I just can't get excited about catching trout (sorry)

[Cold-Foot]

I would rather catch 6 nice big blue gill to take home than take home a 24" trout. Oh it might be fun to catch a big trout but I'd put it back down the hole. It seems like there are so many guys that live to catch them. How many guys feel this is there main species to shoot for when ice fishing ? Am I cooking them wrong ? They seem to fall apart to mush and stink up the kitchen. (Not trying to start a argument or anything)

[Cold-Foot]

26 views and no one has a different opinion. That's interesting

[fishingking]

Theres more panfish out there and some get to impressive sizes especially when caught on 2lb test plus they taste better than most trout do It is my belief that most guys that  catch and keep big trout  (and big fish of other game species ) dont realize how much these big really play into the overall population in a given body of water. I would much rather cathc and keep a bunch of smaller fish (panfish) then catch and keep a bunch of big fish like trout/walleye or even big pike

just my 2 cents

[rob-s]

your cooking them wrong.  what kind of trout are you reffering to?
 how long after you pull the fish from the water do you gut and place the fish on ice? - not on the ice but in a bag of ice?
 
 

[nybigeyes]

I would rather catch 6 nice big blue gill to take home than take home a 24" trout. Oh it might be fun to catch a big trout but I'd put it back down the hole. It seems like there are so many guys that live to catch them. How many guys feel this is there main species to shoot for when ice fishing ? Am I cooking them wrong ? They seem to fall apart to mush and stink up the kitchen. (Not trying to start a argument or anything)

You must fish with one of them little kiddie poles. I gave that up when I turned 7. I like the hand to hand combat of landing truley big fish. I have to agree about the eatin' tho, I do stoop to nabbin' a few perch for a dinner once and a while. But size matters, I want a good ride for my effort, a big trout, a monster eye, a nice pike or musky, sure I put 'em back what else are they good for. Big fish rule you can have all the dinks (8") and the slobbo (14") perch and gills they'er just fish sticks to me. Can you say Gortons!
-30°

[littleoldlady]

I would rather catch 6 nice big blue gill to take home than take home a 24" trout. Oh it might be fun to catch a big trout but I'd put it back down the hole. It seems like there are so many guys that live to catch them. How many guys feel this is there main species to shoot for when ice fishing ? Am I cooking them wrong ? They seem to fall apart to mush and stink up the kitchen. (Not trying to start a argument or anything)

  This one I caught today was a pretty nice fish, and pretty fun to get up from 100 ft.  That is part of the joy of the laker.  The second joy
were the awesome "trout steaks"  we had for supper.  There are a million ways to cook these lakers, and none of them stink up the kitchen
or leave you with a plate of mush....pullllllleeeee eze, don't "dis" the laker>

[NAD42]

ya catch that on a bluegill? ....nice buck in the background.

[hunters08]

Now myself i love to catch the trout (browns,steelhaed) threw the ice and i smoke them or grill them.
  I also love to catch perch and gills but the big fish battle just cant be beat ,IMHO 

[littleoldlady]

ya catch that on a bluegill? ....nice buck in the background.

  Actually, I caught this on the bait fish (8") that I cut out of the gut of
the one I caught on Tuesday.  Yep, but buck in the background was one of Sweeties
triumphs.  It is a beauty!

[hunters08]

  Actually, I caught this on the bait fish (8") that I cut out of the gut of
the one I caught on Tuesday.  Yep, but buck in the background was one of Sweeties
triumphs.  It is a beauty!

hey thanks for sending us your very cold weather looks like i'll get to ice fish after all

[fishit]

LO Lady that is a beautiful laker they are really a pretty fish but I digress. I think every fish has it's place and every fish can be properly placed in a pan. I love to take the bigger trout (if kept) and slice into fish finger size chunks and serve with slaw and lemon.

Fish it

But boy those panny are the perfect eatin' size too !!!!!!!!

[littleoldlady]

LO Lady that is a beautiful laker they are really a pretty fish but I digress. I think every fish has it's place and every fish can be properly placed in a pan. I love to take the bigger trout (if kept) and slice into fish finger size chunks and serve with slaw and lemon.

Fish it

But boy those panny are the perfect eatin' size too !!!!!!!!

Ficrap, I agree with you...all the fish we catch out of the cold, clear water up here is like nectar on my tongue.

[TJC]

Cook them outside on the grill. Tinfoil, a little fresh lemon, salt and peper, and a little dill. Cook them till the skin falls off then open the tinfoil up and let them crisp up. The meat just flakes right off the bone.

[Wellsy]

I would rather catch 6 nice big blue gill to take home than take home a 24" trout. Oh it might be fun to catch a big trout but I'd put it back down the hole. It seems like there are so many guys that live to catch them. How many guys feel this is there main species to shoot for when ice fishing ? Am I cooking them wrong ? They seem to fall apart to mush and stink up the kitchen. (Not trying to start a argument or anything)

There is nothing more exciting than havin a trout break water or flash his colors at the hole before dashing off to another run.
Cool morning mist on a mountain lake or stream, looking for that current break or swirl in summer.Something is just mysticall about the trout species and their habitat.So to answer your question cold-foot yes the trout is #1 any season.
Now do I love eatin up pannies as much as I enjoy catching them, absolutely yes. And every fish has their own trophy size, what would excite you more a 36" pike or an 18" perch......DUH!!!!
And who wants to eat big and old fish not me, the term eatin size is my rule. Oh I make the mistake once in a while and keep that brut, and every time I regret it, some fish are for fightin and some are for eatin.
one last thing, until you have had some pan size brookies from a spring fed mountain stream, come off the fire in a cast iron pan................... .....you have never enjoyed natures candy 

[hali-man]

I do enjoy catching nice trout. Very few are kept, though...
They taste good smoked and on the grill as described above.

My #1 target?
Definitely not!
 8)

[percheyes42]

Trout are fun to catch, but that's about it. I'll take some delicious perch over any other fish. Trout is just like duck, if you have to work to make it taste good, then it ain't worth eating.

[ice boy19]

Trout are fun to catch, but that's about it. I'll take some delicious perch over any other fish. Trout is just like duck, if you have to work to make it taste good, then it ain't worth eating.

u do not have to work to make it taste good..... have a pan melt butter roll trout in flour ( good for whole trout  )put in pan and check with fork .... not that hard and its deliciuous...........h ave two trout being cooked as we speak 
 

[KingFisher1]

I have niticed that stream caught trout often have a "muddy" taste, but there is nothing like trout from a nice clear lake with a gravel bottom. I like to put a little lemon, dill, salt and pepper on them. They are great baked grilled or pan fried. 

[AugustWest]

I do enjoy catching nice trout. Very few are kept, though...
They taste good smoked and on the grill as described above.

My #1 target?
Definitely not!
 8)

Well said Hali

[deadsmelthead]

Brook trout fight and are good eating, walleye are real good eating but I have a harder time pulling night crawlers out of the lawn then reeling one in same goes for perch. Lakers are all about the fight for me I target them a lot and just want to catch that big wall mounter there is a right and wrong way to prepare them.

[hamilton county new york]

EVER HAD A BAD CUP OF COFFEE SO YOU NEVER DRANK IT AGAIN?  ONE TIME A FELLOW OPENED A HEINEKIN AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS A SKUNK UNDER MY FEET....STILL DRINK BEER THOUGH
TRY CUTTING THE BLOOD LINE OUT OF THE UNDER SIDE OF THE FILET WITH A V, SOME PEOPLE SOAK OR MARINADE AS THE MAN SAID, "TO GET THE GAK TASTE OUT".
GOOD LUCK WITH COOKING TIMES, WHEN IT'S READY AT MY HOUSE, THE PHONE RINGS...

[AirManCam]

It's alright that a lot of you don't fish for them, that means less pressure on me prescious lakers I don't eat fish, so I go for the fun of catching big ones, so I jig lakers set tipups for them and pike, and once in a while jig perch.

[stringer]

Trout are fun and many ways to cook try soaking in milk over night take off any dark meat coat with mayo and broil ,last year biggest thirty six inch seventeen and half pounds eight inch hole barely fit though thats and twenty minute fight is my opinion what its all about !!!!!

[HomerJay]

I grew up in the restaurant my family has owned one my whole life.  I cant believe someone said that trout tastes bad.  I hope you were just referring to lakers(still haven't found anything that makes them good)  of course pan fish are great but how does everyone cook them. I think Ive only had them fried.  One day we decided to try the same thing with some brookies and it was fabulous.  Just as good as any panfish Ive had.  But to change up some taste i think trout broiled is great as well. Smaller the fish the better the taste! Let the big ones breed and eat up there young.

I agree about trout though they are fighters and you know what i think that is the reason why i like to go out there. There is no better feeling when you come up to your tip-up and the line is flying off so fast you panic and when you set that hook and you feel the weight of that lunker take off again, you cant beat it. Ill take a 20lb fish over 50lbs of panfish anyday.

[littleoldlady]

I grew up in the restaurant my family has owned one my whole life.  I cant believe someone said that trout tastes bad.  I hope you were just referring to lakers(still haven't found anything that makes them good)  of course pan fish are great but how does everyone cook them. I think Ive only had them fried.  One day we decided to try the same thing with some brookies and it was fabulous.  Just as good as any panfish Ive had.  But to change up some taste i think trout broiled is great as well. Smaller the fish the better the taste! Let the big ones breed and eat up there young.

I agree about trout though they are fighters and you know what i think that is the reason why i like to go out there. There is no better feeling when you come up to your tip-up and the line is flying off so fast you panic and when you set that hook and you feel the weight of that lunker take off again, you cant beat it. Ill take a 20lb fish over 50lbs of panfish anyday.

Beermaster, lakers make great eating....at least out of the clear lakes up here.  Broiled, baked, stuffed, smoked, or canned....important thing, I have
found, is to cut the bellymeat off the big ones...that is where most of the fat is.  (Also makes great pike baIt).  I like all fish, in fact....well prepared.

[HomerJay]

Ill change that i cant say they are awful ive only tried them twice and i didnt cook them. So i dont have too much to go by but i know what good meat looks like and they dont have the best.  I dont want to say they are awful or anything but out of the trout family they are my least favorite to eat!! But love to catch them.  I also like to catch and release anyway.

[littleoldlady]

Ill change that i cant say they are awful ive only tried them twice and i didnt cook them. So i dont have too much to go by but i know what good meat looks like and they dont have the best.  I dont want to say they are awful or anything but out of the trout family they are my least favorite to eat!! But love to catch them.  I also like to catch and release anyway.

BTW...where is Plattsburgh....

[HomerJay]

new york!! i acully dont live there anymore so i guess i have to change that!!

[littleoldlady]

new york!! i acully dont live there anymore so i guess i have to change that!!

I think when the lakers come from water that is 32 F. in the winter and the warmest it gets is 50 F. in the summer...
and very very clear...the flesh is very firm...salmon coloured....really good

[HomerJay]

I am sure it is a whole different fish in Canada. Just curious on how much that one weighed??