trout questions/preferences

[newmember]

I have some general questions for everyone about trout. I'm new to trout fishing.

1) What size do you keep for eating/dinner table (bake, grill, fillet and fry, etc)?

2) What size goes into the smoker?

3) What is considered a trophy and deserves being mounted/replica mounted?

I am mainly a stream fisherman, so I don't know if that would make a difference in what you want to keep.

[Scudly]

Quote:

I have some general questions for everyone about trout. I'm new to trout fishing.

1) What size do you keep for eating/dinner table (bake, grill, fillet and fry, etc)?

2) What size goes into the smoker?

3) What is considered a trophy and deserves being mounted/replica mounted?

1. I prefer to keep trout in streams with healthy populations, no low number streams. Keeping trout in low number streams would be ruining the resource. In MN I'll keep trout 10-14." Anything 15" or larger I let go. For WI most the streams I fish 12" is the minimum so if I keep I keep 12-14" fish. Years a go I'd keep larger, no longer do this. As for brookies I smoke 8-11." In WI 8" is the minimum.

2. What size do I smoke? Same as the above #1.

3. I have caught 13 brown trout 20" or larger the past couple of years. I have let all but one go. My biggest to date is 22" and I let him go. I'm holding out for 24" or larger before I mount. If a replica I can let the fish go. Still have not decided on real taxidermy or replica. As for brookie my standard is 16" or larger.

Keep in mind these are standards I have set for spring creek stream trout in the Driftless - not big freestone streams out west or up in Canada where fish get even larger.

[goblueM]

i'm with scudly, i try to keep 10-14 inchers, and let everything else go. If i hook one badly and its within the rules to keep it, I do, even if its a 7 incher.

Like scudly, I also try to keep from high-numbers streams. Couple years ago I kept a few limits out of a lower density stream and it really made a difference by the end of the year. Never doing that again!

i'm smoking up a batch of 12-14 inch browns this afternoon, can't wait!

[Scudly]

Quote:

i'm smoking up a batch of 12-14 inch browns this afternoon, can't wait!

Yum yum! If you have your recipe handy feel free to post or send me a PM. I'd like to see how it compares to Len's (the only recipe I have used to date).

[itchmesir]

i agree with the above statements... 10-14" for eaters..

[goblueM]

Quote:

i'm smoking up a batch of 12-14 inch browns this afternoon, can't wait!

Yum yum! If you have your recipe handy feel free to post or send me a PM. I'd like to see how it compares to Len's (the only recipe I have used to date).

I use about an 8:1 or 10:1 ratio of water to salt. So one cup of salt and about 9 cups of water. Make sure to dissolve it all, and add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar (as you can see this is an exact science )

Usually I also add a tablespoon or so of lemon juice, a couple cloves of minced garlic, and a teaspoon of pickling spice.

Let em brine for about 4-6 hours, then sit out in the fridge or cool basement for 12-24 hours. This time I sprinkled some black pepper and garlic flakes on the skin so it dried into the pellicle. Then I hot smoked them for 3 hours over cherry wood

turned out delicious!

[Scudly]

Here is what I do. Got it from Len. Soak 3-4 hours in this:

plastic 10 quarter container

1/2 full with water

1.5 pounds non-iodized salt

1 pound brown sugar

2 cups real lemon

10 tablespoons dill weed

8 tablespoons red pepper flakes

4 tablespoons garlic powder

4 tablespoons onion powder

3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Strain to save dill and red pepper. Rinse trout. Pack trout with dill and lemon wedge. Sprinkle red pepper on outside. Smoke for three hours.

[goblueM]

looks great. do you rinse them or let them dry at all to let a pellicle form? i used to just put them straight into the smoker but I've gotten better results after letting them air out for 12-24 hours after brining

[Scudly]

Honestly I soak for 3-4 hours. I have done as little as 2 hr brine. Rinse, stuff and put on grill.