1. Troutnut Forum
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2. Fly Fishing
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3. clean fish

I know a lot of you guys support c-n-r, and I do as well. I usually keep 1-2 browns a year. I'm not looking to stir up arguments on this.

Is it dangerous to clean a fish in the water from the stream when it's known to contain bacteria like e-coli? I know e-coli will be killed when cooking but are there other bacteria that can be harmful?

I would make sure you wash them well under cold water when you get back home, just to make sure. To be honest, I am planning on keeping a few fish this year myself - my folks will be coming up to visit in May and I promised to take them to one of my favorite spots for a trout cook-out. I showed them the spot last summer and my Dad still can't stop commenting on how beautiful it was. I'm going to plunk them on a bank next to a real nice hole and let them do their thing, then go downstream and fly-rod my way back up to them to see if we have enough for a meal

Jonathon

P.S. When I do kill a trout I like to cook them with just lemon and butter, baked in aluminum foil. Yummy!

The last brown I kept was out of the pere Marquette two salmon seasons ago. I stay at a friend's house for salmon fishing, he has a place on the manistee near the mouth and he loves brown trout and never really fishes for em so when I caught an 18" I thought of him and took it to him. He says to me "oh that's great, that's nice size for eatin, I don't like em when they get too big". Salt, garlic touch of lemon in butter, I was in heaven.

Jonathon its not a crime to eat something you paid for.

Try opening the foil and cook on grill or open fire, you won't be dissapointed.

I almost always clean my fish at the stream or lake in which they were caught, but I do wash them throughly when I get home.
I always keep a couple land-lock trout every summer. They are all stockers so it is not so much of a sin. :) My favorite are sea run dolly varden. Their flavor is so much better than stocked trout. I guess it is because they are pre-salted.:) I usually only eat one of those a year though.

Sam

My favorite way to eat a small fish (less than 12") is to rub it with fresh, crushed garlic, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and pan fry it in butter.
For large fish like salmon, grilled is the way to go!

"For large fish like salmon, grilled is the way to go!"

Couldn't agree with you more, Sam!

Jonathon