Reading many posts on here,anyone would get a little confused with the mixed messages of some of them.
If I can explain some of why, I myself get confused and in the interest of understanding and debate.

We fly fish, for fish,we have the option to practice candr or take a fish for the pot.all pretty simple so far.

Fly fishing for any fish is what its all about,be it brown,rainbow,carp sea trout salmon,roach, pike,if they take a fly, great.Thats the sport.
I can understand the protection of the wild brown trout and agree with this,totally.I understand that rainbows have a huge turnover in supply,unlike the wild brown,hence the protection and strength of feeling towards them.

But this is where the confusion comes in,rainbows are called pellet pigs,aliens,vermin and ugly,which is each persons choice and view to hold,but killing a brown trout for the pot is seen as murder by some.Yet,some who profess the protection of the wild brown trout, may not do what they want everyone else to do.Some may do ,as we are all individual.
For example,I cant understand why you can be asked to kill smaller browns in a loch as there is too many ,in order that the larger ones can grow, with the more feeding available due to less smaller fish.Why could they not be transferred to other water if there is too many,or just left to nature ,rather than interfere with nature, as many profess.Also if a record wild brown was caught, would it be killed,rather than released for the sake of having a record fish?

Myself ,I enjoy catch and release for all fish,I see all fish as part of the sport and respect all species.Fish within the rules of where I fish and if wanted one to take for the pot and it was within the rules,then thats fine.
But when the anti "pellet pig" go on about protection etc and as in example above, seems a little mixed message,especially when many say a brown trout is better eating than rainbows.
Killing of any fish unless it is for a reason,even in competition,should you need to kill a fish, there should be a viable destination for it to be consumed not put in the bin.
I suppose it is the elitist thing which comes over most,rather than some are more fortunate to have it on their doorstep and the choice of fishing for wild fish ,where some dont have that fortune.
When it boils down to it,be it rainbow or brown,they both will take a bibio,or dry fly or a lure.Its flyfishing afterall.

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Kevin

Pellet pigs there's a few of them on this forum

Fish are food. Simples. Kill what your going to eat put the rest back.

Me I'd advise you to kill Rainbows instead of Browns if you have the option .
Rainbows survive in UK Stillwaters for around 2 years after introduction at 2 years . They don't live long for many reasons - better than adequately covered in previous strings - in other words a rainbow is a dead fish swimming and better caught and eaten than rotting away on the bottom .

In a wholly artificial Brown Trout stocked impoundment it is unlikely that those fish will last longer than 6 years after introduction - that was about the way of it at Rutland I recall - might as well kill and eat bigger (older) ones - a bit shortsighted killing recently stocked ones before they've had a chance to live and grow.

Where there is a fair bit of natural breeding - and the best example I can think of is Pitsford - if you want 'meatfish' go kill the Rainbows ! I think I killed one Brown out of maybe 60 we had to the boat in the backend and that one had had major damage done to it and was likely better off gone ! There were plenty of rainbows .

I have heard of the policy of killing out a myriad of tiny Browns in wholly naturally stocked upland lochs in Scotland in the main - but have sadly never fished one. However the principle of removing unwanted native trout from one location and stocking into another one is very dangerous indeed . It can spread diseases but mainly it can also dilute specific genetic traits that may have developed in the native strain of the water being used to dump into - in England and Wales you will find that there are quite serious penalties for live fish movement without a pre approved Section 30 Order ! The Scots may just shoot on sight and forget the paperwork !

So the answers are complicated and vary from situation to situation !

Hope helpful

Steve Parton

I see it like this..rainbows/browns on the commercial fisheries are under no threat whatsoever. The numbers are determined by how many are reared by the fish farms. If people do not want to kill them and practise C&R then it has no bearing on the future of these artificially bred/reared fish. The same as if everybody killed their limit each time they went fishing. The fish are simply replaced as and when needed.
Wild fish on the other hand are a completely different matter...everybody knows the strain salmon/sea trout stocks are under due to several reasons wether that be out at sea or the decline in the water quality/habitat of our rivers/lochs etc. They certainly do need protecting and while I would never agree to total C&R I do feel bag limits should be put in place where needed. You mentioned places where fish have become stunted due to an over abundance, no harm in culling a few there if that is the reason as to their small size. The danger in relocating them is the spread of disease etc.
To DJ Vass I say what you state is a gross over simplification. Would you knowingly knock fish on the head when their numbers are known to be perilously low?

I don't fish for rainbows because of the enviromental cost of the buggers. I know that there is a whole industry involved in producing them and their feed but the proteins to raise them come from the sea which is in serious trouble. So I say nurture your rainbows because they are a lot more expensive (enviromentally speaking) than wild browns. The fact that they only last 2 years just makes them even more expensive.
I will take the occasional wild brownie and unfortunately I will kill any rainbows I catch because they shouldn't be in the locations I fish. I know that is a bit contradictory but I didn't create the situation. As regards pike and perch I have mixed feelings about those too. There have been more than a few good trout waters ruined by the appearance of pike.

Fair points and understand and agree totally to protection, as with transfer of disease.

Maybe its the way that some posts do come across that those who fish for wild brown trout are more skilled and elite, than those who fish for rainbows and the way rainbows are degraded just because they are stocked that they have no worth.Even some stocked browns are hard to choose as a thread on ID has some points on recognition and it can be hard to tell.Are these fish "pellet pig" brownies and scourge?
The pressure on wild fish ,without rainbows surely would be far more and detremental to the wild fish if they were not here.Also less anglers within fishing aswell.
When you look at many pictures on here they are all in cracking condition and would be very good sport and worthy of release,should that be the individuals choice.Showing the quality of todays fishing.
Saying that some pictures,which im sure we have all witnessed,of some fish are really bad and better off dispatched.Mostly of rainbows, I admit.But i do remember a picture of an 8lb Brownie in a magazine a couple of years ago and wont say which one,but it was the most ugliest fish I have seen.Hands were right in to ts belly and it looked like it had been filled with a garden hose of water,Colour was pink and it looked like it had been dead for a month.

I suppose,what Im really trying to say is that any fish caught on a fly is and has my respect and what happens after that is down to the merit and moral of the angler on what he chooses to do with it after that.Protect wild fish,but rainbows, still have a purpose and still should have respect, IMO.

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Kevin

Thanks for honest opinions Zeolite,which is one of the reasons for the thread.

On the subject of the feed I understand aswell,but saying this,with the booster of stocked browns to supplement wild stocks aswell,does this not make them vermin also?
As for the pike destroying good waters,again this could be nature at work,as some waters containing pike have been transferred,not by man, but nature itself and birds.But I understand what your saying.

Just as a piece for interests.Price per pound of a rainbow from £1.70 upwards and brown trout £6.37.

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Kevin

Its probably fair to say that most anglers that talk down rainbows,have never seen what they turn into once they have become naturalised after a year or so,...never mind caught one.


Agreed.

Dead right Jimmy, caught several beautiful silver, lean, full finned specimens around the 5-6lb mark at Rutland many years ago, early 80's I think. Used to take the line/several yards of backing on several runs before tiring. Fantastic looking/fighting fish and great to eat as well!

I think that I am missing the point somewhere when people say release the big brownies and just take the smaller ones for the pot at least that is the way it seems, so if every one did that where are the future breeding wild brownies going to come from coz the big adults are not going to be around forever to breed