Speckled Trout are Disappearing

[MudDucker]

you left the house expecting to bring home 50. Now you leave home "hoping" to catch 5 keepers.

I can remember catching Reds around Rock island until you got tired of catching.

I caught some many reds at Shell Creek at Suwannee that I had fish all over the floor of my boat.

I've caught them out of a creek behind Rock Island until it dawned on me that dang, I got to clean all these suckers.

Trout limit used to be 12" and no number.

 

[MudDucker]

Redfish were hurt by the "blackened redfish" craze because netters went offshore to net the brood stock. Put a hole in it too!

Trout are hurt more by habitat loss than reds. They are more finicky and they are predators who like to hide in the grass. Ol' Red just ambles along, but likes hard bottom better. Trout are much more sensitive to salinity than reds, although both of them move into fresher waters during cold spells. I caught a mess of trout at small freshwater spring way up a creek years ago when the temp was about 25 degrees. Catch a trout or have a bluegill destroy you bait in the same hole.

I've been chasing these two suckers for over 65 years. The number of fisherman hurt, but the netters used to hurt worse. Folks running until the air sucks their beer out also scatter the schools of trout. Water quality in most places is way better now than it was in the 60's and 70's when industry used the waterways a dumping ground. I can remember having to hold my nose to put in and run the Finnholoway. You would run through piles of foam from the papermill waste.

I used to reliably catch a mess near Carrabelle until Michael tore up the grass beds, now it is hit or miss.

 

[Jim Baker]

I caught some many reds at Shell Creek at Suwannee that I had fish all over the floor of my boat.

I've caught them out of a creek behind Rock Island until it dawned on me that dang, I got to clean all these suckers.

Trout limit used to be 12" and no number.

And my memory lapses. I remember the 12" length but there was a 50 fish limit. This would have been in the late 60s or early 70s. Wasn't there was a limit on Redfish too.

I can remember going out Fennholoway and having to hold your nose but it was the best way to Rock Island in the 14Ft Sears Roebuck semi V and 15hp Johnson we fished in back in those days.

 

[Jim Boyd]

Mercy, what a thread.

 

[slow motion]

Mercy, what a thread.

My fault. I inadvertently derailed it in post 4. Was unintentional but caused by another of my poor attempts at humor.

 

[slow motion]

On a side note Mr. @Jim Boyd fishes, I believe, the South Carolina coastal area. Anybody have any tips or advice for that coast? Know they struggled on a trip last summer. Lots of shorts but not much for supper.

 

[MudDucker]

And my memory lapses. I remember the 12" length but there was a 50 fish limit. This would have been in the late 60s or early 70s. Wasn't there was a limit on Redfish too.

I can remember going out Fennholoway and having to hold your nose but it was the best way to Rock Island in the 14Ft Sears Roebuck semi V and 15hp Johnson we fished in back in those days.

I don’t recall a limit on either in the 60’s. Of course back then you rarely saw a game warden in salt water. We didn’t count our catch, we weighed them. Fish camp had a family that would clean, filet and bag them for a nickel a pound.

 

[notnksnemor]

I don’t recall a limit on either in the 60’s. Of course back then you rarely saw a game warden in salt water. We didn’t count our catch, we weighed them. Fish camp had a family that would clean, filet and bag them for a nickel a pound.

I remember seeing the Marine Patrol instead of game wardens.

 

[Jim Boyd]

On a side note Mr. @Jim Boyd fishes, I believe, the South Carolina coastal area. Anybody have any tips or advice for that coast? Know they struggled on a trip last summer. Lots of shorts but not much for supper.

Precisely!!!!!

The only thing that I am worse at than fishing is deer hunting!

Our coast is NOT crowded and the Covid crowd must either have not shown up or has since abandoned our creeks, rivers and sounds!

Thought I had some mini-fish pics but can’t find them.

Bait was easy to catch and when we found fish, we caught them but no filet and release was practiced.

 

[MudDucker]

I remember seeing the Marine Patrol instead of game wardens.

Well, the marine patrol were game wardens, but they had seperate divisions back then. Now they are all game wardens.

 

[bhdawgs]

I’ve been fishing the Steinhatchee area every year since 2003… the number of keeper trout has definitely declined but I think it’s directly related to the amount of people who are fishing there now… a lot of offshore fishing has declined with the price of gas and those folks are now mainly inshore. Add to that sea Hag has a tournament **** near every weekend from February through June.. it’s pretty simple. They should definitely reconsider a February keeper trout ban… just my two cents

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

It's crazy how many tournaments there are now out seahag now.

 

[notnksnemor]

It's crazy how many tournaments there are now out seahag now.

Fished the Hatch a lot 20 years ago.
Went there one spring and saw signs with Mel Tillis advertising condo construction.
This is when the 1st ones went up next to Gulf Stream Marina (now Good Times Marina I think).
You could stay at River Haven pretty cheap because it was a long idle to the go zone.

 

[KLBTJTALLY1]

That`s strange, I`ve got a couple of good friends that live down there and they don`t have any trouble catching all the bream (hand painted as well), bass, and specks that they want. But, those old men know what they are doing. Fresh and saltwater.

Live down where? I'm speaking of North Florida around Wakulla, Ochlockonee, St. Marks, Aucilla, and even Wacissa Rivers. The Wacissa being one of last clean rivers around but it won't last long.

I've fished these rivers for over 40 years. Anything from walking the banks to boat fishing. The rivers are polluted. Also the influx of bowfin has helped lower numbers.

 

[slow motion]

Instead of using federal dollars to build more solar charging stations along I-10, I wish they would use the same money to add a water filtration plant just below the Jim Woodruff dam.

Possible benefits would include:
-Measurable improvement in downstream water quality
-Increase in eelgrass beds
-increase in Apalachicola Bay oysters
-Increase in shrimp
-Increase in stock of redfish and trout
-Partial settlement in multi-state dispute over water usage

Might be a better idea to fix the Tallahassee sewer system.


The article didn't say it was the only spill since 2016. Just the largest.

 

[MudDucker]

Just fertilizer.

 

[jdgator]

@slow motion Maybe during the next recession when commercial construction slows down it would be a good time for municipalities near the water to seek federal funding to update their water treatment systems.

 

[Gator89]

@slow motion Maybe during the next recession when commercial construction slows down it would be a good time for municipalities near the water to seek federal funding to update their water treatment systems.

Only if the G doesn't flood the neighborhood with unemployment checks.

 

[slow motion]

@slow motion Maybe during the next recession when commercial construction slows down it would be a good time for municipalities near the water to seek federal funding to update their water treatment systems.

Seems to be a lot of these problems. Atlanta was, perhaps still is, one of the worst. The old story was it was cheaper to pay the fines than fix the problem.

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

Live down where? I'm speaking of North Florida around Wakulla, Ochlockonee, St. Marks, Aucilla, and even Wacissa Rivers. The Wacissa being one of last clean rivers around but it won't last long.

I've fished these rivers for over 40 years. Anything from walking the banks to boat fishing. The rivers are polluted. Also the influx of bowfin has helped lower numbers.

I find it amusing you list rivers as being polluted that are listed as Outstanding Florida Waters