Re: Spring Trout Closure
So much of the success by many fishermen is measured by the numbers of fish they catch. It’s a logical and realistic measure. However, so much of the success depends on fishing where or near where the trout were stocked. During Covid, the majority of trout were stocked in a very short time span in only a few locations. Because of a tight time schedule, a truckload of fish might have been stocked in only a few places so the drivers could get back out for another delivery. If you fished where they were stocked, you were usually very successful. By the end of April, all of the season’s quota of trout was stocked. It was to avoid as much Covid related interaction as possible if a normal stocking schedule was followed.
Some of those trout did spread out but with the more traditional stocking schedule, the fish will be stocked, this year, in more locations allowing for better distribution. One other plus will be that the trout, when allowed to stay in the raceways longer, will grow more by the May stockings. Do you remember that most of the rainbows last year, were cookie cutter trout that could have grown bigger if they were left at the hatchery and fed for a few more weeks.
One concession for this season might have been to allow catch and release fishing during the preseason stocking. It was a great concept that allowed many more fishing hours for all of us. Hey Fish and Game Council! Are you listening?
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