Why am I catching lots of small spotted trout–just under the minimum size limit?
I received your question concerning small trout catches, and am pleased to hear that you are catching lots of fish. Your observation on the high number of sub-legal trout has been noted by other anglers as well. With a minimum size limit in effect there will always be a “stacking” of fish just under legal size. Fishing pressure is so high on this popular game fish that when the fish grow into the legal size, they have a very high chance of being captured. In fact, a recent assessment of the population of trout reveals that the number of trout has actually doubled since the 1980’s. This means that more small trout are available to be caught. But, it also means there are more larger trout available. This phenomenon of stacked fish just below the limit was noted when the minimum length was 12 inches, when it was 14 inches, and currently for the 15 inch limit. Thus, no matter what the size limit, anglers will be catching and releasing lots of small spotted seatrout. The most important bene
