I don;t know about you guys, but they just stocked the local trout pond and I'm looking to get out tomorrow morning to try my luck to get some rainbows and maybe even a holdover broodstock salmon. They put a few broodstocks in last december. I caught 3 or 4 last dec/jan right before ice over.

Anyone else spend the cooler northern months fishing for stocked or even wild trout. I just want to post a disclaimed that I know fishing for these farm raised, pellet fed, I'll bite anything that looks like or smells like food to survive, trout is not lke fishing for wild trout, but it is a fun way to spend the remainder of open water in the colder months of fall and winter. I killed them, literally and metaphorically last year on powerbait rigs, I am hesitant to use them since passively bait fishing gut hooks a lot of fish.

I just bought some rapala minnows, mepps spinners, and some spoons. Hopefully they'll bite something in my tackle box.

I know that the fish and game stock these trout for put and take purposes, but I have yet to fillet and eat one of these guys. How does rainbow trout taste? I mostly just fish for the fun of it, and have only once taken a fish home to fillet and I ended up giving it away.

You don't need to target the new stockers, you'll catch plenty without trying! Target pools and deeper structure and you might pick up some better fish. Some of the trout stocked a few years ago have survived and now weigh 5 lbs and up. You might be surprised if you fish for bigger trout.

I have had pretty good luck fishing the Rapala Countdown, X-Rap and Lucky Craft Pointers.

Listen to RW, deeper pools and current breaks as well.  I generally fly fish for trout, but the rednecks here in TN like to use canned corn to catch them.  Spinners and small crankbaits are good too.

stocker trout are pretty dim witted, most lures work on them. post some pics