Sad ending for an incredible fish

[super dry fly]

I'll let the article speak for itself

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... gger-wall/

http://mammothtimes.com/

[RubiKinda]

Gotta love the sage rod tube even though it was caught on a bouyant. love the stringer in the mouth.

[beachbum]

That fish looks like a hybrid. Since I am not a biologist, I can't be sure. What do you guys think?

PS..That's a heck of a fish from the high country. As for the wall mount, while it may not suit our ethics, it's legal.

[castaway]

Sad that no one else will get to catch and enjoy that monster... but I guess in the big picture, its not all that bad.

I dont know.. are goldens carniverous?

Its only one fish, and I am sure the lake he is refering to is packed with smaller fish...

He seems to be protecting the name of the place well - I know of a few lakes that hold large goldens.. I just havent made the deep trek to get to em...

I say good on him... its not what I would have done, but the fishery is no less of a prize because of his actions.

Heck of a fish for sure...

[buggravy]

Sort of OT, sort of not, but something I'm completely ignorant of - do trout reach a point where they're no longer fertile, or do they reproduce until the time they die?

[rayfound]

Sort of OT, sort of not, but something I'm completely ignorant of - do trout reach a point where they're no longer fertile, or do they reproduce until the time they die?

Some of each. Generally, Trout live 4-9 years. (the colder the water, the longer they generally live)

They remain fertile for that lifespan, and generally spawn most years, once they reach sexual maturity after about 3 years.

That being said, it seems that there are a FEW fish in each population that becomes sterile and halts development of sexual organs (fish redevelop sexually every year... .not like humans where there is a distinct puberty phase), these fish can continue to grow because their body does not divert energy to sexual development... and they grow big and can live longer.


That's about all I know about it, and I'm not sure what the mechanism for them to live longer is, but I presume it has to do with not partaking in the grueling sexual development and spawning process, which weakens the fish.

[fflutterffly]

What I like is the person he passes on the trail is expert enough to tell him that this fish was at the end of it's day and thus gives justification for killing the fish. I guess if he hadn't caught the fish it would have only lived a short while longer and floated to the top OR kept on living for one month, 6 months, a year or even two, produced more off-springs or been unable to spawn. Regardless another flex of humanity to show off a kill to others. I do not agree with the reasoning. This is not a stocking fish.

[rayfound]

This is not a stocking fish.

Well, in his defense, it very possibly was a fish stocked as a fingerling from an airplane.

[Rockstar Fisherman]

1st, thanks for this post, I always enjoy seeing pics of large goldens, especially ones caught in my state, Cali.

2nd, who cares if the guy kept it ... He didn't disclose his location and even if he hinted at it, it could be a wild goose chase to some false location, though I am Google Earthing that area later . He kept 1, not 5 (legal limit) and obviously there were more big uns he caught and that could've been caught. There are plenty of trophy goldens in the Sierras so long as their locations are kept tight lipped. Therefore we all can have a chance at catching one (AND MORE) someday so long as one puts in the effort!! I haven't had the time to chase them but I will when I get it.

For the record, I wouldn't have kept it for the sheer purpose of it's another 8 awkward pounds and no for sure way it's beauty would be preserved on the way down, and smaller trout are more feasable for cooking.

Mike

[super dry fly]

The bummer about removing that trophy fish from the pool is exactly that, unneccesarily removing his/her genes from the pool. Not all trout have the genes to grow that large, and now there will be no more future generations to pass along that trait. Fish are not created equal. Now there is always the possibility that the water the trout was pulled from did not contain spawning habitat, but why take that risk just so you can show off what a great fisherman you are?

The article said that he was taking pictures of a smaller (3lb) fish for a replica mount, I guess I wish he would have used the same ethics for this fish instead of trying to get his name in a record book.

In regard to him being within his legal rights - that's true, but I see no difference between the guy leaving some of our other watersheds with a stringer of wild trout (within his legal limit) than I do with this fish. Sure its legal but that doesn't mean its an ethical decision that I would encourage.

[Rockstar Fisherman]

This topic does bring up another topic that I am curious about though.

If a fish survives to "trophy" size does that mean that it's offspring that survive the initial birth part of their life etc. have greater potential to grow to "trophy" sizes? Seems plausible and I've heard it before but I don't know for sure, can anyone help?

[stanbery]

That is one very nice size golden.
To bad he kept it but he has the right to do that.

Jon

[briansII]

This topic does bring up another topic that I am curious about though.

If a fish survives to "trophy" size does that mean that it's offspring that survive the initial birth part of their life etc. have greater potential to grow to "trophy" sizes? I mean "fat parents they have fat kids too" as The Offspring says in their lyrics but does this apply to fish? Seems plausible and I've heard it before but I don't know for sure, can anyone help?

The below clearly states what I have always believed.

Abstract: The rainbow trout genetic linkage groups have been assigned to specific chromosomes in the OSU (2N=60) strain using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with BAC probes containing genes mapped to each linkage group. There was a rough correlation between chromosome size and size of the genetic linkage map in cM for the genetic maps based on recombination from the female parent. Chromosome size and structure have a major impact on the female: male recombination ratio, which is much higher (up to 10:1 near the centromeres) on the larger metacentric chromosomes compared to smaller acrocentric chromosomes. Eighty percent of the BAC clones containing duplicate genes mapped to a single chromosomal location, suggesting that diploidization resulted in substantial divergence of intergenic regions. The BAC clones that hybridized to both duplicate loci were usually located in the distal portion of the chromosome. Duplicate genes were almost always found at a similar location on the chromosome arm of two different chromosome pairs, suggesting that most of the chromosome rearrangements following tetraploidization were centric fusions, and did not involve homeologous chromosomes. The set of BACs compiled for this research will be especially useful in construction of genome maps and identification of QTLs for important traits in other salmonid fishes.

Key Words: cytogenetic map, diploidization, gene duplication, linkage map, rainbow trout




I'm sure if I google it, i'll eventually find some cites. I do think(think I read part of a study, but it's beyond my short term memory threshold) trout pass on their genetics. Like you, i've heard the argument for releasing the larger class fish, to keep the superior genetics in the watershed. Hopefully NorCal Bob will chime in. Certainly, not every trout has the potential to grow to the size that this big Golden reached. So i'm inclined to believe genetics plays a big part, and where do genes come from. Scientific, eh.

Seems to me, this guy killed the fish specifically because he thought it was a record. He states he's mostly a C&R fisherman. He knows he can get a replica mount without killing a fish. I don't think I would kill a fish for a state record...or any record, but I'm not everybody. He did what he did, and that's that. Maybe this fish will sway his future decisions

briansII

[duckdog]

that's one nice fish. bummer he kept it, a few photo's and one of those fiberglass wall mounts[ i think they're made of fiberglass]would have been enough for me. plus, i'm just an old guy with a heart condition, so lugging out 8 extra pounds is not for me. the short story about the bodie gold mine [right below the photo] bugged me more than the photo of the FISH KILLER. people who kill a fish now and then don't bug me, depending on where and when. gold mines are foul places. and they are foul anywhere , anytime .

[Pete]

I'll throw is my $.02 worth. Ya ya I know, expect change. I will minic what already has been said. He paid for his license and didn't break any laws, he is entitled to keep the fish. He is within the law so he shouldn't be beat up for his choice. Now poachers, that's a different story, get a rope !

Are you sure fish are capable of reproducing their whole life? I have talked to Fish & Game who release brood stock with other stockers because thay are no longer productive.

Personally I am not about to lug a fish that far just to have it mounted. I like the whole measure photo and release thing. Of course there are folks who will hang me for taking a few extra moments to measure it.

We need to practice C & R to offset those who don't.

Pete