# Creek Fishing For Trout--Creek to Plate (do they taste good?)



## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

There are many streams, lakes, and ponds that get stocked annually with rainbow trout. An awesome opportunity to practice fly fishing or just to get some tug in your rod. This was my first attempt at a catch and cook report. I grabbed my waders and hit the local creek that gets stocked with trout from time to time. I wanted to see if the rumors were true about stocker trout tasting like dog food. The mission was simple, to catch some fish and make delicious tacos. The water temps were around the low 40s and snow flurries were scattered. The braid starts to freeze around 33 degrees and makes fishing difficult. I managed some fish and stayed somewhat warm during an awesome creek wade. Enjoy and have a safe winter season!


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

I prefer mine on the grill whole. Well mainly whole minus the entrails and head. Used to fish the stocked lakes and reservoirs when my boy was young. I’ve never filleted a trout and made taco’s so can’t say it’s good or bad tho. I prefer to use whitebass and sometimes catfish taco’s.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

I've always wondered about the "dog food" taste people say they have. I mean if that was true wouldn't saugeye meat taste like shad? 
I'll have to watch and find out what you think. I'm not a big fish eater so haven't tried them yet. My lab goes absolutely insane over them though!


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## privateer (Apr 26, 2012)

all the farm raised fish eat the same thing - purina fish food... cattle is fed a supplement from same company...

so, all will taste the same then...


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

Morrowtucky Mike said:


> I prefer mine on the grill whole. Well mainly whole minus the entrails and head. Used to fish the stocked lakes and reservoirs when my boy was young. I’ve never filleted a trout and made taco’s so can’t say it’s good or bad tho. I prefer to use whitebass and sometimes catfish taco’s.


I know one thing saugeye and crappie are very good taco-style.. the rainbow trout tacos were surprisingly good..


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

privateer said:


> all the farm raised fish eat the same thing - purina fish food... cattle is fed a supplement from same company...
> 
> so, all will taste the same then...


I didn't really get a Purina fish food taste at all.. yea a bit fishy but we are eating fish after all. I am sure after a few more weeks the meat would taste a bit better


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

Saugeyefisher said:


> I've always wondered about the "dog food" taste people say they have. I mean if that was true wouldn't saugeye meat taste like shad?
> I'll have to watch and find out what you think. I'm not a big fish eater so haven't tried them yet. My lab goes absolutely insane over them though!


The very reason I did this video. My buddies have all baked fish from this same creek and never once said they tasted like "dog food". I wont lie and say its the best thing I have ever eaten but it certainly wasn't a dog food taste at all.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

It's a shame they won't do a delayed harvest program on that place. It would prolong the fish numbers a bit and get more use out of the resource. Straight put-and-take is a waste of the resource, in my unqualified opinion.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

They do not taste like dog food because fish feeds are formulated completely different then mammal feeds. They are higher in fat, protein and contain fish/seafood meals and oils. Purina makes the worse fish food, most hatcheries feed diets from companies that specialize in fish feeds. They formulate so that the fish have as close as possible nutrients they'd get in the wild. Way back in the 70s and early 80s the fish diets were pretty poor and an off flavor was very common. It became an issue and in the late 70s the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service initiated a diet steering committee and partnered with universities, states and feed manufacturers to develop better diets that would be closer to what they naturally eat. By the late 80s fish diets had improved immensely and the health and growth of hatchery fish improved greatly. i know this because I was part of it, not hearsay.


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

Thank you Southernsaug, I love it when knowledge and truth is injected into a debate. Properly prepared fresh caught stream run trout is one of the very best tasting fish there is, in my opinion. And ‘properly prepare’ is a very simple venture, overthinking cooking trout normally results in overcooking trout.


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

Southernsaug said:


> They do not taste like dog food because fish feeds are formulated completely different then mammal feeds. They are higher in fat, protein and contain fish/seafood meals and oils. Purina makes the worse fish food, most hatcheries feed diets from companies that specialize in fish feeds. They formulate so that the fish have as close as possible nutrients they'd get in the wild. Way back in the 70s and early 80s the fish diets were pretty poor and an off flavor was very common. It became an issue and in the late 70s the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service initiated a diet steering committee and partnered with universities, states and feed manufacturers to develop better diets that would be closer to what they naturally eat. By the late 80s fish diets had improved immensely and the health and growth of hatchery fish improved greatly. i know this because I was part of it, not hearsay.


thanks for the lesson!!! I love learning about this kinda stuff.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

I'm amazed how many of ya have tasted dog food....lol


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

TClark said:


> I'm amazed how many of ya have tasted dog food....lol


Apparently, Purina is the food to try..lol


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

I honestly don't care for the flavor of salmonidae fish. It's not horrible, but sure ain't walleye or crappie.
Fun and easy to catch and make great catfish baits due to their oiliness.


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

TClark said:


> I honestly don't care for the flavor of salmonidae fish. It's not horrible, but sure ain't walleye or crappie.
> Fun and easy to catch and make great catfish baits due to their oiliness.


My dad used to catch those trout and use them for flathead bait.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

I pass on trout and salmon as well. Fun to catch, but go back in the water


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## kycreek (May 31, 2006)

Same here... Love to catch them, just not a fan of the taste. I'll stick to the crappie.


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## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

I hate those slimy creatures, they are very fragile fish too. I only catch incidentals bass fishing, but their mouths get torn up pretty bad sometimes.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

*Bass Assasin Slaton, If you like eating them, save the heads and use an 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook for flatties.
Fillet mignon to them. *


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Same here guys. I tried some I smoked up for my dog and did not care for it. Absolutely love to fish for them though.
Thanks for the lesson as well...

I've seen pigpatrol josh use them for cats.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I don't care what they feed them in the hatcheries, there's a huge difference (in my opinion, from my experience) in eating a stocked fish vs a wild fish. I've only eaten wild trout a few times, but it's much better eating than any stocked trout. Stuffed with butter and some herbs, wrapped in foil and buried in the coals of a campfire, it's pretty awesome.

And for anyone whose only experience trout fishing is in a stocked stream like this or a stocked lake, it's not remotely the same experience _fishing_ for stocked trout, either.


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

TClark said:


> *Bass Assasin Slaton, If you like eating them, save the heads and use an 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook for flatties.
> Fillet mignon to them. *


my father did this growing up lol..he would catch giants


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

TheCream said:


> I don't care what they feed them in the hatcheries, there's a huge difference (in my opinion, from my experience) in eating a stocked fish vs a wild fish. I've only eaten wild trout a few times, but it's much better eating than any stocked trout. Stuffed with butter and some herbs, wrapped in foil and buried in the coals of a campfire, it's pretty awesome.
> 
> And for anyone whose only experience trout fishing is in a stocked stream like this or a stocked lake, it's not remotely the same experience _fishing_ for stocked trout, either.


Not everyone has access to wild trout unfortunately or obviously, that's where I would go. It's just nice to get some action during the winter months when the real fish that swim in the Hocking river have lockjaw lol


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Bass Assasin Slaton said:


> Not everyone has access to wild trout unfortunately or obviously, that's where I would go. It's just nice to get some action during the winter months when the real fish that swim in the Hocking river have lockjaw lol


Oh I know, as a fly fisherman living in SE Ohio, it's all we have in this part of the state for trout. But a car that runs, one day, and a little ambition can put you on wild fish in WV or PA. I do "day trips" to WV every year. Up early, getting into the mountains at daybreak, home that night. It's very do-able and a much better experience (in my opinion) if you don't have time for an overnight. Of course, if you only have a few hours, Clear Creek is a great and better option.

That's why I think a delayed harvest would make it a much better experience. Instead of half of the fish being taken out in 10 days, let them scatter and survive for a few months. They're mostly going to die in the summer, so by all means keep some and eat them if that's your thing. But if the keeping part didn't start until, like February or March, the creek would fish great for a few months instead of a week or two.


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

TheCream said:


> Oh I know, as a fly fisherman living in SE Ohio, it's all we have in this part of the state for trout. But a car that runs, one day, and a little ambition can put you on wild fish in WV or PA. I do "day trips" to WV every year. Up early, getting into the mountains at daybreak, home that night. It's very do-able and a much better experience (in my opinion) if you don't have time for an overnight. Of course, if you only have a few hours, Clear Creek is a great and better option.
> 
> That's why I think a delayed harvest would make it a much better experience. Instead of half of the fish being taken out in 10 days, let them scatter and survive for a few months. They're mostly going to die in the summer, so by all means keep some and eat them if that's your thing. But if the keeping part didn't start until, like February or March, the creek would fish great for a few months instead of a week or two.


I would love to find some wild trout within a few hours of my place here in Athens. I do think the trout fishing would be a heck of a lot more fun if they were given some time to adjust to the creek. But like you mentioned the reality is they will more than likely die. I appreciate the tips if you have any good public streams in mind send me a message. Thank you!


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## bubbster (Jun 2, 2013)

Bass Assasin Slaton said:


> I didn't really get a Purina fish food taste at all.. yea a bit fishy but we are eating fish after all. I am sure after a few more weeks the meat would taste a bit better


Smoker is good also !


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Bass Assasin Slaton said:


> I would love to find some wild trout within a few hours of my place here in Athens. I do think the trout fishing would be a heck of a lot more fun if they were given some time to adjust to the creek. But like you mentioned the reality is they will more than likely die. I appreciate the tips if you have any good public streams in mind send me a message. Thank you!


The basic "rule" I follow in WV has worked well for me to get on wild rainbows and brook trout. Look on a map at the stocked streams. Find the bigger tribs off the stocked rivers that flow on public/National Forest land, and hit them. You can obviously fish the stocked streams, but I personally hate combat fishing and being around the stock truck chasers. That's a real thing down there. People follow the stock truck when they see it and fish wherever it leaves immediately. If you want a more peaceful experience away from people on the stocked waters, look into the sections marked C&R only because they rarely get hit and they usually have big fish. My biggest WV fish have all come in C&R sections.


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## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

TheCream said:


> The basic "rule" I follow in WV has worked well for me to get on wild rainbows and brook trout. Look on a map at the stocked streams. Find the bigger tribs off the stocked rivers that flow on public/National Forest land, and hit them. You can obviously fish the stocked streams, but I personally hate combat fishing and being around the stock truck chasers. That's a real thing down there. People follow the stock truck when they see it and fish wherever it leaves immediately. If you want a more peaceful experience away from people on the stocked waters, look into the sections marked C&R only because they rarely get hit and they usually have big fish. My biggest WV fish have all come in C&R sections.


thanks for the advice!


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## sjwano (Sep 13, 2018)

Similar challenge this summer - we tried sheepshead for the first time. Can’t keep them out of the boat on Erie at times and so we said why not and picked a single younger specimen. I had heard to cook them like lobster (basically poach and serve in a vat of butter). It was…Ok. Nothing to me beats walleye so it wasn’t really a competition. I won’t go out of my way to cook it again but in a pinch you can do worse.


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## Bvil (Sep 28, 2019)

I've only had trout a few times with mixed results.
A bunch of lake trout caught in Traverse Bay while trolling for salmon. Grilled with olive oil, Old Bay and a squeeze of lemon is pretty decent.
Rainbows that my kids caught the same day that the state released them for a fishing derby. Grilled or fried, everyone agreed that they were not very good.
Rainbows from a small stream in Yellowstone NP over charcoal were fantastic. Kind of reminded me of spring bullhead cooked in campfire coals.


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