Northwest Reel Life October 2024 Volume 4 Issue 2 - Flipbook - Page 9
1 rod and throw spinner or
spoons with another. Fall
trout are eager to bite on
hardware!
Not all lakes have good
shore access. Some have
pay-to-fish docks, such as
Lake Tanwax, Mineral Lake,
and Clear Lake. It's a good
idea to have a backup plan
if the fish aren't biting at
your lake of choice. Check
the stocking reports and
take a look to see if any
of your local lakes have
tagged fish in them. You
can win cool prizes from
WDFW for catching a
tagged fish, and there are
plenty still left.
CATCH N' COOK!
Once you've got your catch
home, the fun part begins:
cooking it! I learned how
to smoke fish by smoking
trout. You can smoke them
fileted or butterflied. I
prefer to smoke filets so
I can fit more fish in the
smoker but butterflying
them is easy and less
time consuming. You can
make a dry or wet brineI have recipes for both,
depending on how I'm
feeling. Dry brines don't
take nearly as long to work
their magic, especially on
small trout. Wet brines are
more forgiving and allow
for more flavor options.
Smoked trout works well
in dips, pastas, and on
bagels. Add maple syrup
or honey about 30 minutes
before taking it off the
smoke for trout candy. I like
to munch on my smoked
trout candy as a highprotein snack while hiking
and fishing in the fall. Fall
trout are also good baked,
fried, and grilled. I like to
use the seasoned fish fry
from Winco's bulk section.
Dip the fillets in a beaten
egg, coat in the fish fry,
then gently place in hot oil
until golden brown. They're
great dipped in sriracha
mayo! For a healthier
snack, try lightly oiling the
fillets, then shaking some
lemon pepper seasoning
on. Bake at 350 degrees
until fully cooked. You can
also wrap whole trout in
foil with some butter and
garlic, then throw it in the
oven or grill for an easy and
delicious meal.
As you can see, fall trout
are not only fun to catch,
but delicious to grill and
smoke. This is a great time
to introduce kids to fishing!
The weather isn't too hot
and there's no need to be
on the water at the crack of
dawn. Shore fishermen and
boat anglers alike have an
excellent chance of coming
home with limits of these
aggressive, tough fish. We
hope to see you out on the
water this fall!
