Desert Springs Trout—Yum!
What to do when the best eating trout I’ve ever had are not being fished by anyone (well, anyone competent).My Yeti Tundra 210 has 6 more to eat after tonight—I’ve caught 11 of them averaging 20 inches and 4.3 pounds or so. It involved belly crawling and sneaking through brush and mud, something I never see anyone do. Old time fisher dude, me.
So my Yeti Tundra 210 has 4 block ice (sub freezing to start), to keep those fish at 31°F for several days. My Mercedes Sprinter photography adventure van rocks for shooting, sleeping, and enjoying trout at a table.
So every night I eat a fabulous 20" trout dinner. If these were native (and non sterile), I’d be much more judicious in catch/release. But they are stocked from the famed Desert Springs hatchery in Oregon, hauled down and paid for by local businesses for the express purpose of being caught and eaten by avid fisherman who presumably support the local economy. 400 fish go in every month or so into Lee Vining Creek (roughly). All from 3.5 to 7 pounds, no runts and a hell of thrill.
These were holdouts (last stocking Oct 2 and had learned a few things)—not easy to catch.
These trout are apparently the beautiful variety from the Desert Springs hatchery in Oregon. Local fishing-gear stores and county governments import these beauties which look and taste as close to King Salmon as any Onchorynchus mykiss that I’ve ever had. These fish below are about 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 4.3 pounds, respectively. The next day I caught two more at 5 and 4 pounds (and that's before the ones shown above). I’ve been eating a lot of incredibly good fish.
Another day: one worm, one trout. about 22 pounds of trout here. I had to start catch-and-release (caught 8 total, limit is five).