Does size really matter? Well everyone liks to show off that big trophy trout in a photo or have it wall mounted. Anglers will often relate stories about that big brown trout that shook off the hook or dove to the bottom wrapping the line around a log. That makes for interesting talk around the fireplace in the winter, but does it really matter.
To answer that question, we at the University turned to James Marsh who has had a lifetime of fishing for saltwater species as well as fresh water species. During the 1980s and 1990s, James wrote numerous magazine articles for several publications including Marlin Magazine, Sportfishing Magazine and 
others. He traveled extensively fishing in several countries. His saltwater fly-fishing experience during those years was primarily limited to sailfish and other offshore species such as dolphin. He has taken three sailfish in one day on the fly off the Mexican 
Coast. Trips to Alaska provided huge rainbow trout, grayling and different species of salmon on the fly.
But James says that his most rewarding experiences comes from fly-fishing at home in the United States of America, especially in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He says that the beauty of the mountains and the mountain streams produce a tranquility and an enjoyment unparralled. He further believes that the sport of catching a "grand slam" (a brook, a rainbow and a brown all in one day) in the peaceful mountaiins on flies tied by himself, beats all other fishing. James also says that an average trout in the GSMNP is about 8" to 10' with a large one reaching 16". James loves the small trout found in the GSMNP so much that he has moved to Tennessee to be closer to those wild mountain trout.
So, to answer the question "Does size matter", I have to agree with James. size does not matter, 
but quality of trout does matter.