Does anyone keep any trout that that you catch?

[JackM]

I don't care for fish. Every once in a while I can go for a fried fish sandwich, most likely Cod or Haddock.

 

[bringthepain]

The best tasting fish come from the salty water IMO

 

[jifigz]

Stocked trout taste like garbage. I've even tried harvesting them months after they are stocked, like in early fall, and they still sucked. I think this whole "they improve after a a couple months" thing is just repeated crap. I'm sure they improve after a while, but it takes a long while. Now, wild trout are so, so good, but I only keep one every few years.

I am definitely going to be keeping some limits of crappie every year, though.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Panfish are excellent table fare, especially fried in bear grease.

Stocked trout drowned in butter and coated with lemon pepper are edible.

A good, plump 14 in wild brown trout makes a great meal. I keep a few wild browns each year.

 

[KELORGO]

We only keep trout one night a year for the “surf” portion of our surf and turf (venison) night on our annual trout trip. We fry and coat with Old Bay and bread crumbs.

 

[wildtrout2]

A good, plump 14 in wild brown trout makes a great meal. I keep a few wild browns each year.

Have you found them to have pink meat? They really are delicious!

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Have you found them to have pink meat? They really are delicious!

Yes, some are almost salmon colored!

 

[Kyle]

Stocked trout taste like garbage. I've even tried harvesting them months after they are stocked, like in early fall, and they still sucked. I think this whole "they improve after a a couple months" thing is just repeated crap. I'm sure they improve after a while, but it takes a while. Now, wild trout are so, so good, but I only keep one every few years.

I am definitely going to be keeping some limits of crappie every year, though.

yes they suck. you need to try the trout stocked in fall and then harvested in spring. big difference.

of course it doesnt take a couple months, its takes a solid fall and winter and then harvest in spring. at that point the trout have spent many months foraging on live food in the river. not pellets from the hatchery. once that change occurs stocked trout can be edible.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Board,

When I was younger, like 50 years ago, I kept pretty much everything with 2 eyes and a butthole as long as it was legal sized and in season.

I passed that phase and haven't kept a trout to eat in over 30 years. Stranglely though, I really enjoy eating and cooking fish. For decades I kept saltwater fish I caught on vacation but my days of spending time near the beach have pretty much vanished. I would personally keep freshwater fish like panfish, walleye and perch, and even catfish because I have always enjoyed them, but my wife won't eat a freshwater fish.

Maybe it's time I skin out and filet a decent catfish one weekend and tell her I bought some fresh cod or haddock at the Camp Hill Farmers Market? With some Tony Chachere's and a pan of butter she'd never know the difference! 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[3wt7X]

Good illustration of the difference between wild and stocked trout. These were taken from a MD watershed with both. I will say that MD hatcheries do a much better job with the quality of flesh on their stockers than PA. The PA stockers that I’ve kept are mush and very white/almost pale yellow fleshed. They are still edible with enough egg wash and seasoned breadcrumbs. You have to fry the flavor into them.

 

[TimMurphy]

Good illustration of the difference between wild and stocked trout. These were taken from a MD watershed with both. I will say that MD hatcheries do a much better job with the quality of flesh on their stockers than PA. The PA stockers that I’ve kept are mush and very white/almost pale yellow fleshed. They are still edible with enough egg wash and seasoned breadcrumbs. You have to fry the flavor into them.

Dear 3wt7X,

I really think the diet combined with the water quality and alkalinity is what determines the color of fish flesh. Back when I kept trout that I knew were wild I never caught a fish with red or pink flesh. The best I could ever do was bright orange like a nice navel orange.

I'll agree that MD must feed a better grade of Alpo in their hatcheries though.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[tomgamber]

best freshwater fish i ever ate was a wild trout. i was camping though so it seemed fit for the night near the campfire. as for stockies, ill keep just a few to make my "rainbow trout style crab cakes". i try to hold out with stockies until i catch one that looks like a hold over from the fall stocking. its truely amazing the difference between a hold over stockie and a freshly stocked one. night and day. after all that i use the trout heads for bait in my crayfish traps or freeze them for trapping bait next fall. then take the cray fish catfishing with my kids. next night is a fish fry full of catfish nuggets. thats the extent of my fish eating, minus all the sardines i eat. now thats good eating. everything is a full circle here. yes i sell fur that i caught with fish heads, but some of it also goes into my fly tying bin. then i get to catch more trout with the flys i tied from the fur. its like those revolving doors at hotel entrance.

High altitude trout tops other trouts. Maybe it's the hike. But if given a choice there are few things better than a pile if bluegill fillets. Or walleye. Oh, heck. I've eaten carp, suckers, bass perch, whitefish, most salt species...I had tuna tonight. I really like fish. But I rarely have any great desire to eat stocked trout before September.
..

 

[wildtrout2]

Dear 3wt7X,

I really think the diet combined with the water quality and alkalinity is what determines the color of fish flesh.

I've read crustations (crayfish) in a trout's diet will give it's flesh a pink color too.

 

[Prospector]

I tend to keep about 20 stocked trout per year. My wife loves trout but when I’m fishing I hate to drag 4 trout behind me all day. However one of my New Year’s resolution is to keep more trout for her.

I’m hoping to keep around 40 this year so we can enjoy 20 meals of stockies.

 

[bringthepain]

Yes, some are almost salmon colored!

Brookies look like that, not browns in my experience

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

I feel like there should be an option for" I only keep native Brooke's to throw in a skillet". Surely, there is somebody out there

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

Stocked trout taste like garbage.

I'm not a big fish eater and for the most part agree with you. That said, I will eat them smoked or when filleted ,fried in olive oil,butter, and leeks. Stocked pheasants don't do it for me either but if you bread them with cornmeal and deep fried they are better. Not complete garbage.

 

[Bamboozle]

I often take a can sardines with me fishing, does that count for anything...? They are wild caught too!!

I love fish and I will eat any fish having grown up in a Mediterranean household. However these days, besides the tinned fish I love, it's the fancy store bought stuff my wife will eat which always seems to cost more than a good steak...

While I haven't fished in the salt in a long time, harvest was the highlight of those trips, especially because for a few bucks the mates on the boat would fillet my catch.

Back when I lived in NYC, people would stand on their stoops near the marinas in Brooklyn and offer to buy some of our catch. If we had a lot, we made deals and would use the money to augment our menu with shrimp or lobster tail from the local markets.

Then it was back to my buddy's house for a seafood orgy!!!

 

[hockeyref]

I feel like there should be an option for" I only keep native Brooke's to throw in a skillet". Surely, there is somebody out there

None that would admit to it on this board, unless the really feel the need to troll!

 

[NbTurk]

Brookies look like that, not browns in my experience

I agree