# La. Speck limit Changes?



## Denduke

https://app.louisianasportsman.com/...nt=view&action=full_report&id=227339&catID=17

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_r...05a0692e-c9f4-11e9-bafc-7b4d4e8f2897.amp.html


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## Smackdaddy53

First link is dead. Second link is good. Does this surprise you or are you just sharing?


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## ifsteve

1. Nobody needs to catch and keep 25 trout.
2. The 12" lower length limit is nuts. There isn't enough meat on that little fish to bother filleting it. 
JMHO


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## No Bait / Lures Only

ifsteve said:


> 1. Nobody needs to catch and keep 25 trout.
> 2. The 12" lower length limit is nuts. There isn't enough meat on that little fish to bother filleting it.
> JMHO


I prefer the small trout to eat. The larger ones taste fishy.
Louisiana wildlife n fisheries trout current limits r 25 per day 12" minimum, redfish/drum 5 day 16" minimum.


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## crboggs

12" trout? Hell...you'd need 25 of them to get enough meat to warrant the effort.


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## jmrodandgun

It's been interesting. I don't know enough about spec fishing to really have an opinion but if you listen to the loudest people it's an odd situation. You got a bunch of people saying they will just sell their boats and quit fishing and on the other hand the guides seem to be alright with having to do less work.


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## Smackdaddy53

jmrodandgun said:


> It's been interesting. I don't know enough about spec fishing to really have an opinion but if you listen to the loudest people it's an odd situation. You got a bunch of people saying they will just sell their boats and quit fishing and on the other hand the guides seem to be alright with having to do less work.


Maybe that’s what needs to happen...meat haulers can sell their boats and go play golf.


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## jay.bush1434

jmrodandgun said:


> It's been interesting. I don't know enough about spec fishing to really have an opinion but if you listen to the loudest people it's an odd situation. *You got a bunch of people saying they will just sell their boats and quit fishing* and on the other hand the guides seem to be alright with having to do less work.


I just don't get why people don't get that they can fish all they want. Just can keep as many any more. This is the mindset that has to change. Although, if they want to sell their boats and stop fishing, that will also have a very positive effect.


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## jmrodandgun

jay.bush1434 said:


> I just don't get why people don't get that they can fish all they want


Look at it through the lens of a Louisiana coastal angler. They are already being squeezed out of the marsh and now they want to reduce the limits. The deep water manmade canals that have been hot spots for spec fisherman for half a century are slowly being gated.


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## Smackdaddy53

jmrodandgun said:


> Look at it through the lens of a Louisiana coastal angler. They are already being squeezed out of the marsh and now they want to reduce the limits. The deep water manmade canals that have been hot spots for spec fisherman for half a century are slowly being gated.


It’s not about feelings, it’s about the resource.


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## jay.bush1434

jmrodandgun said:


> Look at it through the lens of a Louisiana coastal angler. They are already being squeezed out of the marsh and now they want to reduce the limits. The deep water manmade canals that have been hot spots for spec fisherman for half a century are slowly being gated.


I hear the same thing from a lot of guys here in Texas. Doesn't change the fact that the fish stocks are way down. The only thing the Fish and Game departments can regulate is bag limits. Make changes now to have fish for the future generations.


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## jmrodandgun

jay.bush1434 said:


> Doesn't change the fact that the fish stocks are way down


There is some debate around the stock assessment. That's why some people are angry.


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## ifsteve

jmrodandgun said:


> There is some debate around the stock assessment. That's why some people are angry.


I have two stock answers to that topic.
1. Determining biomass is a very difficult thing to do. We should always err on the conservative side. Look no further than the striped bass fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. The experts kept saying things were fine. And overnight it crashed.
2. Nobody needs to kill 25 fish even if you are feeding your family. I get a kick out of the idiots who say they will sell their boat blah blah blah. Are you kidding me? When you are driving a 24 ft bay boat around don't tell me you need to feed your family. LOL Please do sell your boat. You will actually be able to feed your family much better than paying to have and operate a boat.


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## KimmerIII

Agree with above. That is the biggest crock that people say. You don’t buy a boat and go fishing to feed your family. It’s cheaper to go buy white bread and peanut butter and jelly if you are trying to feed your family. Keeping A 12” trout is ridiculous. You can’t even get any meat off of it.


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## Smackdaddy53

KimmerIII said:


> Agree with above. That is the biggest crock that people say. You don’t buy a boat and go fishing to feed your family. It’s cheaper to go buy white bread and peanut butter and jelly if you are trying to feed your family. Keeping A 12” trout is ridiculous. You can’t even get any meat off of it.


But they fry em whole baw!!!


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## Finn Maccumhail

jmrodandgun said:


> There is some debate around the stock assessment. That's why some people are angry.


I’m sure there is but my discussions with a lot of LA folks left me to think they wouldn’t believe a study no matter what.


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## rvd

Finn Maccumhail said:


> I’m sure there is but my discussions with a lot of LA folks left me to think they wouldn’t believe a study no matter what.


We must know a lot of the same La folks.


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## Smackdaddy53

Finn Maccumhail said:


> I’m sure there is but my discussions with a lot of LA folks left me to think they wouldn’t believe a study no matter what.


My ******* bro in law never cracked the first book but he somehow works at Cheniere LNG and was a copper there. Dude could fish but talked like Boomhower on King of the Hill. Fry em whole, eat the fins and all son!


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## kjnengr

My thoughts on the subject as lifetime Louisiana resident.....

1. A 12" speckled trout is a fine tasting fish nugget. 

B. @jay.bush1434 is right; the mindset of the typical Louisiana angler needs to change. Anyone over 30 years old is old enough to have heard of the stories of the "good ol' days" before limits where people used to measure trips by numbers of ice chests filled, not numbers of fish kept. Obviously things are not what they once were and regulations need to change.

$. Speaking of regulation changes, I think the last time they were revised was back in the 80's. How many anglers have increased over the years, and how have boats changed in the last 30 years? The number of boats with such a far range has greatly changed. 

5. Almost everyone I know that fishes for speckled trout says they aren't catching them like they used to. Again, so obviously something needs to change. 

F. The last decade has been a very wet one. That doesn't help our speckled trout fishery. 

7. People are going to bitch and complain no matter what. They may say they aren't going to fish anymore, or won't do a guided trip because "it's not worth the money" but that's B.S. Nothing will change with that respect. They're just running their mouths.


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## jmrodandgun

kjnengr said:


> Almost everyone I know that fishes for speckled trout says they aren't catching them like they used to. Again, so obviously something needs to change.


The "good ole days" were also artificially inflated by the dredging of oil & gas canals. They were deep direct lines to the saltwater gulf. Specs stacked up in them and got slaughtered. My dad and his brothers have pictures of boats full to the gunwales with 3 pound trout with the trailer visible in the background. Then came the netters and we all know how that turned out.


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## Smackdaddy53

jmrodandgun said:


> The "good ole days" were also artificially inflated by the dredging of oil & gas canals. They were deep direct lines to the saltwater gulf. Specs stacked up in them and got slaughtered. My dad and his brothers have pictures of boats full to the gunwales with 3 pound trout with the trailer visible in the background. Then came the netters and we all know how that turned out.


Most people these days think a 3-4# trout is a big girl over there. That is telling right there.


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## kjnengr

jmrodandgun said:


> The "good ole days" were also artificially inflated by the dredging of oil & gas canals. They were deep direct lines to the saltwater gulf. Specs stacked up in them and got slaughtered. My dad and his brothers have pictures of boats full to the gunwales with 3 pound trout with the trailer visible in the background. Then came the netters and we all know how that turned out.


Truth. 

And when I say not catching them like they used to, I'm not talking about The good ol' days. I'm speaking of in the last decade. In addition, according to a buddy, the glory days of the trophy trout years ('90s - early '00s) were just a fluke due to drought years (high salinity) mixed with a few high river years (which bring nutrients). 

Don't get me started on the Pogy boats scooping up so much of the menhaden, and the killing of bull redfish.


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## karstopo

https://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/length-weight.cfm

a 12" speck weighs 9 ounces
a 16" speck weighs 22 ounces
a 20' speck weighs 44 ounces
25 x 12" fish @ 9 ounces each = 225 ounces
10 x 16" fish @ 22 ounces each = 220 ounces
5 x 20" fish @ 44 ounces each = 220 ounces
Let them grow a bit and then you don't have to clean so many. Or toss back 95 percent of what you catch and enjoy the experience.


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## Smackdaddy53

karstopo said:


> https://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/length-weight.cfm
> 
> a 12" speck weighs 9 ounces
> a 16" speck weighs 22 ounces
> a 20' speck weighs 44 ounces
> 25 x 12" fish @ 9 ounces each = 225 ounces
> 10 x 16" fish @ 22 ounces each = 220 ounces
> 5 x 20" fish @ 44 ounces each = 220 ounces
> Let them grow a bit and then you don't have to clean so many. Or toss back 95 percent of what you catch and enjoy the experience.


The breeders start at 22-24”. Five properly filleted 18” trout is plenty especially if you add a few reds and a flounder or two. People aren’t surviving off eating nothing but speckled trout but they sure act like they do.


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## Elusive Porpi

As a Louisiana resident who trout fishes. I think the #1 reason for the low trout population is loss of habitat. we have half the amount of barrier island as we did 30 year ago. 
The second biggest i would think is the charter capts. catching limits 24/7. The weekend warriors are just not coming close to there #'s. I believe the limit should go down.
One other would be the the Mississippi staying high the last few years. 

As far as the "big trout" in LA vs. TX, that is apples to oranges. The limits may have an effect, but not enough to drastically change fish size. its the habitat that creates the size fish. 

The small ones taste better, and the kill release rate is pretty high, so i say 15, no size limit. but i have no data to back that up.

The rumors i hear are 14", 15 fish.


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## Elusive Porpi

Smackdaddy53 said:


> The breeders start at 22-24”. Five properly filleted 18” trout is plenty especially if you add a few reds and a flounder or two. People aren’t surviving off eating nothing but speckled trout but they sure act like they do.


breeders start at 12 inches per biologist. but of course the bigger ones produce more.


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## karstopo

I saw some study recently, may have been here, where they put tags on speckled trout that pinged when the fish went within range of a receiver in the water. This was in Texas and seems like several hundred fish were tagged including some large tournament fish from a live weigh in tournament. The numbers were somewhere in the 70-80 percent range on the long term survival of the fish after tagging, also including the tournament fish. But, the study had very few receivers and hardly any on beach front fish so the survival rate might be even higher.

Other things I've read put it even higher on long term survival after being caught and released with trout caught using artificial lures doing better than fish caught with bait. I don't think there's much doubt that the majority, a nice majority, of speckled trout caught and release survive, especially if the fisherman is experienced handling fish.


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## Denduke

Looks like lotta good research/analysts going forth but nothing definite yet. 
https://www.louisianasportsman.com/...gth-limits-and-slot-limits-of-speckled-trout/


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## MariettaMike

average size specks used to be around 16"
now they're like 11"


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## Smackdaddy53

Population and tourism grows, water stays the same.


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## No Bait / Lures Only

karstopo said:


> https://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/length-weight.cfm
> 
> a 12" speck weighs 9 ounces
> a 16" speck weighs 22 ounces
> a 20' speck weighs 44 ounces
> 25 x 12" fish @ 9 ounces each = 225 ounces
> 10 x 16" fish @ 22 ounces each = 220 ounces
> 5 x 20" fish @ 44 ounces each = 220 ounces
> Let them grow a bit and then you don't have to clean so many. Or toss back 95 percent of what you catch and enjoy the experience.


Sounds good but handling trout kills lots. Also gators get there fair share of injuried stock. Remember catch n release, directly into igloo coolers!


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## Topwater Tiger

Elusive Porpi said:


> breeders start at 12 inches per biologist. but of course the bigger ones produce more.


LA guy here who has sat in on these LDWF meetings. The frustration is the SPR (spawning potential ratio) numbers keep declining, well below what LDWF sets as their low water mark. However, LDWF just keeps saying "we need to readjust how we look at our data" and doing nothing.

The kill em all crowd is up in arms because the govt is taking away THEIR fish....lol

Many welcome lower limits, as LA just isn't as good as it used to be. Like someone said above, loss of habitat is huge here. Coastal erosion and Mother Nature are winning the battle.

At 12" 75% of trout has a chance to spawn once. At 14" 100% spawn once and and some twice. 

In my humble opinion the limit should be somewhere around 10-15 fish at a 14" minimum. But many don't agree with that.


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## omegadef

15 fish is enough. When people are slamming the schools, they aren't even taking time to measure the fish, just tossing them on the deck and casting again. After they're done catching they assess the damage and throw back the unders. 
I'm ok with a 14" minimum too.


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## sandyharris

15 fish speck limit and folks are mad.....???? they'd really be pissed if they moved to NC.......


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