Attention trout fisherpeople - I need help.

[Ted]

I'm not much of a fisherman. I like catching but get bored quickly with fishing. I keep fishing gear in the camper and pull it out when we camp on a stream or lake. But if I don't get a strike in the first few casts, I'm done. My wife laughs when I buy my liscense each year.
So this weekend I got lucky and actually brought home fish. I cleaned them with no problem at camp. They were dead when I got them home, but the real slaughter began when I tried to prep them for dinner. I tried to filet and bone them. When I was done, there was not much more than fish meal for the garden.
On the premise that I may actually catch fish again some day, what is the best way to prep and cook them?

 

[Darryla]

Here is a simple technique assuming your catching trout. Once you catch them, always keep them cold by putting them on a stringer and leaving them in the stream until done. Once done fishing put them in the fridge or on ice. When you are ready to clean and I suggest you do it the day you catch them, slit them down the middle (length ways underside), take the guts out, use a knife to scrape out all of the black stuff that is near the spine (you will see it). Cut the head off and I cut the tail, but some don't. My wife leaves the head on. Anyway, scale them meaning take a knife and scrape the skin back and forth of the fish to get the scales off. You will understand once you do it. Rinse them real well and your done. Then you can fry them bare or put them in tin foil with a little lemon or butter or other things you want and put them on the grill. Once they turn white basically they are done. You can then remove the skin which will come right off, as well as the bone structure inside will just pull out. You will most always have a few straggler bones so be careful eating and thats about it. Trying to take them apart before cooking will just turn out a big mess which you probably know. Next time stream fishing, use a very small hook and put a inch or so piece of worm on. Put a weight about a foot and a half up the line from the hook. Forget about all the fancy power baits or lures. Use mini night crawlers or red samon eggs.

I catch a ton of fish and I just keep it simple. Oh, for stream fishing keep your line light such as 4 - 6 pound line also.

It works for me and I catch way more fish than these guys I see with their $1000.00 Orvis outfits.

I am interested to see what others do as some folks get pretty creative and are really good cooks. I just eat to survive.

Darryl

 

[MarkBC]

I agree: filleting/bone-removal is very easy after cooking.

Honestly, I haven't done this in a long time...but back in the day, when camping next to a trout stream, it was just gutted/cleaned (head usually removed), then floured-or-cornmealed and pan-fried.
Hmmm....pan-fried fresh-caught trout. ahhhh.... (imaging gurgling drool like Homer S.

)

 

[highz]

Catch and release, then buy filets at the market on the way home.

Seriously, I prepare trout much like Darryla does, although I usually don't eat the skin, so I don't bother removing the scales. And, I guess I'd better confess that I don't always catch a lot of fish, but I do enjoy the relaxation of fishing.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Most of the fish I catch are in catch/release areas.If I keep fish I can it's only while camping.I don't like keeping them for hours while fishing than driving to the place I am staying to cook them.I have kept some while camping at the Devils Post Pile area.I caught 3 and there were 3 of us so we kept and eat them.Cooked them over hot coals.The fish were just cleaned,heads/tail left on.Then seasoned,lemon slices,and wrapped in tin foil.Cooking for a short time,unwrap and eat.Yummie.I am a catch and release fisher,but will keep some if the eating conditions are right. Fish on!

Frank

 

[Ted]

Great thorough reply, Darryl. Thank you. they are trout and I did use a stringer while fishing. I got the cleaning part right and did that as soon as I was back in camp. Didn't scale them but like Highz I don't eat the skin, so no worries there. So cooking them whole and then boning is where I screwed up. Got it now. And thanks for the fishing tips. No big $ gear here. A rod and reel my Father had in the garage that I decided to keep and try using. He probably bought it 20 years ago at the local hardware/sporting goods store for $15. i bought some lures but have lost most of them due to not tieing my knots well. Boy, that was a great cast. Huh, why is my line so slack?

Frank, I practice C&R on the little guys and if I'm not prepared for cooking fish, i.e.- garlic and lemon in the camper. But to be honest, I can count how many times I fish in a given year on one hand. And at least three quarters of those times are not successful. So when I catch something that is actually big enough to eat, that is an event.

Thanks for the replies. No upcoming trips on water planned right now, but hopefully I can put all this advice to good use soon.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Great thorough reply, Darryl. Thank you. they are trout and I did use a stringer while fishing. I got the cleaning part right and did that as soon as I was back in camp. Didn't scale them but like Highz I don't eat the skin, so no worries there. So cooking them whole and then boning is where I screwed up. Got it now. And thanks for the fishing tips. No big $ gear here. A rod and reel my Father had in the garage that I decided to keep and try using. He probably bought it 20 years ago at the local hardware/sporting goods store for $15. i bought some lures but have lost most of them due to not tieing my knots well. Boy, that was a great cast. Huh, why is my line so slack?

Frank, I practice C&R on the little guys and if I'm not prepared for cooking fish, i.e.- garlic and lemon in the camper. But to be honest, I can count how many times I fish in a given year on one hand. And at least three quarters of those times are not successful. So when I catch something that is actually big enough to eat, that is an event.

Thanks for the replies. No upcoming trips on water planned right now, but hopefully I can put all this advice to good use soon.



Hear you on that Ted.I really enjoy just standing out in a nice river watching the fish rise to my fly.I will fish whenever I can and eat what I can.But I will have to say one of the biggest thrills was standing in the Fire Hole river in Yellowstone in a fall snow storm and having the cuts hit at the fly.With the bugle of the elk in the background. Doesn't get much better.Than to catch something yes that is an event.

Frank

 

[Lighthawk]

Yes, it's all about the experience of being attentive in nature. I've enjoyed watching heron, egret and eagles working the water while drifting a fly for trout.
I'm mostly C&R also, but when backpacking I feel pretty good about culling the population of trout from high Sierra lakes.
My backpack cook system is to bring a ziplock with corn meal and some seasoning. I gut the fish, remove the head, and toss 'em in the baggie one at a time to coat them in corn meal. Then right into the frying pan! Usually I can lift the backbone and ribs right out with a fork. Eating the skin is optional.

Tight lines!

 

[home skillet]

Catch and Release...........but if you plan to keep one, don't use a stringer. Fish will release enforphines and stress hormones if they are abused too much before being killed. The best policy is to kill and clean immediatly and then put them in the fridge of on ice. If you can't, then a live well is best or a bucket full of water in a pinch. Otherwise I totally agree with all of the above......except I would love to do battle with my fly rod up against Darryla's bait and tackle ;0.

Home Skillet

 

[craig333]

C&E. Catch and eat. I've become a fan of the foil method. A little butter, lemon, onion and some bell pepper and mmmmm. Although I won't turn down down some pan fried trout

Head and tails on or off, doesn't matter.

We have a little fishing tournament at our antelope lake trip. Winnner is usually 18-19 inches. I put my pole away when one of the guys came in with a 26 incher.

 

[Darryla]

That was great. Glad you put up this topic, Ted. I learned a few things about cooking and what to do with them after catching. I usually don't use the stringer, they generally go in a bag directly to my wife and she puts them in the refer. Its a little custom we have. Anyway, I don't have it in me to smack and kill them like I saw a guy do once.

Although, one thing. I do not usually eat the skin either, but I do scale them. I still think you should take a moment and do that.

Ya, those Fly guys may be better at it, but I'll show up with my 5 foot bait pole anyway.

Enjoy,

Darryl

 

[highz]

I will catch and eat if I'm fishing a put-and-take lake (that would be all the lakes in southern NM). But, if I'm having a good day, I'll release all but what I need for the next meal. I don't think I've ever kept the limit. Maybe good days will become more common with practice .

Has anyone tried cajun blackened trout? I've got some blackening blend that I think might be good with trout.

 

[LuckyDan]

On the infrequent occasions I practice catch and keep, "how" I process my trout catch depends on the size of those kept. In my experience and location the typical small creek trout or put and take lake fish is around 8 to 11 inches. Trout that size are easier to cook whole, (cleaned first of course) than filet or steak. In the case of trout they flake so well off the bone when cooked I rarely filet even a bigger one. Probably my most frequent deviation is the rare occasion I catch a Steelhead which I'll cut into steaks.

If you choose to filet, it helps to use a "filet" knife and keep it sharp. I use a small ceramic hone on mine between fish. I start at the backbone behind the head and work down and toward the tail keeping the knife against the ribs as hard as I can.

I typically live in the tin foil and grill camp but am not above doing a deep fat or pan oil fry. One fry approach not previously mentioned is batter fry. I use pancake mix like Krusteaz and beer. I simply open a couple of beers, one I take a sip off of and let go a little flat. The other I drink while getting everything together. I just blend the pancake mix with enough flat beer to make a thinish batter. If I have it I'll add some lemon juice and a pinch of pepper and maybe salt, maybe garlic. Then just dip the fish and fry till golden brown. I use pancake mix because I'm more likely to have it in camp than corn or cracker meal.

Good luck,hope it helps and remember two things:

A bad day fishing beats a good day at work by a ratio of 2 to 1
Days spent fishing are not subtracted from ones allotted time on earth