How do you make stocked trout edible?

6xAdams(Jones) said:
That's a good point. Rather than letting them suffocate in a bucket or on a stringer, killing them right after catching does make them taste better. If we keep them, they get a stunning blow to the head, followed by breaking the neck - which does a good job of bleeding them as well.
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I also kill them immediately. A good way to do this is to hold the trout on top of a log, then sever the spinal cord with a pocket knife.

Then I cut along the length of the belly and remove the guts and throw them back in thick vegetation away from the creek where the racoons can eat them. Don't do this when fishing in residential areas.
 
ROVERT said:
Cut fillets into small strips. Thread them on a size 10 hook below a bobber. Eat the resulting bluegills instead. Not really, I've never used trout as bait.

I don't like (to eat) trout but have each spring until recently. Sports have now gotten in the way but my kids always caught a bunch that they either wanted to or had to keep. My wife likes them. She grew up eating hatchery rainbows from the grocery store. Buying them out of choice baffles me but I digress.

Grilled in foil with butter and seasoning, fish cakes, and battered/deep fried are how we do it. Grilled would be the most common. Fish cakes would probably be my preference.
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Problem is in my area the bluegills come from water that has a lot of lawn chemicals in it. The major creeks have multiple municipal water treatment plants dumping in. So it's catch and release when close to home.
 
3wt7X said:
The key is to bleed them. Give them a quick knock on the head to dispatch them and then pull the gill rakers out while the heart is still beating. That will clear most of the blood...
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I've heard this helps a lot...

Unlike most people on Facebook who can faithfully remember that a hamburger they ate 40 years ago was "the best ever;" I can't remember if the last stocked trout I ate as a 16 year old kid tasted good or bad...

However, after cleaning the prep was always the same; they always got a squeeze of lemon juice in the body cavity followed by salt & pepper and were dredged in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and dried dill.

Fry them in a skillet in olive oil and add some butter for flavor as they approach doneness. Squeeze on a little lemon juice before serving.
 
hockeyref said:
Always envied the old timers with the wicker creels when I was a youngster. I wanted one but never had anyone to teach me how to use it. Dad said “you don’t need one of those things”. My dad and brother were metal hook stringer types…. Go out shoulder to shoulder on the first day and then maybe a half dozen times the rest of the year. I know my brother tried a fly rod once cuz the old busted Shakespeare automatic reel and busted bottom part of the fiberglass rod with reel seat are still in the basement of my mom’s house.
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The late Bob Baird made the most beautiful creels I ever saw. I lusted for one to hang on a wall, but he sadly passed away in 2011. I believe some were refurbished old creels while others were new. I'm not positive.

Baird Creel 1.jpgBaird Creel 2.jpgBaird Creel 3.jpgBaird Creel 4.jpgBaird Creel 5.jpg
 
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wildtrout2 said:
Back in the day, when I fished for and kept stockers, I used the mesh creel that came with my vest. I always kept lots of ferns and grass in it to keep the trout fresh. It worked well.
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I always remember these, but now a real-deal new one made in the USA from flax/linen from Belgium has a price tag of $150:

image.jpg
 
Once in a while, I'll keep a nice size stocky to have for dinner when I'm camping.
Just during April when ramps are in season.

Sautee the ramps in olive oil.
Then fry, or grill the fish to go with it.

Of course, ramps make anything taste better.....
 
I fillet mine if I decide to keep any. I mix some old bay seasoning, flour, salt, pepper, garlic to taste. I put this in a zip lock bag and shake and bake the fillets. I drop them in a frying pan for a few minutes on each side. I use olive oil and some margarine to fry them. I do all my fillets this way. To each his own.
 
sixfootfenwick said:
I don't know, some cats can be picky 😂
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My cat will only eat canned fancy feast. Yes, Ive tried to ween him onto something different.....I really believe he would starve himself to death but he will drive me insane to the point of caving in before he gets to that point. Won't touch tuna or even any of the seafood fancy feast. Has to be chicken, beef or turkey.
 
dudemanspecial said:
My cat will only eat canned fancy feast. Yes, Ive tried to ween him onto something different.....I really believe he would starve himself to death but he will drive me insane to the point of caving in before he gets to that point. Won't touch tuna or even any of the seafood fancy feast. Has to be chicken, beef or turkey.
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Have you tried adding small amounts of cheese? I hear it's pretty good.
 
Bamboozle said:
I always remember these, but now a real-deal new one made in the USA from flax/linen from Belgium has a price tag of $150:

View attachment 1641240913
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I have something like this hanging in the basement. I think I got it 15-20 years ago. I Don’t remember if I used it more than once or twice. It’s one of those things that I forget i have.


Can you post a picture of the inside? Just curious to see if it has any lining and how the seams are finished.
 
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