I have kept log books on trout fishing my area since 1975.

There was a gap from 1978-1984 "Army"

I started up again in 1984.

I have ZERO special training in trout management.

I average 130 times a year fishing for trout in those years I have log books.

In 1976 prior to going in the Army I went out 132 times and my log books say I caught 1,120 trout for the year.

In 2011 I went out 137 times and my log books say I caught 2,437 trout.

DOUBLE the trout.

I re-read my logs and did some size and stream comparison.

The BIG trout in 1976 were on average "SIX" inches longer than the big trout I caught in 2011.

My log books through the years show this quite clearly.

Is TRADING numbers for size an acceptable trade off for you?