Tremont report from Sunday

[BlueRaiderFan]

Originally Posted by brownhunter

One minor correction though, that isn't a brown in the pic, but a rainbow. Just trying to clear any misconceptions.

By the way, nice looking fish and thanks for sharing with the rest of us.

That's a rainbow in my pic? I really thought it was a brown. It looks completely different from the rainbows I have caught in Townsend.

[PeteCz]

The reason why fish from Townsend and the park differ is stocked v. wild. Stockers seem to be usually whiter/pinker than park rainbows.

Take a look at this site for some good pictures of each species
http://www.troutnut.com/pictures/of-trout

Keep in mind that fish in different streams can look different, as well, due to the fact that the breeding is not controlled in the park (like hatcheries), so some variation has crept into each species.

[Rog 1]

I have been fishing these waters for almost 50 years....the plastic freezer bad has always worked to keep any fish that I have kept...occasionally rinse the fish with some fresh water....in the old days with the wicker creels you would wet several fern leaves and evaporation would keep the fish fresh...have never cleaned my fish until ready to leave the river and have never had any go bad.....

[Brian Griffing]

Pete,
I had always built small cairns along streams as I moved (I kept a lot of fish when I was a kid), and then cut the "Y" out of a willow branch along the stream when I was done to string the fish. Having learned that this practice is frowned upon in the GSMNP, I keep a small stringer in the bottom of the pouch I clip to my belt. On Sunday I strung the fish and attached him to my belt, letting him hang far enough down that he dipped into the water everytime I waded into the stream and crouched a little. I wasn't very far from the truck, and I knew I'd be leaving soon, otherwise I would probably have pinned the stringer under a rock in some shallow. moving water and come back for it.
I cooked him on the grill on a sheet of tin foil with some lemon juice and pepper. He curled up within seconds and cooked through within three or four minutes. My daughter tried a little but wasn't too impressed, even after I meticulously peeled the meet of the backbone, removed the skin and poked through the flesh catching every little rib that tried to sneak its way onto her plate. All that for "I don't think I really like it, Daddy." Oh well, maybe she'll like it later. After all, she developed a real taste for venison this last fall, and she is already asking when I am going to bring a turkey home.

[fishNlady]

We occasionally keep a few stockers from the tailwaters. But normally don't keep any park fish.

When we do go to the tailwaters planning to keep a couple for dinner. We use a wicker creel.

[Rog 1]

I have eaten trout from the Park waters since I can remember coming to my grandparents home for the summer....my grandfather and uncle would stockpile enough for the family's first meal....they were dusted in cornmeal from the mill in Sevierville and fired up brown and crispy...still the only fish I have ever eaten that were served with the heads on....pull off the dorsel and lateral fins and eat them like corn on the cob....I will usually keep enough to eat a meal each fall on my annual trip....the flesh is sweet and firm and cannot compare with a stocker....if you ever get a chance to clean one of each at the same time the differences are striking....from the color and texture of the flesh to the color of the organs....totally different fish.

[Brian Griffing]

Something I forgot to add...
I cut open the fish's stomach to see what he had been eating and it was pretty full. Most of it was completely undiscernable black digested muck, but there was a very large recently eaten cricket taking up most of the stomach. Not really all that important, just something I found interesting.

[BlueRaiderFan]

Originally Posted by PeteCz

The reason why fish from Townsend and the park differ is stocked v. wild. Stockers seem to be usually whiter/pinker than park rainbows.

Take a look at this site for some good pictures of each species
http://www.troutnut.com/pictures/of-trout

Keep in mind that fish in different streams can look different, as well, due to the fact that the breeding is not controlled in the park (like hatcheries), so some variation has crept into each species.

Pete, thanks for the info. I'm a newbie to the park streams and don't know much. I learned a tonfrom the guys at LRO. I thought I was going to bug them to death last weekend.

[ttas67]

I've never kept any from the park, but have thought about it. question: if I clean them on the stream, is it acceptable to throw the guts back in the stream, or am I supposed to bury them or something?

[russ]

Originally Posted by ttas67

I've never kept any from the park, but have thought about it. question: if I clean them on the stream, is it acceptable to throw the guts back in the stream, or am I supposed to bury them or something?

When i keep fish I always clean them at the stream and throw the guts back in the water. It is easier and cleaner for me plus I figure i am giving something back to the ecosystem that would have ate that fish when it died. I don't know if there is a law concerning cleaning a fish in the park though. Probably is somewhere.