New Trout Limits

It is my understanding that yes the temporary trout regulations that have been in place from FM 457 south will expire on August 31, 2023 and go back to what it was before (5 per day between 15-25 andw one of those 5 can be over 25” per day). Doesn’t mean anglers can’t still follow the current regulations though.

I’m perfectly fine keeping 3 to 5 trout in the 15-17 range and letting larger ones go.
I don’t go often enough so when I do, I try to keep what I can, but don’t have a problem keeping 15’s over 20’s

Jerry713 said:

It is my understanding that yes the temporary trout regulations that have been in place from FM 457 south will expire on August 31, 2023 and go back to what it was before (5 per day between 15-25 andw one of those 5 can be over 25” per day). Doesn’t mean anglers can’t still follow the current regulations though.

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This is my understanding as well, the same as before.

Yes, I believe the emergency regulations have to expire as indicated on Aug 31, 2023. They were put in place with that deadline for expiration and I don't believe the TPWD commission has taken action to extend them from what I have heard.

I wouldn't mind another year or two of just 3, the trout bite has been great for the 1st time since the freeze, would be nice for it to be like this for years to come.

Davidsel47 said:

I wouldn't mind another year or two of just 3, the trout bite has been great for the 1st time since the freeze, would be nice for it to be like this for years to come.

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I would just like the limits lowered and I believe more people would keep smaller trout and let the larger ones go. Heck, do a 15-20 and I think many people would be ok with it. I think I kill more 14-15” trout from them swallowing the hook than bigger trout. Not sure why, but just seems that way.
mom good with a 3 trout limit though. It’s enough for a good meal!

They could go to a total catch and release policy and it wouldn't affect my habits much. That being said, I'm good with whatever the brain trust at TPWD advises

I think turning all the power over to the government is a stupid and terrible idea. There has to be a limitation but going full catch and release or 3 from 15-20 is asinine. For those of us looking for one or two big bites when trout fishing, that literally kills big fish for waste.. I don’t think y’all realize how a 28-32” trout can gulp down a Corky or top water with trebles all over it. 9 out of 10 fish that choke a lure like that die. I’d rather see it go in someone’s belly than floating on the surface or washed up on a shoreline.

I'm ready to kill 5 trout per trip in matagorda to get my cost per fish down.

This would be a world class stupid decision. I catch maybe , maybe one trout per trip right now (100+ trips a year) in 2022 I caught maybe 10 trout all year.

The trout population is decimated .. the limits need to drop to 1 trout for the next 5 years to get back to the quality of fishing we had in 2018

I've been of the opinion for years now, that Texas is headed to having seasons on Speckled Trout.

I will make a not popular post ....

I do not think we can affect the population measurably by rod and reel.

The trout troubles are due to habitat loss and habitat degradation....and commercial operations continuing to degrade that habitat.

If people still trying fish the way they always have then I can understand why.... gotta adjust and relearn a lot of things.....try different things and different areas.

The trout have been displaced and moved to other areas. And yes harder to catch. But I don't think it is much due to rod and reel.

Think about the limits in your lifetime. Has any limit change been the real reason for change in numbers? Look at the change in flounder regs over your lifetime....only mother nature can right that ship.....flounder limit changes will not have a measurable effect....did a freeze move the fish....a flood move the fish.....over harvest of oyster move the fish.....opening/closing of a pass moved the fish.....grass isn't there anymore so the fish moved......deeper/wider/new channels moved the fish.....silted in and moved the fish....industrial plant.....chemical spill.....

Our bays were not meant to have huge ship channels right thru the middle. The hydraulics of that water exchange affecting the estuaries is beyond recovery.

Here's a hint.....look beachfront....just as many fish as there has always been....and not nearly as molested by commercial operations....but gonna have to change it up and learn new strategies.

1 trout per trip? I have done walk in wade and caught several keepers and bunch of small ones, and when running with buddy we would have had an old 10 trout limit with 4 people on 16” and above. They have been thick!

Capt Gilligan, I also agree. Why do we have to feed the crabs and dolphins when a fish inhales a bait and his dead before it comes off the hook?
I can see both ways on keeping smaller ones, releasing what we can, but also not throwing a dead fish back in the water.

Very well said Sgrem!

Marker 54 Lures said:

This would be a world class stupid decision. I catch maybe , maybe one trout per trip right now (100+ trips a year) in 2022 I caught maybe 10 trout all year.

The trout population is decimated .. the limits need to drop to 1 trout for the next 5 years to get back to the quality of fishing we had in 2018

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I’m sorry, but your issues aren’t with trout population, they’re with needing to learn how to fish better. Everyone has bad trips and gets skunked. But if you average 1 trout per trip on over 100 trips per year that tells me you don’t know how to fish. That many days on the water you should have a better understanding of what’s going on and patterns. And how to adjust your fishing to the current conditions.

The quality of trout has definitely declined, no one can argue that. But there’s plenty of keeper size trout all along the Texas coast.

And SGrem is correct, rod and reel haven’t done the biggest damage to our trout population, environment has. You’re proof that most anglers can’t even catch a legal limit, so they definitely aren’t hurting the numbers.

And please don’t take offense to this. It’s not my intention to bash you. It’s just an observation based on what you said and from what I’ve observed from people.

Marker 54 Lures said:

This would be a world class stupid decision. I catch maybe , maybe one trout per trip right now (100+ trips a year) in 2022 I caught maybe 10 trout all year.

The trout population is decimated .. the limits need to drop to 1 trout for the next 5 years to get back to the quality of fishing we had in 2018

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Uhhh man you may want to get some more spots! I would’ve given up fishing long before I reached 100 trips with those results 😂

When they reduced the flounder limits for commercial giggers and recreational giggers over 10 years ago we did see an effect on the flounder population. We went from hardly ever catching any flounder to catching one almost every trip, then two, then sometimes a bunch. Flounder seemed to be way more prevalent than before when giggers could keep 60 per trip for commercial (maybe 120 bag, I can't remember).

So that is now down to 30 for the commercial guys...and 5 for the recs. With prime season being zero from Nov-Dec15. And has it helped? And they keep tightening the limits and closing the fishery....tighter and tighter.

Mother nature is in charge on flounder.
The flounder run the gauntlet to their offshore spawning grounds getting decimated by the overpopulation of snapper. Rod and reel especially don't affect flounder numbers.....at all.

It's not what it used to be and it never will be again. That said it's still pretty darn good. They're out there just not where they used to be. Fishing is harder, as said above they've moved. As far as limits go, we need to set personnel limits on our selves, if we don't need any don't keep any. Some people don't get to go much, they might have a bigger family, etc, they might need a few more than me (within the law of course). To me enforcement is a big problem. I can't remember the last time I was stopped on the water and I'm out there a lot. I hope they go back to 5, I've seen a pretty big improvement from 2 years ago. I know smarter people than me will figure it out.