Fish of the Month
Trout
The two main types are Rainbow and Brown. Rainbow grow larger than brown – up to 8kg.
Trout prefer colder water so are found mainly in deep water dams and creeks.
Their feeding is triggered by –
a) rising water – they feed around newly inundated edges
b) after spawning
c) protecting territory
The bag limit for any species is 10 per day.
There are 3 main techniques for catching trout:-
1) Fly rod – you must have a selection of flies so that you can match your fly to the insects, etc. that the fish are feeding on in a particular area.
2) Bait – with a rig similar to that used to catch bream (see below) – scrub worms, tiger worms, yabbies etc are all good baits.
3) Lure (either cast from bank or boat or trolled behind boat) If you are working from a bank you should cast towards rocks, logs or hanging branches. Always walk upstream and avoid fishing with the sun over your shoulder and therefore casting a shadow onto the water.
In spring use bait around the shoreline of dams as the fish swim the edges of the rising water. Use bait in rivers in June-July. Mudeyes (dragon lave) is great. The following rig can be used.
Repala lures are very good as are Tassey Devils for deeper water situations. Cobwell rigs are also excellent – when using these you should use 4-5kg line.
When trolling run your lure approximately 40mtrs behind the boat and use a downrigger to get to the deeper fish in summer.
Your outfit should consist of a 1.8mtr light action rod and a threadline reel fitted with 3-4kg line.
A tip from Gabe
A barometric reading of 1015 and rising is the best time to catch native species.
Recipe Suggestion
Rainbow Trout with nut brown
butter, sage, cherry tomatoes, chilli & olives
Ingredients
1 rainbow trout whole
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove -sliced fine
1 chilli - deseeded and sliced fine
8 sage leaves
8 cherry tomatoes - cut in half
8 olives
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt & cracked pepper
Method
Heat a large frying pan and warm your olive oil to hot
Add your fish when the oil is hot and cook on the skin side until golden and
crisp.
Turn over and add the butter and let turn a nut brown colour, add in the lemon
juice, garlic, chilli & sage and cook for a minute, then add in the tomatoes &
olives and cook for a further minute until the fish is cooked.