.

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

Really.... Seriously…? I have to post this????

 

 

http://www.albertaregulations.ca/fishingregs/general-regs.html

Alberta fishing regulations state:

Additional Restrictions:

• The edible flesh of legally kept game fish must not be wasted, destroyed, spoiled or abandoned.

what dont you get? the bio fuel or the fact that i dont mind being blunt with getting rid of a species that is more harmful than good. Whats the difference if SRD cleans out a lake or system with poison or they turn it into a fuel for things like back country ranger huts or what ever, hell it makes for a great fertilizer too. This is an SRD run program so why cant they just change a few things to save a buck or 2.

why is one person a hero for killing 10% of the total and yet some one with an alternative idea for this is being demonized lol

[Chadillac]

people dont like pigeons, it doesnt mean im in PA supporting live pigeon shoots. Its about the humane treament of animals invasive or not. although the harvesting of fish oil/biodiesel from these fish is an interesting proposal 420, im with ya!

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

Early Italian families put the pidgins here to eat as well, as long as you dispatch them in a clean way like we do with cows, chickens, ...

[McLeod]

 

Thus this thread comes fill circle !

The title of the thread is distasteful..pardon the pun because Brookies are very good eating..

Jim's work and other is commendable and I strongly support the projects to bring back native species where it can be done with an a high rate of success.

 

But thus the problem that is created is that there are those who don't get it.

While in certain situations such as Quirk ,non natives should be removed.. the species and in this case ..the brook trout ..is a prized game fish that in other waters should be treated as a treasured resource. I always fear that those Brookie bashers don't get it . They don't realize that this project is about restoring natives in their traditional flowing water not to create a mentality the Brookie trout are trash and should be destroyed every where they are found.

[Hawgstoppah]

Amen McLeod. You nailed it. I kind of jumped the gun in this thread too thinking that one of those areas that should be treasured instead of plundered was in jeopardy. It was mainly due to the way folks were talking in the thread. I think the fine folks that are participating need to make it clear that they are doing this only in streams earmarked for the program, and they are doing it for the right reasons and in the right places.

[Taco]

OK I have to say this...how does a "fishery" become "treasured" when it can reconstructed virtually anywhere suitable by the use of a hatchery truck?

[DonAndersen]

Taco,

 

There are many places where non-native fish will ever be the only game.

A brief list could include: Both Ram Rivers above the "chutes", Bighorn above the falls, Prairie Creek sw of Rocky, upper Little Red, Torrens and on and on.

Mind you, in some of the above cases, the interlopers are Cuts.

And there are some cases where natives can no longer survive. A recent case was the Crow below the falls that got a good bunch of cuts after the flood in 1995. Only took a few years and they disappeared. Sometimes what is gone is gone!

 

 

 

Don

 

 

[Taco]

Well aware of that Don

[Taco]

Don't get me wrong, a fishery like the Bow and Crow (and many many others) is something to be respected and helped because there is no going all the way back to Before. But reality is they are completely artificial, a result of Man's interference and are being managed for our enjoyment and benefit, not for the need to preserve and protect the remnants of what once was.

[McLeod]

OK I have to say this...how does a "fishery" become "treasured" when it can reconstructed virtually anywhere suitable by the use of a hatchery truck?

 

 

 

It's a matter of your opinion I guess.

[Taco]

No it's a genuine question Mcleod, I'm not just sayin' it to be argumentative.

[Hawgstoppah]

Taco.

 

Most fisheries I treasure, have nothing to do with fish that are natives. Not everyone thinks cuttys and bulls are the ultimate sport fish. In fact, brookies blow a cutt away for the beauty of them. Browns and rainbows in the bow are amazing fish to be treasured in one of the planet's best fisheries. Goldens are brilliant, yet none of those existed naturally in Alberta either. Are we to NOT treasure the few scenic lakes they are located at? It is all a matter of one's opinion, indeed.

 

I also "treasure" those few places left relatively untouched by these species too. There are a few good native cutt rivers left, and I do think we should do all we can to protect those too.

 

cheers,