"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...
"Charlie" wrote:


"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
. ..

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Man-- the differences between Brown Trout and salmon are pretty
subtle. I can see how he might be fooled-- but I'm with you- no
excuse. Pay up buddy.

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fish...browntrout.htm

In the field, with just one fish- I think I'd have to go with the
poorly arranged teeth on the roof of the mouth of the Brown. Now-- If
I just caught the biggest fish of my life, was fishing for Brown's-
and caught what I thought *was* one, would I think to check his dental
work? Probably not.

Jim

If this fish was so important to the state it should have had a visible
tag
that alerted the unwary.

It wasn't *the fish*. It is the species. Atlantic salmon are catch
& release in VT. [or were when this was caught anyway.] The
burden is on the fisherman to properly identify a species.

When I was a kid I wasn't sure of a surefire way to tell a big Rock
Bass [an unprotected species] from a smaller Largemouth Bass. [had to
be 12" long] So I tossed any of those questionable ones back unless
they were 12" & Bass season was open.

The introduction of an 'outfitter' is what bothers me in that account.
The outfitter apparently saw the fish and knew the guy was keeping it-
very publicly, BTW.

I have caught tagged fish that were ok to keep but asked for a report
about
size and whereabouts.

That would have been the easy thing for the state to do-- and maybe
they would have learned even more about the fish in the process. But
it doesn't excuse the fisherman for keeping a protected species.

Jim

Jim, I am not condoning the guy keeping a fish that is a protected species.
But if this one particular fish was part of an important experiment, it
should have been adequately identified as such.
If the guy had caught others that were not being tracked he would still be
wrong but he would likely not have been apprehended.
It's pretty hard to check everybody's catch. We have to depend on peoples
integrity. Some have it others don't.

Here on the Florida SW gulf coast snook fishing as been in limbo for about a
year and a half with another year to go. We had an unusual cold snap that
set back the snook population. Catch and release is allowed. Release is the
key word.

Charlie