Catch and Release Trout

By TERRY TOMALIN

PINELLAS POINT - Wading the grass flats with a bucket of shrimp on a warm fall afternoon, the spotted seatrout fed like they haven't eaten in months.

Spotted seatrout are one of the most popular game fish in Florida, thanks in part to the fact that an average angler can catch a dozen or more without a great deal of skill or effort.

The trout season, however, is closed south of Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, which means gulf anglers south of there must release their catch.

Population stressed

Tampa Bay's spotted sea trout stocks took a heavy hit in 2005 because of a lingering Red Tide. Biologists do not know exactly how many fish died or how long the stocks will take to recover. The last major stock assessment was done in 2006, but it will not be until 2009 when the full picture is understood.

In other areas of the state, stocks appear in good shape. But angling pressure continues to increase, which forces fishery managers to constantly play catchup when it comes to regulations.

The good news is that most seatrout spawn before they reach the end of their first year, or when they reach an average length of 12 inches. These fish can live eight or nine years; a 5-year-old fish averages about 18 inches.

Older females spawn more frequently than younger ones, and as a result, play an important part in keeping population numbers healthy. That is why the largest fish are protected.

Catch and release

With the trout biting during the closed season, anglers should land their catch as quickly as possible. Leave the fish in the water and unhook it using a pair of pliers or dehooking tool. The quicker you release the fish, the better its chances of survival.

If the hook is too difficult to remove in one, clean motion without ripping flesh, wet a rag and use it to lift the fish out of the water.

Be careful not to tear additional tissue in removing the hook. Back it through the original wound. If this fails, cut off the tip of the hook and try again.

If the hook has been swallowed or is deeply embedded, cut the leader as close to the shank as possible and leave it in the fish. Most non-stainless steel hooks will dissolve in a few days.

But even if you do everything right, seatrout may still die after they swim away. Biologists estimate that 8 percent of seatrout that have been caught and released do not survive, as compared to 5 percent of redfish and 2 percent of snook.

This may not seem like many fish, but when magnified by millions of anglers, it could have a significant impact. That is why biologists are currently studying whether it would be better to raise bag limits and have anglers catch fewer fish.

Trout regulations

The state designated seatrout as a restricted species in 1989 and set a 14-inch minimum and 24-inch maximum size limit as well as a 10-fish bag limit. In 1996, the state imposed the first regional closed seasons, reduced the bag limit and increased the size limit to 15 inches. In 2000, the state modified the regional closed seasons, dropped the maximum size limit to 20 inches and reduced the bag limit once again to four per person per day in the South Region and five per day in the Northeast and Northwest regions. Those regulations remain in effect today.

Season to re-open

The spotted seatrout is closed now, but it will re-open Dec. 31 in the South Region, which includes all waters south of the Flagler-Volusia counties line in the Atlantic and south of a line running due west from the westernmost point of Fred Howard Park Causeway, which is about 1.17 miles south of the Pinellas/Pasco counties line in the Gulf.

Information from myfwc.com contributed to this report.