Originally Posted by
RICHYD4U
I can't speak for Rocky, but what I think he is trying to say is that in this region of the country, trout are not abundant nor native. With the primary fishing game targeted being bass and panfish, most people around here simply do not recognize what type of trout they are catching, nor that there are different regulations for trout than the other gamefish in KY. This can lead to people (unknowingly) keeping browns and brookies under the slot limit. The generalization of "bait fishermen" comes from the understanding that most of us fly fishermen have basic knowledge in trout, and different species of trout...thus we are able to correctly identify the species and release it appropriately. Generally, most fly fisherman, including myself, are catch-and-release. This is another issue when dealing with trout and "bait fishermen", as trout caught in this manner nearly always die. I grew up bait fishing in Northern UT, and have nothing against it...although, I believe that bait-fishing in waters that have protective slot limits makes no sense, since you can not selectively target one species of trout over another...thus you may ultimately kill several under-slot browns/brookies simply by trying to release them after a swallowed hook. In all reality, the CR should be artificial baits only, much like numerous blue ribbon trout streams out west. The only exception to that rule on the CR should be the use of skip jack for stripers, and that's it IMO.
-Rich