Why Biologists Want You To Kill Brook Trout, And When You Shouldn't | Ep. 194

Untangled: Fly Fishing For Everyone | Ventures Fly Co.

Brookies are the favorite of tons of anglers. They're gorgeous, and the big ones can be extremely frustrating AND rewarding to catch. But they're also one of the biggest threats to the long-term survival of native fish like cutthroat trout. Brookies are more aggressive than cutties, so in places where the two fish live side-by-side, brookies outcompete cutthroat for food. Eventually, the cutthroat just can't persist on the landscape, and they disappear. So, to help cutthroat and other native fish like gila and apache trout, sometimes fisheries managers ASK for you to kill brook trout. Does killing a few brookies REALLY help cutthroat? And is this a sound practice, or do fish biologists in the West just have it out for brookies? Today on Untangled, we'll dive into all of this and explain what really goes into conserving and protecting our native fish.

You'll also learn about:

  • What stomach pumps are, and why Spencer thinks they're unethical
  • Camp traditions and recipes for fishing trips
  • How to get the most out of backpacking trips to go fly fishing
  • How to tell if you've spooked fish from a given fun

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

Get the FREE Field Guide - CHECK IT OUT

More description

Brookies are the favorite of tons of anglers. They're gorgeous, and the big ones can be extremely frustrating AND rewarding to catch. But they're also one of the biggest threats to the long-term survival of native fish like cutthroat trout. Brookies are more aggressive than cutties, so in places where the two fish live side-by-side, brookies outcompete cutthroat for food. Eventually, the cutthroat just can't persist on the landscape, and they disappear. So, to help cutthroat and other native fish like gila and apache trout, sometimes fisheries managers ASK for you to kill brook trout. Does killing a few brookies REALLY help cutthroat? And is this a sound practice, or do fish biologists in the West just have it out for brookies? Today on Untangled, we'll dive into all of this and explain what really goes into conserving and protecting our native fish.

You'll also learn about:

  • What stomach pumps are, and why Spencer thinks they're unethical
  • Camp traditions and recipes for fishing trips
  • How to get the most out of backpacking trips to go fly fishing
  • How to tell if you've spooked fish from a given fun

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

Get the FREE Field Guide - CHECK IT OUT

2026-08-26 47 min
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