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“Kenny has the #2 state trout at 11.99 lbs”
Myself and many others have reason to believe that Leon Mathes’ fish is a fraud and that Kreeger actually holds the #1 spot.
” I was more than happy just to have an opportunity to talk fishing with these two legendary trout fishermen”
Yes indeed! Living legends! Count yourself fortunate.
“Best part of the trip was nerding out over trout with the two captains. Dudley and i talked at length about the estuary, our fisheries, size and creel limits, pogey boats, bureaucrats, techniques, land loss, etc”
Man, someone needs to get those two on a long-format podcast. They’re an inshore treasure. That’s so cool you got to hang out with them.
“Dudley said no, he doesn’t think we’ll ever see it again, and he attributes it to 1 thing: pressure.”
I can’t disagree with him. He’s spot on. There’s something akin here to hunting deer with rifle vs bow: there’s different seasons and regulations for both. I’m not suggesting anything other than we should collectively think and talk about it. The weather forecasts alone are so much better than what they were. A savvy angler is way more capable than what he used to be just due to that, not to mention everything else you listed.
Very important: that’s why I do what I do with LAFB. Everything you mentioned is not news to me. I’ve had a lot of time to sit and think long and hard about it. I hope that with what I do here I am able to influence people to take a journey similar to mind and that, in parallel with the rise of technology, foster a rise and growth in a conservation mentality. Not some tree-hugger crap, but something that amounts to respecting the fishery as being more than “makin’ groceries” and putting the right fish back into the water.
I have seen the fruit of this effort, more or less, but not as many as I would like to see. Not enough juice for the squeeze. Too many people still treat the marsh like a grocery store. They take more than they give. Some days it’s enough to have me consider moving on to something else where I can have a positive impact while I’m still young enough to do so.
Who cares about those 4 trout! What matters are the legends you got to fish with.
Thank you so much for making time to come back and tell us about it!
