Mountain-Hawg Rainbow for smoking-NOW SMOKED Q-View

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mountainhawg

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jan 4, 2013
262
15
Mountains of Western NC
Been several years since I caught a rainbow this big while I have caught browns exceeding this recently. My possibilities are endless but I probably will smoke one fillet. The other will be cut into chunks and deep fried per wife. I thought about lox but it's not quite thick enough.Probably will go for smoking it. Freezing it now to kill the baddies. 

This fish was caught on a part of the river several miles from where trout are stocked and it had no hatchery scars. Native? Not sure, but a good possibility. We do get native born rainbows and brookies but it's mainly the browns that attain good size here.    


Scales were tared for the bowl


 
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Dang, that looks good. Send me some, please!? 
ROTF.gif


Have fun and...
 
Its seems very interesting. How did you catch them..? Because I find very difficult to catch them.

http://www.lacoteimmo.com/prix-de-l-immo/location/pays/france.htm
In winter and spring, I use night crawlers and small spinners. In early summer I use flies. The rainbow above was caught on a large fat night crawler on a size 8 hook on 4# test line. It takes some practice to catch trout, but the biggest things are patience, light line, light sinkers (split shot), light rod and reel, fish early or late in the day fishing, knowing where they like to lay in a stream followed by more patience. 
 
Nice Rainbow!!

Judging by the color of the flesh, I would say it has been in the wild for a couple years.

Bear
 
Good looking fish! Biggish rainbow for mainland Australia ,average for Tasmania! Browns are bigger here ,plenty of fluff chuckers (fly fisherman) & others chase them in the southern states.Lovely colour.

Those little hard bodies in trout colours by Rebel, Tilstan or Nilsmaster used to get me a few fish if I wasnt picking flies out of bushes & highstepping around brown or tiger snakes.
 
 
Good looking fish! Biggish rainbow for mainland Australia ,average for Tasmania! Browns are bigger here ,plenty of fluff chuckers (fly fisherman) & others chase them in the southern states.Lovely colour.

Those little hard bodies in trout colours by Rebel, Tilstan or Nilsmaster used to get me a few fish if I wasnt picking flies out of bushes & highstepping around brown or tiger snakes.
 
Thanks!

Got to get some trout in NZ when I was in Operation Deep Freeze for two years back in the '60's and stopped in NZ on the way down to the ice. I had read you all in OZ had some really nice fish in the south. Up here in the mountains, no poisonous water snakes and just a few copper heads and mountain rattlers that are no big concern with waders on. Only when reaching around the rocks and boulders that line our streams and rivers do we have to be careful.  

"Fluff Chuckers"- good one 
roflmao.gif
 
 
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New Zealand has outstanding trout fishing both Islands better than Australia.Its much colder & way more Alpine in the South Island. No Snakes
yahoo.gif
. A big trout out of one of our hydro dams or similiar lake would be 5 pound & up brown only. Best I did in creeks was 4 pound & he was an old fish. Thick bankside brush, pretty snaky in spring.Waders a plus

Tasmania different story.Alpine lakes + sea run trout.

My fishing now mostly salt since I sold cabin in mountains.

 

Less snakes but the odd critter to still remind you that just because your human dont mean you are always top of the food chain.I am 6 foot tall & 220 pounds on a good day. He was just under  1000 pounds. I didnt catch it ,just rescued the jaws because its a bit of local fishing legend that I didnt want to see thrown away. Tiger shark.

Dont mean to hijack your thread ,just thought as a fisherman you might be interested. MICK
 
Have ribs and jerky to do this weekend so plan on smoking the trout next weekend after a small brine and dry out in the fridge. I will post Q-View here for sure. I kind'a screwed the pooch by skinning both fillets. Should have kept the skin on the slab I'll smoke. It's ok I believe, I have Todd's mats to place it on so that will work for support.  

Love your post Moikel, You did not hijack the thread, it's about fishing mostly and you just joined in.
 
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Have ribs and jerky to do this weekend so plan on smoking the trout next weekend after a small brine and dry out in the fridge. I will post Q-View here for sure. I kind'a screwed the pooch by skinning both fillets. Should have kept the skin on the slab I'll smoke. It's ok I believe, I have Todd's mats to place it on so that will work for support.  

Love your post Moikel, You did not hijack the thread, it's about fishing mostly and you just joined in.
You'll be in good shape, since you'll be using Todd's mats. They will keep the fillets from sticking & falling apart. They will smoke much better without the skin on them anyway, since there won't be anything between the smoke & the flesh.

Bear
 
The incredible shrinking and color changing trout fillet!

Thawed out the fillet and the red changed to a normal pinkish color and shrunk down a bit. I used Bears salmon brine:  http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/91264/final-smoked-salmon-with-recipe-instructions-and-qview  and cut it down a bit due to the single and now skinny trout fillet:


Dried it off and went for the pellicile, the fillet shrunk some more!:


Smoked with Alder dust today and pulled at 143F:


Gots to love the Q-Mats:


Now wrapped up and will eat tomorrow. Sample tasting was a little salty (should have brined 2-3 hrs vice 31/2 hours due to fillet thinness) but very good to excellent taste!!!!! I think

next time I will use store bought salmon and brush lightly with honey pre smoke.
 
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24 Hours later (after smoke), the fish settled out and is excellent. A tiny bit salty but not bad at all. A splash of honey lightly brushed over the top pre-smoke would have been the best of all finishing touches.  
 
Looks good Hawg!!!

You're right a little shorter time would be better, because of how thin the fillets are.

Bear
 
Thanks!

Got to get some trout in NZ when I was in Operation Deep Freeze for two years back in the '60's and stopped in NZ on the way down to the ice. I had read you all in OZ had some really nice fish in the south. Up here in the mountains, no poisonous water snakes and just a few copper heads and mountain rattlers that are no big concern with waders on. Only when reaching around the rocks and boulders that line our streams and rivers do we have to be careful.  

"Fluff Chuckers"- good one 
roflmao.gif
 
IF ?? I got the tech stuff right there should be a clip of some NZ fluf chucking for you . Some prettt good fish & some very talented fisherman.
 
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