cobrar543
12/2/2015 8:20:00 AMNo clue, their stomachs were FULL of insect life so they are getting a steady diet
natenez
12/21/2015 4:55:00 PMHow deep were you finding the fish?
Long skinny trout are usually a sign the lake is over populated. That top fish in your picture is a textbook example - large head (older fish) and skinny body (not enough food). Perhaps the full stomachs are more the result of seasonal abundance, rather than having plenty of food year round.
Best thing you can do, at least in the short term, is keep your limit from that lake.
WRT the worm - I don't think it would have passed. Don't know if it would have lived, but odds are it was doing more harm than good for the fish.
On other lakes where the average fish is decently fat, I've had experiences where occasionally I'll catch a fish with gear in it's stomach - usually a bait rig with the line sticking out of the mouth - and those fish are skinny. You can tell they used to be bigger (large heads), but have been losing weight due to that gear interfering with their feeding.
Long skinny trout are usually a sign the lake is over populated. That top fish in your picture is a textbook example - large head (older fish) and skinny body (not enough food). Perhaps the full stomachs are more the result of seasonal abundance, rather than having plenty of food year round.
Best thing you can do, at least in the short term, is keep your limit from that lake.
WRT the worm - I don't think it would have passed. Don't know if it would have lived, but odds are it was doing more harm than good for the fish.
On other lakes where the average fish is decently fat, I've had experiences where occasionally I'll catch a fish with gear in it's stomach - usually a bait rig with the line sticking out of the mouth - and those fish are skinny. You can tell they used to be bigger (large heads), but have been losing weight due to that gear interfering with their feeding.