Hi all.
Just curious, how big would a brown trout have to be for you to consider it worth eating?
Steve
Just curious, how big would a brown trout have to be for you to consider it worth eating?
Steve
Trout, what size would you call dinner?
- Thread starter Staghound
- Start date
Most Wild Fish are not big enough to bother eating.
Plus most brown trout river fly fisherman in most areas in the UK, are now pro catch and release, and frown on wild fish being taken.
I think at the very least you should be able to tell a young brownie Parr from an adult, and a wild fish from a stockie. Or know if they are diploids, or triploids? etc before you take any out of a river.
If you want to read up on it, could I suggest The Wild Trout Trust?
http://www.wildtrout.org/
Your best bet is to educate yourself, by having a good look through www.flyforums.co.uk
http://www.flyforums.co.uk/general-fly-fishing-discussion/72000-catch-release-catch-keep.html
Plus most brown trout river fly fisherman in most areas in the UK, are now pro catch and release, and frown on wild fish being taken.
I think at the very least you should be able to tell a young brownie Parr from an adult, and a wild fish from a stockie. Or know if they are diploids, or triploids? etc before you take any out of a river.
If you want to read up on it, could I suggest The Wild Trout Trust?
http://www.wildtrout.org/
Your best bet is to educate yourself, by having a good look through www.flyforums.co.uk
http://www.flyforums.co.uk/general-fly-fishing-discussion/72000-catch-release-catch-keep.html
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We don't have freshwater trout in Florida but if I were in a state (or another country) that did I think I'd check what are the legal minimums. That said, from what I've seen of brown trout, I don't think I'd call any single fish dinner. Two brown trout? Maybe.
8 inches or 200mm is the EA legal minimum for brown trout in England and Wales. Not sure about Scotland. I tend just to eat the ugly looking ones and return the ones I think of as beautiful. That said, I've not taken a brown trout in over 6 years as I've not caught an ugly one. I consider this affirmation of the science behind natural selection and eating only the ugly ones! 
Cheers for the replies.
The reason for the question was that I took one today that was badly hooked and bleeding profusely from the mouth and gills so I knocked it, thinking its chances weren't good.
Seems that my idea of small is not typical though, I've been feeling guilty about a fish that was 14" \ 350mm and a shade under a pound.
The reason for the question was that I took one today that was badly hooked and bleeding profusely from the mouth and gills so I knocked it, thinking its chances weren't good.
Seems that my idea of small is not typical though, I've been feeling guilty about a fish that was 14" \ 350mm and a shade under a pound.
What did it taste like?
Ikeep meaning to get down your neck of the woods to take advantge of the Wye and Usk Passport Angling scheme. Your'e right in the middle of some of the best and cheapest fly fishing in the country. Have you used it yet?
http://www.wyeuskfoundation.org/fishing/passport.php
Ive already picked out the Rivers and stretches I plan to go on.
Ikeep meaning to get down your neck of the woods to take advantge of the Wye and Usk Passport Angling scheme. Your'e right in the middle of some of the best and cheapest fly fishing in the country. Have you used it yet?
http://www.wyeuskfoundation.org/fishing/passport.php
Ive already picked out the Rivers and stretches I plan to go on.
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What did it taste like?
Ikeep meaning to get down your neck of the woods to take advantge of the Wye and Usk Passport Angling scheme. Your'e right in the middle of some of the best and cheapest fly fishing in the country. Have you used it yet?
http://www.wyeuskfoundation.org/fishing/passport.php
Ive already picked out the Rivers and stretches I plan to go on.
It tasted very good.
I've not used the passport scheme, I am in the incredibly spoiled position of being friendly with a farmer who owns, but doesn't use, the rights to a couple of miles of the Wye within a few minutes walk of home.
The water is not managed at all for fishing which can make casting interesting but there seems to be a very healthy population of browns that nobody else bothers. I've only had a few outings so far but my best is a cracking fish that was just under 3lb.
Steve
OoooOoo...Nice...3lb....Ive had one of those this year as well. Fin Perfect Wildie. Was that on the fly?
You'll have to post some photos.
The last few I've taken did not taste any good to me....The flesh is always a lot paler than a nice pinky supermarket bought trought. I had a sea trout in a restaraunt in glasgow a few years ago 'La Bonne Auberage,' which was absolutely delicious. I know people who have stocked up their freezers over a couple of seasons with literally hundreds of stocked rainbows from lakes, and couldnt give em away.
Theres something magical about our native Brownies. And youve got 2 miles of youtr own stretch?! Lucky B@**er!
You'll have to post some photos.
The last few I've taken did not taste any good to me....The flesh is always a lot paler than a nice pinky supermarket bought trought. I had a sea trout in a restaraunt in glasgow a few years ago 'La Bonne Auberage,' which was absolutely delicious. I know people who have stocked up their freezers over a couple of seasons with literally hundreds of stocked rainbows from lakes, and couldnt give em away.
Theres something magical about our native Brownies. And youve got 2 miles of youtr own stretch?! Lucky B@**er!
Any size if it's from clean unstocked water - there is no legal size in Scotland, except if you're selling them.
Remember, a 6" trout from a peaty burn may be the same age as a 5-pounder from a loch on/fed by limestone.
The reason stocked rainbows & some stocked brownies taste crap is that they're FED crap.
Loch Leven silvery & pink-fleshed trout were widely bucketed biologically (transported by pony & pannier) in the 19th century and have survived in many hill lochs to this day. Same, but only with a few, brook trout, from USA! One very high hill loch also supports an American fresh-water shrimp, introduced at the same time as its Loch Levens - but this loch is assisted naturally by limestone.
Some irresponsible landowners limed lochs, introduced trout which then grew large, but never limed again = eel-like trout...
Many Scottish hill lochs are over-populated with small trout, a result of limited food and an abundance of spawning tributaries, I have no problem in taking as many as I can eat - small ones taste great fried in oatmeal.
Their bigger brethren, from fertile lochs, taste great simply steamed or gently boiled - I only take one of those for the pot though.
Remember, a 6" trout from a peaty burn may be the same age as a 5-pounder from a loch on/fed by limestone.
The reason stocked rainbows & some stocked brownies taste crap is that they're FED crap.
Loch Leven silvery & pink-fleshed trout were widely bucketed biologically (transported by pony & pannier) in the 19th century and have survived in many hill lochs to this day. Same, but only with a few, brook trout, from USA! One very high hill loch also supports an American fresh-water shrimp, introduced at the same time as its Loch Levens - but this loch is assisted naturally by limestone.
Some irresponsible landowners limed lochs, introduced trout which then grew large, but never limed again = eel-like trout...
Many Scottish hill lochs are over-populated with small trout, a result of limited food and an abundance of spawning tributaries, I have no problem in taking as many as I can eat - small ones taste great fried in oatmeal.
Their bigger brethren, from fertile lochs, taste great simply steamed or gently boiled - I only take one of those for the pot though.
I usually just take the first one from my local river, South calder water...average size is 6oz but i've had them up to the 2lb mark and hooked even bigger. On a good day when the water is just running off it can be a double figures catch day if you know how to fish the water. chest waders and trot a worm...it's too over grown for the fly in the summer months.
Thank you Nic a char, because that's how I mind the wee trout. Caught, gutted and fried in butter just as fresh as they could possibly be. Looked like big sardines in the pan.
I'm allergic to fish, but my Dad wasn't and neither are my brothers.
They usually just guddled for them though, none of this fly fishing palaver
Granny dressed them with oatmeal and it made a kind of skirlie to go with them.
M
I'm allergic to fish, but my Dad wasn't
and neither are my brothers.They usually just guddled for them though, none of this fly fishing palaver
Granny dressed them with oatmeal and it made a kind of skirlie to go with them.
M
Thank you Nic a char, because that's how I mind the wee trout. Caught, gutted and fried in butter just as fresh as they could possibly be. Looked like big sardines in the pan.
I'm allergic to fish, but my Dad wasn't
They usually just guddled for them though, none of this fly fishing palaver
Granny dressed them with oatmeal and it made a kind of skirlie to go with them.
M
Yup.that's the way to eat 'em. A couple of wee brownies (though I also have blue & rainbow close to me). Cleaned, rolled in oats and pepper & fried in butter. Skirrlie, onions and some boiled new tatties and a mug of strong tea.
That or fried with bacon and eggs for breakfast.
Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
Hi Guys, There is a school of thought that says we should only take the small fish and leave the adult breading fish alone, I can see the logic behind the idea when it takes a fish up here, in colder water, so much longer reach breeding age.
My first rainbow was from a stocked pond and it tasted vile , caught a big Ferox once, plenty o meat, the tasted was ok, give me Seatrout any day.
I don't do a lot of fishing, but only from the benefit of experience on landing fish, the vast majority of my fish go back in the water with just a sore lip, regardless of size, if its a bonny fish, alive and not to damaged it goes back the water, the only fish I keep and cook were the fish to badly damaged to return or dead on the bank. Now I just wish I could make skirlie like my dad.
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"we should only take the small fish and leave the adult breading fish alone"
Though I can tell a salmon parr from a trout, I can't tell a mature burn trout from an immature trout just by looking.
I know a loch where you get 3 trout to EVERY cast - we soon got bored, even at the age of 16 in the '60's, but I take youngsters there to learn fly-fishing.
The biggest one so far was 12oz but even the wee ones have milt or eggs in September.
Gods don't kill people - people who believe in Gods kill people...
Though I can tell a salmon parr from a trout, I can't tell a mature burn trout from an immature trout just by looking.
I know a loch where you get 3 trout to EVERY cast - we soon got bored, even at the age of 16 in the '60's, but I take youngsters there to learn fly-fishing.
The biggest one so far was 12oz but even the wee ones have milt or eggs in September.
Gods don't kill people - people who believe in Gods kill people...
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