# Rainbow Trout -- a first for me



## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

A buddy stocked a small pond with rainbow trout. I was thinking 8 inchers but these are man-growed. He told me they couldn't get them to bite anything. Challenge accepted.

After a few casts hooked into the first one. Good fight but weird. I really thought I had a catfish at first.

Got it landed and kept it for dinner. FIshed for a while more, no luck. So I decided to toss a red Culprit worm for bass. Had a good hit and.... another trout! This one was hooked deep so kept it too.

My buddy showed up and started fishing. I caught 2 smaller trout and released them. He hooked a giant trout (he said some they released were 7 lbs) but it got off. Later he caught one about 5 lbs, released it.

I caught one more at the end of the day for 5 caught by me, several pulled hooks, and a damned good time. They were also excellent fried! Alabama trout... whoda thunkit.


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## jwilson1978 (Mar 23, 2021)

hjorgan said:


> A buddy stocked a small pond with rainbow trout. I was thinking 8 inchers but these are man-growed. He told me they couldn't get them to bite anything. Challenge accepted.
> 
> After a few casts hooked into the first one. Good fight but weird. I really thought I had a catfish at first.
> 
> ...


Sounds and looks like a good time and pretty fish! Cole slaw looks Damn good! The only time I have had trout was not a fan. But it was store bought and probably farm raised. It was bad But then again I can't do farm raised Cats ether so I will not say its bad. Until I have had a wild one.


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## Corpsman (Oct 3, 2007)

That's super cool. I didn't think they could stand the temps. What part of Alabama?


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Fresh fried trout is awesome...got a lot of bones though. When we go to NC we usually catch em on crickets like bream fishing!!! Cool thats in Bama!


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## etrade92 (Jul 30, 2015)

Thanks for sharing, that is cool! I too thought they were very sensitive to water temps.


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## silverking (Feb 11, 2010)

Cool. A doctor friend of mine in Tallahassee has a couple ponds on his property and he stocks Kamloop rainbows every year around November. They will survive in warmer water but don't feed well, so he removes them and sells the fish in late spring. In the winter months, he allows fly fishing only and they are great fun on a 4-5 weight rod. Wooly Buggers and some nymphs will fool 'em, but they really love the Fish Pellet fly.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Above, yes these fish won't survive the summer. Central Alabama temps in the 100s will cook them in the pond. We will see though, stranger things have happened.


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## Sea Rover (Jan 15, 2008)

silverking said:


> Cool. A doctor friend of mine in Tallahassee has a couple ponds on his property and he stocks Kamloop rainbows every year around November. They will survive in warmer water but don't feed well, so he removes them and sells the fish in late spring. In the winter months, he allows fly fishing only and they are great fun on a 4-5 weight rod. Wooly Buggers and some nymphs will fool 'em, but they really love the Fish Pellet fly.


My son and I fished a heavily stocked and managed stream in TN that we couldn't get the trout to bite anything we had. I am going to have to try some food pellet wet flies next time! You could literally hit these trout on the nose while nymphing and they wouldn't bite but they went ballistic for feeder food.


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## Walton County (Aug 23, 2016)

hjorgan said:


> Above, yes these fish won't survive the summer. Central Alabama temps in the 100s will cook them in the pond. We will see though, stranger things have happened.


So they stocked them that big? I was thinking how crazy they stocked fingerlings and survived a long time to get quite big. That is really neat.


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## stevenattsu (Apr 24, 2009)

My brother stocks them at his place in NE Alabama


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## Corpsman (Oct 3, 2007)

stevenattsu said:


> My brother stocks them at his place in NE Alabama


How big are they when they put them in?


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## stevenattsu (Apr 24, 2009)

Corpsman said:


> How big are they when they put them in?


Around 8 inches


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

Seems like they could be stocked someplace like Kruel Lake ( Munson Pool) That thing is spring fed and stays cold year round.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Both the trout I cleaned were full of eggs. It may be possible to have them reproduce if you have flowing cold water. I think the eggs were 1/4 of their weight


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## Piercfh (Aug 26, 2013)

Excellent gutted and grilled whole. We never have been able to just wear them out in a pond though. Just a few a piece. What were you originally using to catch them? If you're fishing a pond with a feeder, then pop the top off the feeder and burry a fish pellet on the hook. Throw a handful of feed out for chum.

I haven't done it but there are trout released in the sipsey fork I believe. You can google it and find out when the best times to fish that area is. A guy from work went up there and was able to catch some.


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## jwilson1978 (Mar 23, 2021)

Piercfh said:


> Excellent gutted and grilled whole. We never have been able to just wear them out in a pond though. Just a few a piece. What were you originally using to catch them? If you're fishing a pond with a feeder, then pop the top off the feeder and burry a fish pellet on the hook. Throw a handful of feed out for chum.
> 
> I haven't done it but there are trout released in the sipsey fork I believe. You can google it and find out when the best times to fish that area is. A guy from work went up there and was able to catch some.


Guy down the road catches a lot of them up there. I think he said he catches most of them in the tail water of the Smith lake dam. But also catches some down stream to.


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## nb&twil (Oct 2, 2007)

Yep. Right below Smith has a stretch of river with trout. Beautiful landscape right there. You have to remind yourself you’re in Dixie. Could easily pass for a different locale. 
When I worked for Berkley, one of the top selling Powerbait colors was always “hatchery pellet.” Very fun fish. Tasty when fried (then again, what isn’t?!).


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## lettheairout (Mar 11, 2008)

Go get a can of whole kernel corn. Few pieces on a hook. 

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Power bait also works. Usually out-fishes corn.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

OK today went out to the pond with whole kernel corn. It worked. Wife caught 1 and I caught 3. All released to fight another day.


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