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Trophy trout size(inches)

Cody Lubeley

By Cody Lubeley
in Trout

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blackdog1101 Experienced

blackdog1101

Posted
Posted

Personally, I would never mount a trout. But I'm an avowed trout nut and think that large trout should be released. If I were going to mount any here in MN, it would be a large, say 24" or above, brown trout. And I'd probably get a fiberglass mount. Any rainbows you catch here in MN are stockers, and are ugly, not worth mounting at any size. The nicest brookie mount I ever saw was one of 5 normal sized brookies hanging on a stringer. I thought that was pretty neat.

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Renneberg Experienced

Renneberg

Posted
Posted

Brown trout, no less the 28 inches for me.

Rainbow would be the same.

Brook trout would have to be 20 inches or better.

Trout that size are trophies anywhere they are found, and all three of that size can be caught in MN.

I'm with Black Dog. No reason to kill a trout that big, since you can now get a fiberglass mount of the fish.

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Zenit Collaborator

Zenit

Posted
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Before the advances in replication, the only trout I would ever consider mounting out of a stream would have been an 18 inch or better brookie. Brown or rainbow, I really wouldn't be interested in mounting, unless it was a state record fish. But nowadays, unless it was a record fish, I'd snap a pic & get a replica made. My neighbor 2 years ago had a replica of a trophy salmon taken in Alaska, the picture was shot with a Canon digital Rebel (point being, superb picture quality) and his replica is virtually indistinguishable from the picture. That sold me on replicas.

In a stream, any fish like that deserves to have a chance to improve the gene pool \:\)

And, this is just me...any trout that goes on the wall has to be taken in a stream, on a fly. I fly fish & cast spinners & spoons equally in the streams, enjoy both immensely, but any fish that goes on the wall has to be taken with a fly...the replica just wouldn't look that good with a Kastmaster or a Panther Martin hanging out of its mouth, IMHO.

One guy who caught a 26 inch rainbow out of Lake Cenaiko a few years back put that fish on the wall. To me, that just doesn't seem like Hoyle, I guess on a "put & take" lake I've always though that would be somewhat akin to taking a pheasant shot at a game farm to the taxidermist. But again, that is only my opinion, and my opinions only really are important and should only apply to one person - me. \:\)

Before someone accuses me of being a purist or a fly fishing snob ;\) I'm neither, selective harvest even on a stream is fine by me - I like walleye as much as the next guy, but for me stream trout is the best tasting fish God ever came up with in his lab, and there is nothing wrong with taking a few home for the pan or the smoker, as long as the stream regulations and state regulations allow it.

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umichjesse Collaborator

umichjesse

Posted
Posted

 Originally Posted By: blackdog1101
Any rainbows you catch here in MN are stockers, and are ugly, not worth mounting at any size.

I disagree with this. I have caught some beautiful wild rainbows in MN. I eventually will get a replica when I catch a 32 incher. Here is a particularily pretty 23" from MN.

23_inch_buck1.JPG

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Write-Outdoor Collaborator

Write-Outdoor

Posted
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Gorgeous photo umichjesse!

I'm looking forward to trout fishing the U.P. this summer...I have inlaws up there and haven't fished up there but I kick myself everytime we go and I don't bring the gear. Rumor has it that some of the streams are a bit fished out though...any truth to that?

As far as what's a trophy? I think it's good to remember that don't judge a trophy by what others think. If you worked your butt off to access a hidden pool or stream and you catch a nice one...then it's a trophy. Should you mount it? That's your decision, but I'd personally never mount a fish when I could get a replica and let the fish swim for somebody else or even myself some future date.

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chosenvalley Rookie

chosenvalley

Posted
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Or what about this one??

Female 25" inches, 8 pounds 4 ounces...Yes she is at the taxidermist, however I'm kicking myself for not getting the male done as well, the hooked jaw was unbelieveable...they would have looked good together on the wall

j20inchbow_1845.jpg

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blackdog1101 Experienced

blackdog1101

Posted
Posted

 Originally Posted By: umichjesse
I disagree with this. I have caught some beautiful wild rainbows in MN. I eventually will get a replica when I catch a 32 incher. Here is a particularily pretty 23" from MN.

23_inch_buck1.JPG

Jesse, I was unclear, and was referring to the stockers they put in the streams in SE MN. That is obviously a beautiful Northern MN steelie. Great fish!

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BCM26 Apprentice

BCM26

Posted
Posted

Hey Chosen Valley those two brutes must have put up one heck of a fight. You really should have gotten that male put on the wall. You will have to post a pic of the female when it is finished! Maybe you will catch something larger to put on the wall this summer!

I have two on the wall in my avatar. 24.5" Male Brown and 27" 10lb Bow!

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itchmesir Grand Master

itchmesir

Posted
Posted

i wish i had my camera with me today.. my cell phone died because i left the charger at work all weekend.. but was out on the southern branch of the root today and caught my personal best.. he was over 20".. i could barely get my hands wrapped around him.. was an absolute beauty

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Odonata Community Regular

Odonata

Posted
Posted

I understand what some have said about the size of fish, replicas, etc. However, stream/river vs. lake is a different issue. Catching a 17" brookie from a stream no wider than a coffee table is significant vs. catching the same fish from a lake.

I mounted the 17" as it came from a Northern MN stream and it would have died had I released it. (warm, exhausted, etc)

Catching a 17 or 18" brookie north of Duluth in a stream is not an every season occurance.

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