Tagged DFG trout at North Lake

I just got back from a camping trip up in the Bishop Creek area. My wife and I were fishing at North Lake on 7/22/07 and landed this fatty. I caught her on rainbow glitter power bait. I normally don't use power bait, mainly a lure/fly/worm user, but the trout just weren't biting so I tried some dough. The trout weighed in at 2 lb 4 oz. after it was gutted, I estimate it to be around 3 lbs. The trout had a CA DFG tag, ID# 26181. Does anyone know if I can report it or do anything with the tag?

Thanks

You can try reporting,it wouldn't hurt.

But I think the main reason for the tag is because it was a brooder. You can tell by the lack of fins that it lived most of its life in a cement canal.

Still a nice looking fish.

You don't need to report it, they just put them on the fish so that you know they are DFG fish not alpers.

Normally the taged fish are also the mother fish. I have about 15 or so. I try to get one or at least an alpers every trip up there.

Tagged fish are an important way for the DGF to monitor fish. Most tags can be returned to the DFG for a cash reward. See the attached site for more info. Just print and return the form and wait for your check to come in the mail.
Gary C.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fishing/html/Fish ... ging_0.htm

About ten years ago I caught a tagged trout in the South Fork of Bishop Creek. I took it to Bishop Creek Lodge and showed them the fish. The person I spoke with said the fish was very valuable, because it was tagged, and I was eligible for a reward, if the fish was intact, and had not been cleaned. I felt really disappointed since I had cleaned the fish. Then the person I was speaking with said he was just kidding, and showed me a poster from DFG explaining that the tag was their method of showing the fishing public that DFG was planting big fish, too, not just the small planters. He went on to say that, when everyone complained when the limit was reduced to just five trout, DFG said they would stock larger fish, and the tag was their way of showing that they were, in fact, stocking larger fish. The tags are nice to collect, but are not worth any money.

they are called broodstock. and the above info is right. They want to show that bigger fish are being planted by the dfg as well

It depends what type of tag it is. I have caught the DFG brooder type tag 3# trout (no monetary value) and a couple of years ago the green string tag regular stocker size, that if mailed in will get you some money. If I remember correctly $10 .