Another AOTY question

Are Cutbows cool to enter for points the are not listed as one of the species, they are genetically engineered, you have to pay to fish for them (fish farm), they only occur in 1 location, they don't have tails and give me the creeps. Jim your the expert ???

Amador has gained its reputation for producing giant Donaldson-strain cutbow salmonids. Lockhart says that more than 50 years of research went into producing this fish, which is 30 percent steelhead, 50 percent rainbow and 20 percent cutthroat. they are raised on site, are well acclimated to Amador's waters and possess qualities you'd expect from a holdover fish," he adds.

I would argue to allow them, like most California waters, the trout populations are put and take. Collins Lake is another lake that would come to mind other than Amador. Pardee stocks Lassen trout that are raised in hatcheries too. There is not that many places where stocked trout are not the norm. I would press to exclude fish that came from private, non-public fishing waters for AOTY entry, but as all of these lakes offer public fishing, I would urge them to be allowed. Most lakes charge a day use fee, launch fee, etc. Just my 2 cents.

1. amador trout have been entered in AOTY since 2007, why disallow them now? 
2. would that mean triploid rainbow trout are not allowed either since they are also genetically engineered?  all dfg trout planted in california going forward will be triploids.
3. del valle, contra loma, san pablo, pardee, camanche, collins and any other lake that charges a "fishing fee" are also lakes that you have to pay to fish for their trout.  should they all be off limits too?
4. halibut give me the creeps because they have really sharp teeth, can we disallow them too?

How many of those Trout are crossbred with a fish from another AOTY Fish and in only 1 location??

1. amador trout have been entered in AOTY since 2007, why disallow them now? 
2. would that mean triploid rainbow trout are not allowed either since they are also genetically engineered?  all dfg trout planted in california going forward will be triploids.
3. del valle, contra loma, san pablo, pardee, camanche, collins and any other lake that charges a "fishing fee" are also lakes that you have to pay to fish for their trout.  should they all be off limits too?
4. halibut give me the creeps because they have really sharp teeth, can we disallow them too?

+1 

genetically, a steelhead is a rainbow trout.  the only difference is they go to the ocean.  For lockhart to say that a donaldson is 30% steelhead and 50% rainbow is marketing, no more and no less.  landlocked steelhead grow no bigger than rainbows. its going to the ocean that makes them big.

amador trout are big because they are planted large.  they raise them in the hatchery and don't plant them until they are large, unlike other lakes which plant fish when they are smaller because they choose to plant more fish.

triploid rainbows (this year and in the future) will grow larger than amador trout, so if we want to address donaldsons we have to address triploids at the same time.  after all, the largest rainbow trout (not steelhead) ever caught was a triploid.

The only reason that donaldsons are only at lake amador is that lake amador is the only one willing to raise them.  other lakes purchase their trout from vendors like lassen.  its not like they are some super secret trout recipe that no one else could do, they just cost money.

Heenan lake.....  I don't see why they should not be allowed.

-Brian G

I would press to exclude fish that came from private, non-public fishing waters for AOTY entry

It's a little off topic, but that has come to my mind as well. I won't enter catfish I might catch on my farm, but I think last year it was OK to enter fish from private water.

I don't think Donaldson's are genetically engineered.  They are selectively bred.  Big difference.

We had these in Lake Washington growing up.  The hatchery where they were developed would release them into the lake.  We always thought of them as big rainbows and not really as cuttbows.

Many sites refer to them as the Donaldson strain of rainbow trout.  And this site, http://troutfishinghelp.blogspot.com/2009/02/donaldson-trout-explained.html, states that "they're officially classified as Oncorhynchus Mykiss (same as steelhead and rainbow trout)".

They are trout.  AOTY doesn't distinguish between trout, genetically modified, selectively bred, or otherwise.

-Allen

As for your off topic Ben, that's probably better addressed in another post or directed towards the AOTY committee.  I think that if a private lake is governed by DFG regulations (i.e. if it is connected to a public waterway), then it should be allowed. if it is a private pond like a trout farm that you do not need a license to fish on, then it shouldn't be allowed.

As for your off topic Ben, that's probably better addressed in another post or directed towards the AOTY committee.

I'm not sure it's *that* important to me.  Well, actually, I am sure it's not that important to me  , I was just chiming in with MontanaN8V. The Amador mutants might be relatively unique in NorCal, but everyone has the opportunity to fish them.

Ever catch a cutbow on the Sac in Redding. Beautiful fish.

Ill toss out an idea of making an AOTY committee member only board and let them hash this stuff out before the beginning of each year so the rules are clear before people enter. Changes after the year has begun are flimsy.

Ill toss out an idea of making an AOTY committee member only board and let them hash this stuff out before the beginning of each year so the rules are clear before people enter. Changes after the year has begun are flimsy.

The intent is not really to change anything ... only to clarify.  In this case, I hope the clarification is clear.

-Allen

Ill toss out an idea of making an AOTY committee member only board and let them hash this stuff out before the beginning of each year so the rules are clear before people enter. Changes after the year has begun are flimsy.

The intent is not really to change anything ... only to clarify.  In this case, I hope the clarification is clear.

-Allen

This topic stirred me up a bit. Only because it is clear entries of these fish were in AOTY already and counted as entries already this year. To post something like this is pointed.... yes? And to be frank.. it would be 'creepy' to me if these fish were removed due to this type of post after the year has begun.

The calcification is clear an appreciated.