- April 25, 2024
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is proposing some changes to trout and redfish regulations.
In my opinion, these changes are unwarranted and would be a detriment to the fishery. Here’s what we are looking at.
The FWC wants to increase the bag limit on trout. There will be no closed seasons on trout anymore, statewide. They also want to increase the take for commercial fishermen. I don’t know where they get their data from, but from what I see locally, these changes will not be good.
For the past six or seven years, I have noticed a decline in the number of large trout that I catch. At one time, it was not uncommon to go out and catch five or six trout in a day that weighed between four and six pounds.
But now, I’m lucky if I see a couple of fish that size in a year. Yes, I catch a lot of trout, but they are smaller, usually between 14 and 16 inches.
I just don’t see how increasing the bag and size limits would benefit the angler. The FWC also wants to increase the bag limit on the number of redfish an angler can keep. Again, I must say that I don’t see how this is going to help the fishery.
I know that some of you may disagree, but if you stop and think about the repercussions it will eventually have on your fishing, you’d probably have to agree with me.
I have nothing against keeping a fish or two for the dinner plate, but I’m also a firm believer in keeping only what you will eat that day. I see people who like to keep all the fish the law allows and stock their freezers with it every time they go out. That fish sits in the freezer until it gets freezer burn. Then it’s thrown in the garbage. We must learn to conserve our fish despite the changes that may take place.
You can learn more about this by visiting the FWC website. Go to www.myfwc.com and click on “Commission Meetings.” Then, click on “Agenda” and scroll down to the spotted seatrout and click on the “Highlighted Staff Recommendation.” The red drum is also going to a rule change and is listed above the trout.
On a side note, I had a chance to fish last Friday with my buddy, Steve Carl.
We hit the flats around Highbridge in Carl’s boat, which drafts about five inches of water. It was perfect for that area. I wound up with two small trout caught on a fly. Our main target was redfish, but we had no luck. We did see a lot of fish, but we couldn’t get them to eat. I don’t know if I’m bad luck for Carl, or if he’s bad luck for me. This is the second time in the past month we’ve been out for reds and haven’t been able to connect.
Maybe next time, our luck will change.
