When it comes to fishing for stocked trout, bigger is better.
While we all enjoy catching trout of any legal size, the adrenaline really starts pumping once the hook is set on a hefty, 20-inch fish that flexes the strongest of poles.
Like monster bucks, big trout are the basis for conversations at the counters inside bait shops, along the stream and on social media. Anglers congregate whenever a bucket containing a trophy trout is handed down from the stocking truck, and they gather around any fishing hole where a monster fish entices them to cast.
Big trout are so popular that anglers don’t even mind paying expensive club fees to participate in private stockings of monstrous fish.
But when it comes to the statewide season for stocked trout, big fish are the main driver behind the anticipation. Stop by at any preseason stocking on a Keystone Select waterway, for example, and experience the buzz among anglers as buckets are poured into the stream. In fact, those selected waterways are so popular that they’ve become destination fisheries, and that not only helps the sport, but local economies as well.
There’s no denying the popularity of trophy trout, and I always thought the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission should tap into the hype and stock more of the big fish.
This season they are.
The agency more than doubled the allotment of brood fish – browns, rainbows and brooks measuring 14 to 20-inches – that will be stocked for the 2020. Last year 27,000 trophy brood trout were stocked, and this season the figure will hit 60,000.
But that’s not all.
In addition, 13,000 golden rainbow trout be stocked this year, compared to 9,500 released in 2019.
That’s going to make a lot of anglers, and taxidermists, happy.
Trophy trout are a big deal, and the agency realizes it.
“Anglers get more excited when they have a chance to catch something big,” said PFBC Communications Director Mike Parker. “We’re able to produce more brood fish without impacting the overall numbers of stocked trout, so this is just one more opportunity.”
Still, there are some detractors when it comes to the PFBC’s idea of opportunity. There have been concerns that there isn’t much left after youth anglers get first crack at the big fish during the Mentored Youth Trout Fishing Day, which is held a week before both the regional and statewide opening days. By the time the season opens for everyone else, the big golden rainbows are either gone or have already seen a hook.
While I firmly believe in the merit of the youth fishing days, I understand the concern. So does the PFBC, apparently, and that’s what led to another change regarding trophy trout.
Not only will the agency stock more trophy fish this year, they’ll also save some to release after opening day. Roughly 30 percent of the brood fish will be stocked in-season, along with 20 percent of the golden rainbows. While that still doesn’t change the fact that most of the fish will be available for the youth days, participation drops after the first day so the ratio of big fish available per angler should be remain fairly constant.
Extending the opportunity to catch a big trout throughout the season is just as important as increasing the number that are stocked. Even though I see nothing wrong with giving kids the first chance to cast for the big trout, it’s important to share that thrill with veteran anglers as well.
After all, there is no better way to keep license buyers coming back year after year than the enticement of a trophy fish.
I hope the PFBC continues to expand its trophy trout efforts and stock even more in the future, as long as hatcheries can accommodate the added numbers.
Yes, the 10-12-inch stocked fish will always have a place when it comes to trout season, but with anglers and even hunters, bigger is better.
It’s the reason why we have antler restrictions. It’s what compels many hunters to pass up jakes during the spring gobbler season.
And, when it comes to trout fishing, big fish are what generates excitement and creates memories.
It’s what keeps us happy.
You’ll never hear an angler that set the hook on a trophy trout complain.
Unless, perhaps, it’s the one that got away.
- This story originally appeared in Pennsylvania Outdoor News.
