Cleaning fish at Strawberry

[dubob]

[quote brookie]So I have a question - a little off the subject but related. Anyone have any logic, other than "it says so in the regs" why on earth they restrict fileting kokanee and rainbows if the skin is left on for identification? Since there is no slot regulations on these, why not allow them to be fileted?[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]The question on the kokanee restrictions (but not the rainbow), came up in my discussion with Drew. He will bring that up for review at DWR Department meetings this year as it didn't seem to make any sense to him as well. None the less, it IS the law, it IS listed in the Guidebook, and should be observed by all of us until changed.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Distinguishing a rainbow from a cutthroat can be difficult or impossible without viewing the whole, complete fish and is discussed in the Guidebook.[/#800000][/font]
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Any trout with cutthroat characteristics (not necessarily jaw slashing) is considered to be a cutthroat trout. Slash marks under the jaw should not be used to distinguish Bear Lake cutthroat trout from rainbow trout at Strawberry. Slashing is sometimes absent on Bear Lake cutthroats and sometimes visible on rainbows. Better characteristics are deep orange pelvic and anal fins on the cutthroats, and white-tipped pink to gray-green pelvic and anal fins on the rainbows. Rainbows also have the pinkish lateral stripe on the sides (see fish descriptions beginning on page 47 of this guide for more information).

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]From this description, you can see that IF a rainbow had a visible cutthroat characteristic, then it would be CONSIDERED a cutthroat and would be subject to the slot rules. If you fillet it, then there is no way to determine if it possibly showed a cutthroat characteristic (such as a jaw slash or deep orange fin. I know this is a stretch, but it IS possible.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Once the fish is filleted and skinned, then I don't have a clue as to how anybody outside a scientific lab could tell if the pink/orange meat came from a trout (rainbow/cutthroat) or salmon. Do any of you?[/#800000][/font]


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