CTFishTalk.com: My Local Trout Pond 04/23 - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

It's not really a secret where my local trout pond is, but I'll be coy to keep the lurkers at bay. I went down to the pond to catch a couple of stockies for lunch. I took my daughter's setup with me, which is an inexpensive Daiwa spinning reel that's spooled with eight pound P-Line Fluoroclear line on a St. Croix Legend spinning rod. I threw a two inch white curlytail grub on a 1/16 ounce round jighead. I wandered around for a while, looking for the stockies. They weren't near the outflow for the pond. There was only one other fisherman who had one trout on a stringer that he caught with a worm under a bobber in the middle of the pond. I headed over to the inflow for the pond and found the fish. I got several hits on the grub jig, but no hooksets. I think the hits were from small rainbows and small brookies that just pulled on the tail of the grub. So I switched over to a small black inline spinnerbait (i.e., roostertail), in order to get a small treble hook at the back of the lure. I finally landed a 12 inch brown:

The next one, a 13 incher, came on the next cast:

I couldn't leave after only a few minutes of action, but added two more browns to my stringer, 14 and 16 inchers, within 10 minutes. Here's the 16 incher:

I took home the stringer of four fish:

I threw the 16 incher on the grill for lunch:

It was delicious. And I'm stuffed. Very Happy

Stockies are really, really dumb. Rolling Eyes

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anointed130 · Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:21 pm Post subject:

Man your reports are the best, good job fishing. Do brookies taste different from rainbow, i tried rainbow before, they tasted extremely fishy. I wasnt impressed.
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"Come after Me, and i will make you to become fishers of men"

Can i be a fisher of fish too?

~Tony~

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Phil,

Nice string of Browns ! Thumbs Up

If you want and get another string of trout -> I'd be happy to smoke some fillets for you.
My special Rum brine and smoked with 50/50 apple and pecan wood.

Already people are asking me for some, especially 2 nurses and 4 vets from the Winsted VA clinic. Very Happy

I will oblige them!

If anyone gets a decent string of trout -> I'd be happy to smoke them for you!

SeaDog1 Mr. Green

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

SAP284 · Joined: 07 Jun 2011 Posts: 655 Location: Central, CT

Out of all the freshwater fish, to me Trout are one of the best tasting....regardless of Brook, Brown, or Rainbow.

And speaking of smoking fish - best way to make them! I usually use hickory wood though.
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Steve

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Stockies taste like, well, stockies. I don't think that I could tell the difference between the taste of a stocked rainbow and the taste of a stocked brown. Sometimes, they're not very good. I once ate a rainbow from Stillwater Pond that was very muddy tasting. Yuck! Holdovers taste better. Wild brookies taste the best. Generally speaking with any trout, though, I've found that the more salmon colored the flesh, the better the taste. At least, that's been my experience. Very Happy

In any case, whenever I catch a stocked trout, I feel like I already paid for it when I bought my fishing license, so I always want to keep it. Wink

I prefer the taste of freshwater fish in this order: walleye, sea-run white perch, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and then trout. I've tried pan fried crappie, but the texture is too mushy for me. I've heard that it's better steamed, but I prefer to grill or fillet and pan fry my fish. I've also tried chain pickerel, which was very good, but don't like to deal with the Y-bones.
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bzsports4 · Joined: 17 Apr 2012 Posts: 19

Nice trout! thats a tasty lunch

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

I like to char trout up on the grill. The burned skin adds a lot of flavor. Just gut 'em, salt 'em and grill 'em. Wink

This one had orange flesh and was a female with eggs. If I thought that it could have spawned successfully in the pond, I'd feel bad about having taken it. I'd bet that the smaller ones will taste better. They'll be on the grill for dinner. Very Happy

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Elixir · Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 288 Location: Danbury, CT

Nice report as always Phil and great catches. Id love to try a trout some time. I dont eat fish cause I dont enjoy the taste but I feel I should give them a try if Ive caught them myself. Cool

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Well, don't try trout for your first self-caught freshwater fish tasting experience! Rolling Eyes

Go get yourself some sea-run white perch. They taste fantastic when filleted, seasoned with salt and pepper, dusted with Wondra flour, and pan fried in butter! Damn, now I have to head back down to Hamburg Cove! Very Happy

BTW, I saw that whole white perch sell for only $0.99 per pound in the Chinese markets in Chinatown in Manhattan. You won't save any money by catching them yourself, but I'd bet that they'd taste better. Wink

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Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!

Elixir · Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 288 Location: Danbury, CT

Ive tasted all kinda of store bought fish and such and dont enjoy the taste still but I feel obligated to try then if I catch them and havent tried "wild" yet, its like the native american in me or something. Laughing

anointed130 · Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:31 pm Post subject:

Phil i agree with you regarding the pickeral, good tasting fish but had a lot of bones...I grilled them a couple summers ago with some

I think the mistake i made with the rainbow trout was trying to fry it...I thougt everything taste good fried.

Also do you think the fish wouldnt have spawned in the pond?
_________________
"Come after Me, and i will make you to become fishers of men"

Can i be a fisher of fish too?

~Tony~

fishfinder · Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1672 Location: Naugatuck, Ct.

Nice fish Peco. I personally think Rainbow taste the best and think trout taste the best of any fish, That being said Im not a huge fan of fish eating. I do love catching them and releasing them. Ill keep a few trout every year though.
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SAP284 · Joined: 07 Jun 2011 Posts: 655 Location: Central, CT

Hi Seadog,

Most of the time I use a dry rub. I haven't tried Apple wood or Peach wood. I have a friend that uses Peach wood all the time and he says its great!
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Steve