northernranger

Also two in one week could be some darn good luck! If it weren't for the way the guy holds the fish up I wouldn't question his ethics as much.

It hurts my gut to see both of the pictures of these nice browns being held up by this guy. I would have been happy with a story that ended with a release. I was down there last week and seen a number of big fish tucked into the shallow pools above and below Tan Vat. They spooked rather easily, and I consider myself fairly stealthy. Knowing that and seeing the red spot makes me somewhat concerned.

I happened to be down there yesterday at the Bennett access and it was pretty muddy and strong. After a quick wade and a couple casts, I had enough. Chocolate milk is the perfect description.

yep

Great comments guys. Thank you for keeping this post alive.

I am no pro with written letters, but it reads well.

Don't be foolish! All trout in the blue ribbon section have to 18". I have caught nice rainbows in this section. The PARK needs to honor the same regulation on the browns, otherwise they are wasting time and money.

We could start with this site...

Browns are not anymore special than rainbows. We have plenty of rainbows and we love them. The topic is about browns because we want them to be manged properly.

Some of these browns will still be harvested, just not as many. The upper Current is not much bigger, if at all, then the park. So if it works in the blue ribbon then the park will be fine. There are just not enough browns in any given hole to sample your hypothesis anyways. Lowering the limit would help spread those few extra fish in those pockets and holes.

Other then "I want to catch bigger fish", I would like to see a healthier and more mature river. Everyone knows that they are not natural, but they are there and are going to stay there. Lots of things would benefit from an actual trophy river like tourism, local business, funds for future conservation, and a little conservation ethics. Maybe instead of taking little Timmy fishing we wouldn't teach him that its cool to walk around looking for big fish with lunker patches covering your backside, but that its good practice to take care of nature and enjoy it. Meaning releasing something that is beautiful and others cherish for there own sanity. Not to just harvest it because we want to take it home for dinner, there are plenty of stocked rainbows for that. I do "want" my piece of the pie to take care of my needs too. So far the put and take fisherman are more then happy. If others and I share the same opinion it should be recognized. If others have respectable opinions for the services out there that i do not use, I would love for them to be heard. Especially if it makes logical sense. With a healthier brown trout fishery we could possibly eventually cut the stockings amount down. Which would mean more funds to be used else where and happy outdoors men who can see the true balance in conservation and sport.

There are plenty of rainbows stocked for everyone's dinner plate, thanks to our tax dollars, but i would like to see some of my tax money handled with a little more care. If a limited amount of browns are stocked and managed, then why not ensure the best results we can get. My dollars that are invested should be taken with care, and my opinion should matter too. We are already taking care of the people who are harvesting fish, so why not the ones who fish it for sport and spirit. Lets allow fish to reach a more trophy size.

One fish and 18". Possibly 20"...?? With all factors in play, I would bet the quality to still go up from where it is now.

Sure the fishing is still pretty good, but that doesn't mean that it can't have any improvements. If 75% of the browns were released it would be even better!

That's a great link! Thank you. Suppose I wasted about 2 hours on writing up and mailing my letter... Oh well, I don't mind trying again. You have any other ideas or resources for me?

After a couple proof reads I decided to delete that idea, and let people decide for themselves how they want to do something.

Regulations need to change in Montauk now! The regulations on browns in the park are 4 fish with a minimum of 15". On the other side of the steel cable, in the Blue Ribbon water, the regulation is one fish at 18" minimum. The park needs to follow the same model as the Blue Ribbon section. A steel cable twenty something feet in the air doesn't stop large browns, that many fly fisherman throughout the Midwest cherish, from moving into the lower half of the park and being taken out four at a time at 15". We are losing far too many generations of brown trout. I have seen metal stringers full of browns in the park, and less and less of these fish on the other side of the cable. If you check the "Lunker Board" in the lodge you can see evidence. Some people report harvesting more than seven a year. It takes years to rebound from over harvesting and I hope we can start now! ONE BROWN 18" MINIMUM! PLEASE!! Lets keep the Current River alive and well for many generations to come in our families! When it's gone down to far, we won't have many options left.

Thanks for the comments. Lots of people have written warnings about the water levels changing so much, and to check before you go. I have always checked before traveling down there. Fortunately everytime I have gone it has been fairly wadeable and definitely hairy in some places.

After doing a little research it seems that your post is about the general consensus. I live in Columbia so im trying to find places for quick day trips. How about Blue Springs? Or do you know of other places?

Hello, I am new to this site and would like to inquire about the trout on the Meramec. I know of the Cardiac and Suicide but is there any other access points? what flies are a good start? And is the prospect of large browns any good? I highly believe in catch and release but others dont, so i have seen a few of my favorite places on other rivers good down hill. Any answers would be appreciated. Thanks.