Male or Female?

[gman2153]

That thread I posted about the fishcount estimates by DEC got me thinking.

I emailed them this question:
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I recently read an article in a NY newspaper that included your agency's study of the Salmon River fishery (est fish caught by species, # fishermen/hrs, etc).

I am curious about something and wonder if you can help me out.
Alot of folks, including myself practice C&R - especially with Steelhead (as duly noted in your study).

If I were to keep a Steelhead, would it better for the fishery to keep a Buck or a Hen?

Thanks for your time.
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what do u guys think?

[mikefishon]

well i mainly c & r and if i keep any it's because the are going to die, bleeding ect. so 99% of the time i c & r. but if i had i keep one it would be the small buck. hens have tons of eggs and there will always be a buck around to make his deposit. that my 2 cents might not be right but thats what i think.

mike

[Willy]

I would have to say killing a male would seem better. Since multiple males usually try to spawn with a single female, that means killing one of them would not matter. A small male can still fertilize all of a large female's eggs, but if the eggs are not released into the stream there is no chance of reproduction. I would guess that there is a lot more milt than eggs in the stream, but this is just my opinion.

[ReininBows]

Yea I say kill the males lol J/Kin......as you've seen from my pics I have also taken hens, but they were beautiful and I appreciate them all. I only get up there 2--3 times a yr and I do keep, but I appreciate that you regulars don't keep,,,,,,,thank you! Someday I hope ta see a 15+ male, we women run alil heavier, sorry but we do lol.....Valerie

[gman2153]

There is nothing wrong with keeping a fish. Your license entitles you to 1 Steelhead per day..