02-28-2014, 02:44 AM
I release most of my fish, but I eat quite a lot as well.
I still love trout. My fishing trips are usually all day kickers. In the summer time, I'll usually take a cooler with me, but if I'm on a hike, hopefully the water is cold enough to chill the fish while the day goes on.
Normally, I don't have many problems with table quality.
Where the meat has been mushy, there have been a few key similarities, which I now try to avoid:
Spawn season - Unless I hook a bleeder, cutts and spring-run bows go back in the water until late summer and beyond. Spring and early summer are typically off-limits for those. Berry cutts are the exception to this.
Just like those above, the fall-run species should be avoided in the fall.
Male fish - When male fish get a little bigger, they're really iffy for me. Sometimes they're just as good as anything, but most of my mushy fish have been big males. Again, Berry cutts are the exception. They're always good. ALWAYS.
Browns - It's probably just me, but I've mostly lost my taste for browns. I'll keep a bleeder, but the only good browns I find anymore are below the Soldier Creek Dam. They actually have pink flesh, compared to others. Great tasting browns in that tail water.
[signature]
I still love trout. My fishing trips are usually all day kickers. In the summer time, I'll usually take a cooler with me, but if I'm on a hike, hopefully the water is cold enough to chill the fish while the day goes on.
Normally, I don't have many problems with table quality.
Where the meat has been mushy, there have been a few key similarities, which I now try to avoid:
Spawn season - Unless I hook a bleeder, cutts and spring-run bows go back in the water until late summer and beyond. Spring and early summer are typically off-limits for those. Berry cutts are the exception to this.
Just like those above, the fall-run species should be avoided in the fall.
Male fish - When male fish get a little bigger, they're really iffy for me. Sometimes they're just as good as anything, but most of my mushy fish have been big males. Again, Berry cutts are the exception. They're always good. ALWAYS.
Browns - It's probably just me, but I've mostly lost my taste for browns. I'll keep a bleeder, but the only good browns I find anymore are below the Soldier Creek Dam. They actually have pink flesh, compared to others. Great tasting browns in that tail water.
[signature]