Streamline the Trouting

This was the trout trip of wild dreams.

Every cast.

Big trout.

It was almost too good. (But not quite.)

The reality of this best-ever spotted seatrout catching happened not 30 years ago in Flamingo but just a few weeks ago on the West Coast. Now, founding editor Vic Dunaway and I have enjoyed some fast trouting over the decades, usually to salvage something for the table, but never have I encountered really big fish in this quantity. Ever.

So how many did we keep? Zero.

Fortunately, I wasn't in a keeping mode. But the abundance overload emphasized the fact that it's time for Florida to drop the staggered closed months on trout.

Just as we dropped the three closed months for redfish after their numbers grew, we should now eliminate closed months for trout that have overstayed their welcome.

As it is, the bag limit in a south zone below Tarpon Springs on the west and Daytona Beach to the east is four fish with November and December closed. To the north the bag is five fish and the month of February is closed. In both cases the size slot is 15 to 20 inches, with one over.

An anachronistic hook-and-line commercial season in June through August allows a 75-fish bag limit with a 15 to 24 legal size.

We recommend several changes to unify and improve trout regulations.

1. Eliminate all the closed months.

2. Unify the bag limit statewide to four, or even three if necessary, with a further allowance that two of them may be over 20 inches.

3. Drop the commercial season.

Capt. Dave Markett of the Florida Guides Association notes that the closed months are causing economic and social damages in the Tampa Bay region. The losses affect marinas, motels and other activities. He adds:

"Yet, most seasoned observers report more abundant trout numbers than ever seen before-particularly during cool water winter months."

We hear the same thing from most areas. The gillnet ban coupled with much stricter limits has brought the stocks to high levels.

Still, a new stock assessment by state biologists finds that while stocks overall are at or above stated goals, there is potential overfishing in certain Southeast and Northwest areas.

Thus, we certainly should be cautious. The suggested three changes would show continuing concern for the populations while allowing them to be utilized well as they continue to expand.

Trout, often ranked number one of inshore family fish, should join snook and redfish as cherished personal-use-only species, on a year-around basis.

And the next time I blunder into a million-fish march I just might take one or two home for dinner.