How do you make stocked trout edible?

DomR said:
The predecessor to sling packs, most people I knew that had them used them to hold gear instead of as a creel.
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When fishing small streams, I typicality carry a smaller Chapman over the shoulder bag. It came with a rubberized bag insert that attaches with snaps (the Brits call them "pops") to the inside of the large single compartment so you can use the bag as a creel.

Since I don't harvest, when Chapman still had their bespoke service I designed and they fabricated me an insert with two pockets and a zipper compartment that snaps on to the two rear "pops" that are for the rubberized bag.

It makes the bag a bit more organized but still leaves plenty of room for other stuff if I need the space.
 
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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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Would your cat by chance be a Calico?
 
Here’s a unique one. Stuff the cavity with middlesworth bbq chips and some butter and bake it. I stumbled onto this on a camping trip when we just had to use what we had on hand for seasonings. Wrapped it in foil. It came out phenomenal. I’ve made it quite a few times since, grilled or baked without the foil, it is always a crowd pleaser.

Also don’t toss the heads. You are throwing out the best cut of meat on a trout, the cheeks!
Trout cheeks dipped in some melted butter is awesome! If you like crab legs or lobster, give it a try.

~5footfenwick
 
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Feed it to a walleye? Just kidding, I haven't eaten a stocker in many years. When I did, they were simply done in butter with a little salt and pepper.
 
dudemanspecial said:
No he is a big bombay. Interestingly the calico we had when I was a kid was the most independent cat I ever knew. She would dissappear for 4 to 5 days at a time, come back all beat up. This went on for years.
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As kids, we had a big black tomcat named Herby. He was one bad a$% cat. He would also leave for days on end and come home with battle scars. This cat just enjoyed fighting. 🙂
 
6xAdams(Jones) said:
The coagulated blood along the spine is the trout's kidney. Hemingway's son wrote that his dad liked to leave it alone and then cook the trout, saying it "added flavor". I never tried it. I also scrape away the fat along the lateral lines from a cooked fish, after removing the skin. It just isn't appealing to a person for whom fish isn't a favorite.
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not to mention kidneys tend to accumulate heavy metals. More than flesh? IDK
 
I keep 2-4 per season and make smoked trout dip. Nothing fancy on the fish, just some salt and pepper, then 3 hours at 225 in the smoker. Pull the meat, don't worry too much about the bones.

For every 8oz of smoked trout
1/2 C cream cheese
1/2 C sour cream
Juice of one lemon
2 T prepared horseradish
Process in food processor until smooth, remove to sealable container
Fold in
2 T red onion, small dice
2 T fresh flat-leaf parsley, small dice
Give it at least 24 hours to let flavors meld. Serve with crackers, grapes, etc. Great with lettuce and tomato on a sandwich if you're a fan of smoked whitefish salad.
 
Back in the day my neighbor's wife baked fish in a casserole dish along with generous amounts of cheese and mayonnaise.

A good fish recipe for people who don't like the taste of fish.
 
troutbert said:
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.
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This is essentially what I do too. I carry a gallon Ziploc in my pack and that’s what I use. If it’s especially hot out, I’ll carry one freezer pack to sit on top of them. I typically only kill stockers in places they shouldn’t be, but if I mortally wound a wild fish on accident, I have a means to harvest it for consumption. I’m rarely near my vehicle once I leave it for the day so they’re getting carried with me all day. (On hot days in the morning through lunch time I’ll usually release all fish, even stockers, until I get within a couple hours of my quitting point, even with an ice pack in my bag.)

I’m fuzzy on this, but somehere I read or heard that you’re not supposed to gut fish streamside unless it’s for immediate consumption, which I think was meant like you’re eating them right then and there streamside. Any legitimacy to that? If so, I suspect it’s so that in the event you are questioned by a WCO you can prove the fish was truly large enough to be legal. They want the whole fish in tact. So if I have a borderline legal fish, I’ll typically let it go. About 10” is where I start harvesting them.
 
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