Not the kind in the sky but the slippery ones:
http://chronicle.com/article/One-Strange-Fish-Tale/64348/. The book argues that the world went crazy overboard in stocking rainbow trout and the result is that native fisheries have suffered. It's a complicated issue.
http://chronicle.com/article/One-Strange-Fish-Tale/64348/. The book argues that the world went crazy overboard in stocking rainbow trout and the result is that native fisheries have suffered. It's a complicated issue.
My only experience in catching rainbows has sadly been those temporary pools set up at outdoor shows, where children are given a rod with a tiny hook and a speck of yellow bait on the end. Sort of fun to see your kids come away with a successful landing but the overall experience has always been pathetic to me--it's not a proud moment for the trout, hoisted up for all to see and returned to live the fate all over again in the glorified wading pool.
They release rainbows in various rivers and lakes in Texas each winter and people enjoy catching them and the trout certainly do justice to a skillet. However, it's rare that a rainbow survives the hellish summer months as water temps go above and beyond their comfort range, or they're assaulted by floating pods of fire ants from occasionally heavy spring rains. For most Texans, trout means the coastal variety, the speckled trout which is prized for its fighting ability and delicate flesh. A 25 to 35 inch "momma" trout is about as good as it gets for shallow water fishermen--I know many who will eschew any other variety to hunt them. I can hardly call myself a fisherman now since I haven't been in over a year and would have difficulty rounding up my gear if invited but I used to catch a fair amount. In fact, I once had a lifetime trout within my grasp during the final hours of a tournament, only to see the monster spit the lure as I landed her. Cost me some cash, too. It's like they say: you remember the one that got away and I've never forgotten that fish. A great, great fight that I thought I had won only to see it drift away at the end. Like a lot of things in life, I'm afraid.
I've got a lot of fishing stories but not enough time. We'll save 'em for later when I'm in a proper mood for lying.
1 comment:
I grew up fishing for rainbow trout in N. Arkansas with my dad. Funny that the experience today is almost identical to when I was just a child: getting to the river well before dawn (even though we long ago proved that time of day was virtually irrelevant to when we would catch them), driving my dads flat bottom boat with a motor that is always hinting it will never start again, coming around the corner to our favorite spot hoping that no one was already there, watching fish swim around us tempting us to throw a lure their way even though "you can never catch _those_ fish", eating terribly unhealthy honey-buns from the gas station, spending a lot of time looking out for Game & Fish so we dont get caught with too many poles in the water, and then the always fun game of trying to catch the fish in the live well with your bare hands to toss them back since no one wanted to take them home and clean them. Of course, somewhere in there you catch a fish or two, but that's always been secondary to the trip itself.
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