CTFishTalk.com: Killed Them @ WH - Connecticut Trout Fishing ( CT Trout Fishing ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi!

Beautiful afternoon so I decided to go up to West Hill for more trout!

Used my new UL 7 ft. spining rod and reel strung with 3 lb. test Fireline and casting small Thomas spoons in 4 different colors.

Fished from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

HAD A BLAST Exclamation

-> Gave up counting how many fish I caught !
Did catch and released 7 fat Browns -> all easily 15-16 inches.
No Rainbows.

Kept 5 Brookies -> All 13" or better, fat, and the colors where spectacular !
Going to fillet them and smoke them -> Last batch lasted only a day -> Yummmmm so good !

All the fish where hard fighters !
Hardly any people there today and fish rising and jumping everywhere.

My Gordon Setter, 'MacDonough", did a great job watching and guarding my trout hanging on a stringer in the water. -> Love that dog -> He' such a Goofball Exclamation

SeaDog1

Heavymetal53 · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 9

Do you cold smoke or hot smoke your fish?

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi,

Wet brine (My special Rum brine) for 24-36 hours then hot smoke them for 4-5 hours-> Not set up for cold smoking! Very Happy

SeaDog1

Heavymetal53 · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 9

I have never smoked fish before. About what temperature do you keep your smoker for the process?

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi,

I use a 1300 watt Waring hot plate, in my homemade smoker, which is set to high.
After brining -> I then lightly rise the fillets off and put them on the racks (my smoker takes 4) pat them lightly with paper towel and let them dry for 1 hour.
I wait till the wood chips on the hot plate start to smoke and put the racks in.
Heat from the Waring will build slowly in 4-5 hours to 180 degrees.
I just add more wood chips as needed.
Always comes out great! Thumbs Up

SeaDog1

Heavymetal53 · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 9

I use a charcoal smoker. I usually only smoke pork chicken and some of the deer meat snacks i make. I am going to try to smoke some fish this weekend. I usually use a mixture of apple and hickory for my meats. What do you suggest for fish. I will do looking around for some different drine recipes and try to come up with my own ideas after looking at them.

Heavymetal53 · Joined: 23 Apr 2012 Posts: 9

Also do you smoke them with the skin on or off? I have heard of people doing it both ways.

knowfish · Joined: 06 Jun 2011 Posts: 123 Location: Meriden

I smoke a lot of salmon, bluefish and stripers. I have both an electric and charcoal smoker. I prefer the charcoal although the electric is a bit easier to use and control heat. I generally smoke at about 180-190 degress and use hickory and apple wood. I prefer self cut chunks of wood from area trees . Soak the dried wood chunks for about a half hour before use. Once the charcoal is going throw in a handfull of wood chunks or enough to really make some smoke. Add more as needed. Add more charcoal as needed as you go along.
I make a brine of about a gallon of water in a large plastic mixing bowl, a cup of kosher salt, a cup and a quarter of brown sugar, some dried onion flakes( about half a tablespoon) and about 5 Bay leaves, crumbled. Mix well and add the fillets , with the shkin on. I put a plate over the fish to hold them under the brine liquid. Put the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning take out the fish and rinse fish and pat dry.Save the brine. Put them in a flat pan skin side down and let the fish stand for an hour or so. You'll feel the fish flesh getting a little sticky. My smoker has a place to put the brine in a pan below the fish racks and use it to add moisture to the fish as it smokes. Put the fish on the racks in skin side down. I like to spray some cooking oil on the racks first to keep fish from sticking. Put the racks in the smoker and smoke for about four hours or until the fish is done. Smoke longer if you like it more dry. There's really not much to go wrong. Enjoy!!!!