by Bill Whitney

Created on: January 08, 2009

Being blessed to live in the state of Colorado and a chance to fish in some of the best trout streams, rivers, and lakes in the country is a true blessing. We have Rainbows, Brookies, and German Browns from pan sized to some pretty good sized fish. One of my Navy buddies lives in Yellville Arkansas on the White River which is also home to some record breaking trout. I fish for trout several times a year and they are some of the best eating fish there is out there.

There are many,many good ways to cook trout. How I cook them depends a lot on the size of the fish I catch but they are good about anyway you could think of to cook them. I have had them fried, baked, blackened, broiled, grilled, and smoked. The big secret to cooking trout is to not overcook them and dry them out. The small ones make good ones to fry and the larger ones are good to fillet and make several different ways.. Cook them however you like them best.

The very best way to cook them and definitely my favorite ways is to cut their heads off, clean them well in cold water, dredge them in your favorite coating and put them in a large cast iron skillet over a campfire right there beside the lake or river. I always have a six-pack of cold ones in the lake or river and when they get fried up, put two or three on a plate, crack open a cold one and enjoy some of the best eating in the whole world. I don't think that is anything much better than fresh fried trout.

The bigger trout I like to clean and bring home on ice and then throw them on the smoker with a good mesquite or fruit wood smoke and let them slowly smoke for three or four hours till the meat flakes easily with a fork I like to season them with Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning and turn them once while they are smoking Smoking it for to long will dry it out and it will be like trout jerky. Good but better moist and flaky.

For my coating I always take a jar with me of premixed coating. I use equal parts of flour and white cornmeal with garlic salt, onion powder and just a bit of cayenne pepper. You can try different combinations and different spices till you get wha you like best.

If the trout are big ones and you can get some nice fillets these are really good baked in the oven with lime juice and seasonings or make a good beer batter and deep fry them.

Trout is without a doubt some of the best eating fish that there is in God's great universe. Any way you cook it it is good as long as you don't overcook it. Trout is very high in the desirable Omega III fatty acids and that is very good for you. So get out your fly rod or your fishing pole and get to your favorite stream or lake and catch some of the best fish in the world.

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