Algonquin Adventures / What's Your Personal Best?

**Posted by solopaddler** 5/27/2017 8:13 am

Yes, the upper Credit is stocked with Atlantics. That's what those are.

**Posted by vanslyke** 6/02/2017 9:54 am

Got my first algonquin brook trout last weekend in the park.
Took me a few years of spring trips to get one but man does it feel good!

**Posted by Antman** 6/04/2017 2:57 pm

Vanslykeé
that speck is tot big to keep . First one or not

**Posted by vanslyke** 6/04/2017 6:17 pm

Antman wrote:
Vanslykeé
that speck is tot big to keep . First one or not

Do you see a picture of it dead and or being cooked?
It was released just like every fish I catch.
Thanks for your policing though.

**Posted by MartinG** 6/04/2017 7:08 pm

Why is that fish too big to keep?

**Posted by DanPM** 6/04/2017 7:48 pm

MartinG wrote:
Why is that fish too big to keep?

Because it's too big to say that it's too small to keep, and there's too few in the pic (1) to say that it's too many to keep, and it's too pale to say that it's too dark to keep, and dangit, some people need a reason to judge other people's harvest and there are only so many excuses.

**Posted by MartinG** 6/04/2017 9:50 pm

Thanks for straightening me out Dan! LOL. It was an honest question on my part. I thought perhaps I was missing some reg or reason for not harvesting that particular fish.

**Posted by SwiftPaddler** 6/04/2017 10:23 pm

Beauty looking fish Vanslyke! Congrats!

I know how you feel...I caught my first algonquin brook trout just last year.
My 11 year old son caught his first this year...so he's way ahead of me and he made sure I was aware of it. ☺

**Posted by Antman** 6/04/2017 10:25 pm

My apologies for assuming it was kept. But how did the picture come about ? Was it caught from shore? One should handle the fish as little as possible. Have it out of the water as little as possible.
Fish this aize are the spawning class. Algonquin is under too much pressure to lose fish like this. Or we will all lose the pleasure of hooking such a fish

**Posted by vanslyke** 6/05/2017 6:20 am

It was caught from shore. Netted. Unhooked. Revived in the net. Then held for a few pictures. It swam away immediately with zero troubles.
If anyone sees me holding fish in a picture, that fish is still swimming. Unless it is a whitefish from lake simcoe, I release all fish I catch to breed and be caught again by someone.

**Posted by vanslyke** 6/05/2017 6:22 am

Antman wrote:
My apologies for assuming it was kept. But how did the picture come about ? Was it caught from shore? One should handle the fish as little as possible. Have it out of the water as little as possible.
Fish this aize are the spawning class. Algonquin is under too much pressure to lose fish like this. Or we will all lose the pleasure of hooking such a fish

I appreciate your concern I am a strict C&R angler (except ice fishing for whitefish on simcoe), every fish I catch is released. I dont love the taste of fish so it is just the enjoyment of the search and the catch for me.

**Posted by Antman** 6/05/2017 10:19 am

Vanslyke,
Glad to hear the story ,and your philosophy in general. I don' use a net, even a c & r type. Try to remove hook, single one, with fish in the water. Odd bigger fish is lifted out for 30 secs or less for a pic. If deeply hooked I cut the hook with a pair of mini side cutters. Been fishing this way for 30 odd yrs.

**Posted by Peek** 6/05/2017 11:08 am

The fish-related threads on this forum never cease to amaze me, filled with judgement and assumptions - every damn time.

Great catch, vanslyke - the look on your face says it all! I remember when I pulled my first brookie from AP - it was like, ahhhhh finally! A quick pic then I did the same as you, and put it back in the river.

@Dan - that has got to be the funniest post you've ever made. I lol'd pretty good, and like Martin, I was also confused by the 'too big to keep' comment - I, too, worried that I was missing some important reg.

**Posted by Antman** 6/05/2017 11:39 am

Peek,
Check regs for specks in the north bay area. Something like only one fish over 12". The park may institute similar slot limits. Along with single hook fishing only. They will regulate if we don't do it ourselves.

**Posted by Peek** 6/05/2017 11:42 am

Cool - I appreciate the additional info Antman. I really did wonder for a few minutes there - I thought, 'did the regs change for 2017?' which now in retrospect, is a trigger for me to ensure I check it carefully each year - just in case a change like that does pop up, I'd hate to deliver the 'I swear I didn't know' excuse to a CO.. I'm sure they hear that waaaaay too often. Thanks for clearing it up!

**Posted by Antman** 6/05/2017 1:53 pm

John,
Hah didn't know about that free lure offer.Didn't get in last yr and this yr a serious foot problem has me sidelined- maybe permanently . I certainly will never single trip a 1.5 hr portage again.

Last edited by Antman (6/05/2017 1:54 pm)

**Posted by RobW** 6/05/2017 2:01 pm

First off, if it is a legal fish within the regulations then it is legal and ethical to keep the fish for human consumption. The baseline regulation for Zone 15 which includes Algonquin does not impose a size limit on Brook Trout. There are some lake specific exceptions in Algonquin such as the Harry-Rence-Weclome series of lakes where the lake specific regulation is "Brook Trout S - 2 and C - 2, must be greater than 36 cm (14 in.)."

https://files.ontario.ca/2017_fmz_15_english_0.pdf

Note that in this case the regulation only allows you to keep larger fish. This is consistent with the fact that Brook Trout are a relatively short lived fish with a typical life span of only 5-6 years. In sharp contrast to Lake Trout which are a slow growing, long lived trout, Brook Trout are a relatively fast growing and very short lived trout.

When given the choice between keeping a large Brook Trout or a smaller Brook Trout, then a good understanding of the Brook Trout life cycle should lead you to keep the large fish as it is likely near the end of it's natural life span. Based on this Ontario info page ( https://www.ontario.ca/page/brook-trout ) a Brook Trout in the 16" range or larger would be a good keeper.

Of course there may be other areas where different size regulations are appropriate.

Catch and release can be part of responsible fishing practices but is certainly not mandatory unless regulated. I think most of us here practice catch and release to some degree. Heck, I'll even do catch and release with the stocked Splake down at the cottage so they can come back bigger a year later.

At the same time, no one should be made to feel bad about keeping a legally caught, legal sized fish.