View Full Version : cooking trout
Thumper 2006
11-29-2004, 10:44
what is the best way to cook trout on the trail. I have found that fileting them is not really an option, even with a very sharp Gerber knife.
what is the best way to cook trout on the trail. I have found that fileting them is not really an option, even with a very sharp Gerber knife.
Over a wood fire. Whole.
Most trout found in streams and ponds near the trail are pretty small. Just fry them in a little butter or oil with a bit of salt and pepper. Coating the fish in a bit of corn meal or even flour helps, but is not worth carrying for that purpose alone. Once the flesh is cooked the bones come out easily all in one piece. Just eat the skin.
I carry a homemade bisquit mix, which I cook up for pancakes and such. I dip my occasional fish in a bit of that.
Weary
The Solemates
11-29-2004, 11:33
Down by the Chattooga (where you may be talking about) on fishing and goofing-off weekends (rather than hiking), we would bring a 12" frying pan and a pint of cooking oil, chop the head off, spill the guts, and cook em up whole.
Down by the Chattooga (where you may be talking about) on fishing and goofing-off weekends (rather than hiking), we would bring a 12" frying pan and a pint of cooking oil, chop the head off, spill the guts, and cook em up whole.
If you are looking for a hiking trail with AWESOME fishing, the Foothills Trail in SC fits the bill. The Chattooga, Horespasture, Whitewater, Thompson & Toxaway Rivers all hold nice fish, as does the Lake Jocassee.
The Solemates
11-29-2004, 11:38
If you are looking for a hiking trail with AWESOME fishing, the Foothills Trail in SC fits the bill. The Chattooga, Horespasture, Whitewater, Thompson & Toxaway Rivers all hold nice fish, as does the Lake Jocassee.
Indeed. We've spent countless weekends doing just that. With lots of water skiing in there too. And lets not forget Lake Keowee, just downstream.
The Solemates
11-29-2004, 11:42
MOW,
Since you live in the area, Ive been interested in taking a long weekend and hiking the 35 miles or so of trail near Signal Mountain. ie, doing a big loop with the terminus of the cumberland trail. have you done this? how is it?
I was camping with two other hikers at the Little Swift River Pond Campsite in Maine on my thru-hike in July 2000 and was offered freshly caught trout by some local fishermen. The three beautiful, brightly colored native Brook Trout were between 9 and 12 inches long. After gutting and cleaning them we stuck them on pointed sticks and slowly roasted them over the hot coals of our campfire. The fish were delicious, the flesh was as orange as that of salmon!
We usually carry a small fish basket to grill them over hardwood coals. Marinate with a little olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.
Like this, but dollar store cheep:
http://www.barbecue-store.com/fishtailgrillingbasket.htm
The fish were delicious, the flesh was as orange as that of salmon!
Yeah Lobo, nothing like wild trout! In New Milford, New York, about 2 miles off of the AT, Wawayanda Creek holds a few wild trout, despite the NYS DEC's attempts to subdue them with inferior hatchery raised trout. I caught a 16" wild brown (non-native - but reproducing naturally) in the creek about 8-10 years ago. I could tell immediately it was a wild fish from the brilliant colors. Hatchery fish are generally dull with their dorsal and pectoral fins abraised from the concrete walls of the holdng tanks.
When I cleaned the fish I was astounded by the orange color of the flesh. I was also somewhat surprised to see the fish had been gorging on crayfish. It was loaded with 'em!
BTW, AT hikers cross Wawayanda Creek in Vernon, NJ just before they cross the train tracks and hit the road crossing for the produce farm and the Vernon Church Hostel.
Another great place to fish along the AT is the Wallkill River. No trout, but plenty of feisty Smallmouth. I would not eat anything from that body of water however. It passes too many farms along the way.
Thumper 2006
11-29-2004, 13:32
Did any of you guys catch trout on the AT if so how. I have a backpackers fly rod that i carry around in south carolina and also a small spinning reel but these are to much extra to carry with me on my trip. Give me some other ways of doing this
"Everything is on its way somwhere"
Use a hand line. Tie the end to a soad bottle and wrap10 or 20 yards of line arount the middle of the bottle and tape it in place when not useing it. Just drop in your bated hook or fly and let it drift down stream, wrap the line around the bottle again to bring it in. Good luck! Tie on a stick for a bobber if you need to throw it into a pond and need more weight.
cyclocrosser
01-09-2005, 14:13
Cut off the head, slice open the belly and pull out the intrails, get a stick that forks at one end, insert each prong of the stick into opp. sides of the sliced open belly. Add salt and pepper (lemon and butter if you have it) and cook it over a fire. Also good in stews, but watch out for the bones.
SiuWonfung
01-09-2005, 14:33
that sounds good, i'll be loking forward to some of that trout on our trip mr. cylcocrosser
If you pass through Boiling Springs, Pa., stop at the bar in the Boiling Springs Tavern (right on the lake) and get the smoked trout sandwich. :clap The dining room is kind of upscale, but we've spent many post-hike hours in the bar, stinky and dirty, and been treated great.
One of the best trout streams in the east, the Yellow Breeches Creek, flows through Boiling Springs.
Bloodroot
01-09-2005, 14:57
Cook over open fire. Season with olive oil, lemon, salt & pepper like TDale mentioned and wrap with aluminum foil.
I have also used cajun seasoning, pretty tasty that way too!
Clean the trout, roast it over the fire. While you are doing that melt pepper jack cheese and chedder in your pot. When trout is done pull pieces of trout off and put in the cheese and spread on crackers or on totillas.
Did any of you guys catch trout on the AT if so how. I have a backpackers fly rod that i carry around in south carolina and also a small spinning reel but these are to much extra to carry with me on my trip. Give me some other ways of doing this
"Everything is on its way somwhere"
man, all you need is a hand line and a small hook. catch yourself a spring lizzard and pinch its tail off about 1/2 the way and hook it through the nose. pinch the tail because brook trout are not big enough to eat the whole lizzard. no sinkers, they can see um. they can see you too, so stay low near the sides of the creeks. brook trout are pretty sneeky and skiddish. be careful, because the game warden is pretty sneeky too, and i'm pretty sure thru-hiker season and trout season are not at the same time. if you're goin' north on the trail, at the parking lot at standing indian, take a right (can't remember the name of the trail) and walk until you get to the creek. fish even where it's so small you think you shouldn't and on down stream from there. excellent.
fiddlehead
12-06-2005, 17:17
I'm gettin hungry reading this thread.
Keeping things simple, i agree with Cyclocrosser, use a stick to keep him open and roast away like a marshmallow, we did this on the cdt a few times.
But the best trout i've had was cooked in aluminum foil. Put an onion on the bottom (that way you can throw it into a hot fire and the onion will take the burn and not the fish), some butter and salt and pepper, (lemon pepper if you have it) and throw the whole thing in the fire. Turn it after about 5 minutes. Delicious.
Now i gotta go eat.
forgot to add: if you can get some ramps, which are in season in the spring and early summer (later too but they have a flower and look a little different), head em and gut em, put em with the ramps and some butter, and whatever other goodies you might have, in some tin foil. wrap it up and throw it in a hot fire for about 10 or 15 minutes. butter buds or molly mcbutter works too but not as well as the butter in the squeezie bottle. try not to over cook. all you really want to do is warm em up some.
Just Jeff
12-06-2005, 17:35
...but these are to much extra to carry with me on my trip. Give me some other ways of doing this
Here's a hiking pole / fishing pole combo:
http://siechert.org/adz/archive/2003_gear.htm
I saw a close-up of this somewhere, but can't recall where it was. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out a design, though.
Dirtbagger's hand fishing line:
http://www.mwestfall.addr.com/nigal/lwhomemade.htm
Down by the Chattooga (where you may be talking about) on fishing and goofing-off weekends (rather than hiking), we would bring a 12" frying pan and a pint of cooking oil, chop the head off, spill the guts, and cook em up whole.
You waste the head? Frying a trout is best done with the head ON. Just cut the throat/slit the belly and remove the innards. Then fry away. The fish cheeks are the best part!
rainmaker
12-08-2005, 00:26
While camping on the banks of the Chattooga near Sims Field , we would clean the trout that Madame caught on her ultra light Daiwa and cook them in the Bakepacker;lightly dusted with flour, a sprig of parsley and some lemon juice. We did not cook the fish I caught on my new backpacking graphite four piece flyfishing combo because I was to busy catching rhodendron, mountain laurel, and what I am convinced is a state record white pine.
soulrebel
12-08-2005, 09:02
lil butter lil oil
salt/pepper the filets
cook till done/put filets on plates
--squeeze lemon juice into skillet, toss in a some capers (the acid will clean the pan), add a lil more butter, stir it all around then pour over the fish and serve...
squirrel bait
12-08-2005, 09:31
As stated, carry 10-15 yards of six pound mono, two small jig heads, two or three colors of soft jig bodies. Wrap the line around one of your soda bottles towards the fat end, hold the bottle in your left hand by the neck, twirl the jig on about 12-15 inches of line, let fly towards target, you will get better with practice, and remember this, point the fat end of the bottle towards your direction of cast, works on the same principle as an open face spinning reel. Pull in with little jerks or whatever seems appropriate for the current. All the ways mentioned are good ways to cook fish, on a stick you will have a fish more towards fried, with tinfoil, towards broiled. But you want to more than hot it up, it ain't sushi grade, freshwater fish needs to be cooked, but hopefully not overdone. Good luck, try to obey the fishing regulations.
Streamweaver
12-08-2005, 11:34
I usually just clean the fish ,wrap it in foil with spices ,build a small fire and let it get down to coals. Then just lay the foil wrapped fish in the coals ,turn it a couple times and its ready.It dont take long and it beats cleaning a fry pan!!! :D
Footslogger
12-08-2005, 11:54
We did not cook the fish I caught on my new backpacking graphite four piece flyfishing combo because I was to busy catching rhodendron, mountain laurel, and what I am convinced is a state record white pine.
=================================
Precisely why I stick to my little ultralight shakespear rig. Fly casting for trout is an art form and I am not an artist.
'Slogger
jennings creek has stocked trout...i caught an ate one there as well as the day i hiked outta damascus
castro and i caught many small fish including trout, blue gill and large mouth bass...all along the AT in VA. the liscense was something like 65 bucks for state, trout stamp, as well as national forrest permit
I leap into the water, sieze the fish with my grimy hands and wolf it down live like Golem in Lord of the Rings. But, I'm primitive that way.
Ravendog
12-09-2005, 17:52
Hey Burns,
Care to include some details like tackle used, time of year, etc?
Thx.
For Virginia trout you're best off with ultralite spinning tackle and a grub jig in spring or minnow jig (like the one made by Gitz) in summer.
Ravendog
12-11-2005, 20:21
Thanks. No fly fishing?
Chef2000
12-11-2005, 21:00
Laurel creek in Hampton TN, along Dennis cove road is stalked during the season. Plenty of trout but remember you need a license to fish. Down south they take that pretty serious.
Just Jeff
12-11-2005, 23:13
In Georgia, my wife's grandfather got caught by the warden one time fishing in "illegal waters". There was a bridge that was the marker for the legal/illegal sections. He was on the legal side, but his fly floated down past the centerline of the bridge...which meant he was fishing illegally.
Yeah, they can take it pretty seriously down South.
darkstar
03-19-2006, 23:46
My personal favorite is to: Chop the head off, or hack it off as my wife would do.. Clean it, lightly rub the side of your knife on the sides of the fish to remove any scales. Then throw them in some foil w/ some salt, pepper, garlic, (and any other of your favorite spices that you carry, a little olive oil/or butter if you have it and put it on some hot coals for about 20 -30 minutes. Falls apart and melts in your mouth.. Nothing like meat on the trail
I pulled some nice browns out of the toccoa last week, first and second casts, but I let em go... Wasn't their day for the foil
Streamweaver
03-21-2006, 11:41
My personal favorite is to: Chop the head off, or hack it off as my wife would do.. Clean it, lightly rub the side of your knife on the sides of the fish to remove any scales. Then throw them in some foil w/ some salt, pepper, garlic, (and any other of your favorite spices that you carry, a little olive oil/or butter if you have it and put it on some hot coals for about 20 -30 minutes. Falls apart and melts in your mouth.. Nothing like meat on the trail
I pulled some nice browns out of the toccoa last week, first and second casts, but I let em go... Wasn't their day for the foil
20 minutes?? What comes out ? Ashes?! LOL 5-10 is usually plenty fer me!:-?
darkstar
03-22-2006, 00:17
Oh no, not at all. Well I guess if you put it on the flames. Put it off to the side and let the magic happen...