How Often Do You Keep Trout?

[BowLurker]

I've had a great first year of fly-fishing the mighty Bow, and have caught quite a few, both on nymphs and dries. I started my fly odyssey in April.

 

The single fish I kept this year was a Rocky Mountain Whitefish, caught in the NW. I checked the size, realized I could keep and dispatched it quickly. Pretty tasty too!

 

For some reason, every legal trout I've caught this year...I've had an overwhelming urge to release it, and did so.

 

When I fish in places like the Okanagan and Wet Coast, I didn't feel the same, and promptly fished to my limit, but only once. Hmm...

 

Maybe the snow is freezing my brain a bit ( ) or it could be the pre-Thanksgiving turkey coma. Thoughts?

 

-M.

 

edit: the single fish!

[monger]

You're not in Bonk Columbia any more

[bigalcal]

Never

[Dangus]

Only fish I've kept in the last 20 years was for a neighbor who requested one (from a lake in the east kootenays).

I get far more satisfaction from watching watching a fish swim away; preferably as in pristine as when I caught it. Which means down go the barbs on anything smaller than 14 (I don't think microbarbs on those tiny hooks do much damage.)

[jgib01]

I keep the occasional fish from a stocked fishery, but even that is getting more and more rare. We kept several pinks and a couple of cohos last year fishing near Sooke on the Juan de Fuca, but can't really remember the last retained freshwater fish... maybe a few years ago at Reesor or Beaver Mines?

 

A few of us from the church I attend have been going out on Sundays for the past few weeks. One of the ladies, who is brand new to fly fishing caught a very healthy, technically retainable rainbow 2 weekends ago. We had convinced her through our discussions prior to the outing that c&r was probably the best route to go for conservation sake on our southern rivers. She happily released it (and another smaller one that day) and said of the experience later on "I love the release... May never whack a fish on the head again."

[ÜberFly]

Brookies every chance I get (for obvious reasons on specific sw AB streams, but also, b/c they are sooooo yummy), and (personally) maybe one or 2 Cutties per year from specific high mtn lakes. When guiding, I will check with my clients before hand to see if they are interested in keeping (which will depend on which lake I guide them to - at some of the lakes, the populations need to be thinned out).

[BowLurker]

Only fish I've kept in the last 20 years was for a neighbor who requested one (from a lake in the east kootenays).

I get far more satisfaction from watching watching a fish swim away; preferably as in pristine as when I caught it. Which means down go the barbs on anything smaller than 14 (I don't think microbarbs on those tiny hooks do much damage.)

 

I pinch all barbs, even down to my smallest dries..all the way down. Pinched all barbs on my treble hook which was legal over Thanksgiving in Kelowna a few yrs ago.

 

You're not in Bonk Columbia any more

 

Don't live there, never fished there with barbs, always went with family/friends who were clearly misinformed about keeping/rules. (see my post within the Should Pre-16 And Post 65 Get A License? thread.) I always fished barbless, always read the regs, made most folks informed about said regs and fished my merry way. They didn't get why I would release my caught trout.

 

I understand there is a lot of tension about the Elk River area and different parts of BC. I had neither the money nor the time to fish in secretive coves or World-class Bullie streams. I was trying to base my initial year here on the Bow, and if I had been able to fish said BC streams, I would have released every single one.

 

Next....

 

-M.

[BowLurker]

Brookies every chance I get (for obvious reasons on specific sw AB streams, but also, b/c they are sooooo yummy), and (personally) maybe one or 2 Cutties per year from specific high mtn lakes. When guiding, I will check with my clients before hand to see if they are interested in keeping (which will depend on which lake I guide them to - at some of the lakes, the populations need to be thinned out).

 

Thank you, ÜberFly. At least someone didn't have a 'knee-jerk' reaction to my post.

 

I might be one of your clients in the future (c'mon economy!) and I would instantly recommend another potential client if you ask that question!

 

-M.

[ÜberFly]

Awesome!! FYI, I do give a FFC discount

 

P

 

 

 

I might be one of your clients in the future (c'mon economy!) and I would instantly recommend another potential client if you ask that question!

 

 

[LastBoyScout]

Any time its legal and I feel like it, haven't felt like it for about 35 years.

[BrianR]

I haven't kept one in years.Only a stocked fish,because that's what they were raised for.I used to keep fish only from lakes that were known to winterkill..

[Swede]

Personally its been over 30 years since I've keep a trout myself.

[trailhead]

I was part of the Stewardship program and in that I kept a fair number of brook trout and one rainbow. I still keep brook trout from the SW streams which was four this year, and I did keep a stocked rainbow about 10 years ago. Way back when I kept some rainbows from the Bow, smelled like sewage when I cooked them up so have never kept anything from the Bow since.

[Conor]

I keep Brookes often. I did the stewardship program in the last year, and bonked lots. I also don't have any issues keeping stocked fish, except in lakes where I know a lot of effort has been put into the fishery. I keep fish often from my community lake, except to odd trophy fish that I can't bring myself to bonk.

[DonAndersen]

Every now and then one is hooked bad enough to bleed to death, They get eaten where retention is legal. Been three over the past 10 years or so.

Two were from Beaver lake 5 or 6 years ago. God awful tasting things.

Kill illegally stocked perch regularly.

 

Don

[bowbonehead]

Yes fish out of a lake like Beaver tend to taste like the snails they eat...... yuk .... back to your question.... Brookies when I catch them in the mountain criks, always for lunch that day

[TroutPanther]

I will keep a fish very occasionally if allowed. one specific put and take lake the fish are a really deep orange and taste awesome... Never bonk anything from our streams, except brookies. I usually do a Uclulet trip every couple of years with my dad, where we get plenty enough vacuum-packed salmon for the year.

[Jayhad]

Every time I fish for bulls, whack whack whack

[Swede]

Every time I fish for bulls, whack whack whack

10,000 comedians out of work and your trying to be funny. lol

[murray]

Never keep any fish. That's not to say that years ago I didn't but like most here have stated, as far back as I can remember haven't kept any.

[PeteZahut]

It has been a couple of years but buddies and I would go down to the Castle area for 4 days every summer for about 5 years in a row. Every year we would keep one worth keeping and cook it for the group. 1 fish for 10 guys was reasonable in my opinion. Outside of that I don't usually keep.

[monger]

BowLurker, I am sorry if you felt I was attacking you. My comment was just an observation that a good number of folks from BC like to bonk fish. It seems to be a much more common practice than here in Alberta.

I put the odd one in a sack when fish a certain scud filled lake.

Sorry if I ruffled your feathers

[SilverDoctor]

A few Salmon shore fishing from BC. A lot of Brookies during the Stewardship program in the last few years, I'll be back to just C/R.

[mdfcontracting]

Fish caught fresh are amazing. In Bonk columbia, there are a few whack n stack lakes that are stocked heavy just for this purpose. X2 on the brookies. Not sure I would eat out of the bow though.

[PAV]

Where the regs allow, I'll keep one occasionally if I plan on eating it right away. The lakes in BC are my favorite places to keep fish but I don't go overboard. 3-4 per year.