Dickson Pond Trout-First Time

[BigIrv]

I stopped at Dickson Pond on my way home from Calgary today and thought I would see what I could do. Never been there before and only caught my first Rainbow last week at Sundance Lake near Chetwynd (beautiful fish in there too). Anyway, after about 15 mins and 1 nibble I had a fish on and it felt bigger than I was expecting from this pond. One sore forearm later (I haven't fished much this year and I felt it) I pulled in the first rainbow. About 14-16" long really nice, lower jaw tip was really bulbous (is this normal for them???). After a few small fry's later I got another good size one on this one measure around 20-22" and felt like it was about 5 or 6 lbs. But it must have been hit by a few props almost all of his fins showed some signs of damage. Fish were really thick and fat, and went back into the water to grow some more.

Before I left some people setup near me and asked about the action. When I told them they seemed surprised I threw back two fish so nice. I also don't think they believed me when I said I caught all my fish today with a Len Thompson spoon!! ( I love these spoons) HAHA!

Definitly stopping there again!!!

[Dr. Fish]

Nice trout BigIrv!:D

x2 on the Len Tompson spoons I carry a wide variety of them and can catch pretty much every species of fish on them!

[gonefishin]

[QUOTE=BigIrv;169852] But it must have been hit by a few props almost all of his fins showed some signs of damage. QUOTE]

That could just be from the holding tanks at the hatchery. The fish are crowded and rub their fins up against the walls which wears them down.

[Chironomid]

Yup thats a brooder, good job though.

[Shrubs]

Yup thats a brooder, good job though.

I didn't think they put any brood trout into dickson? I could be wrong...

[Shrubs]

.

[Chironomid]

I didn't think they put any brood trout into dickson? I could be wrong...

They do. I just find it amusing when someone catches one and they think they are one of the best fishermen out there. I know other people have said this too, but I'm also much more satisfied to catch a 22 inch fish that has grown in the wild from a fingerling, than one that has eaten dog food for x number of years and swam around in a concrete pool.

Thats just my $0.02

Not knocking anyone for catching one, just saying that it is not satisfying for me.

[Calloway99]

Catching Fish is Catching Fish. Size of the fish is something that really shouldn't be important. I love catching fish of all sizes, as long as I am fishing, life is good.
However, I have fished at Dickson a few times and had the luck of pulling a big one out of there and it is a nice surprise to hook into a larger fish when you are only really expecting smaller ones, even if they are retired brood stock!

Sean

[Shrubs]

They do. I just find it amusing when someone catches one and they think they are one of the best fishermen out there. I know other people have said this too, but I'm also much more satisfied to catch a 22 inch fish that has grown in the wild from a fingerling, than one that has eaten dog food for x number of years and swam around in a concrete pool.

Thats just my $0.02

Not knocking anyone for catching one, just saying that it is not satisfying for me.


Checked the stocking report and you are correct. Probably should have done that first. As for catching brooders to each their own I aint gonna look down on anybody for enjoying a nice big fat rainbow on the end of their line.

[BigIrv]

Hmm, I didn't really even know what brooders were. So they are larger fish that are grown big in the hatchery and then stocked in lakes?
How do you find out if lakes have brooders or not in them?
I agree there is a certain appeal to cathcing a wild one. I'm guessing the ones I caught in Sundance were stocked as fingerlings as their colors were awesome and they looked really healty with no 'hatchery' damage.
That being said, it felt really great pulling two larger fish when all I was expecting was little guys. And the fight from them was pretty awesome.

[BigIrv]

Also, I was wondering....
would a brooder fish taste any different then one that grew in the wild?

[gonefishin]

Yes, the Brood Stock are fish that are kept for the purpose of spawning and when they are not very useful anymore, they are release into the lakes. The stocking charts that the SRD puts out usually has the names of the lakes that the brood stock are released in to. However, a 20 -22" fish doesn't exactly sound like retired brood stock to me, but that's just my opinion.

I have never eaten one, but I would imagine that brood stock fish would taste slightly different as they are raised on fish food as opposed to the regular diet of wild fish in lakes or rivers... IMO.

[Chironomid]

Yes, the Brood Stock are fish that are kept for the purpose of spawning and when they are not very useful anymore, they are release into the lakes. The stocking charts that the SRD puts out usually has the names of the lakes that the brood stock are released in to. However, a 20 -22" fish doesn't exactly sound like retired brood stock to me, but that's just my opinion.

I have never eaten one, but I would imagine that brood stock fish would taste slightly different as they are raised on fish food as opposed to the regular diet of wild fish in lakes or rivers... IMO.

You're right, MOST are bigger but they retire various sizes, some lose their fertility quite sooner than others. The reason I know it is a brood stock is because of the description and pictures he posted.

You can check the stocking reports to see which lakes get brooders, around here it's Twin, Phyllis, Cow (if excess is available) and of course powerbaitcentral, wait, I mean Dickson.

I have never eaten one, and you couldn't pay me too. They eat dog food. Have you looked at the meat on one? It is kind of a faded orange, whereas a good healthy trout thats been eating snails or clams or leeches or nymphs or whatever, usually has nice red meat.

I read a good recipe for broods.

Fillet the fish. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the fillets on an oak board, and add seasonings and spices as desired. Cook for 15 minutes and remove from the oven.





Eat the oak board.

[Chironomid]

Also another fact to back this up is that, they drained and cleaned the pond a few years back to spray the excessive vegetation growth and drain pike, burbot, and other unwated species. The biggest fingerling stocked fish (not a brood) was 18 inches. The biggest I have caught there is 16. There is plenty of food in this lake so realistically, there could be fish up to 20 inches now but I would doubt it because most fall to fishermen or ospreys or loons.

Also, anyone that is out there, have the Report-A-Poacher number handy, No racism intended here but I have seen several groups of asian fishermen killing at leeast 30 fish, taking them home, and coming back for more. This is unacceptable.

[Shrubs]

I have never eaten one, and you couldn't pay me too. They eat dog food. Have you looked at the meat on one? It is kind of a faded orange, whereas a good healthy trout thats been eating snails or clams or leeches or nymphs or whatever, usually has nice red meat.


Color's not the best way to judge how a trout is going to taste. During the winter I take the odd limit home of stockers from put and take lakes (strubel,tay for example) and while many have dark red meat some have a lighter faded color and this has had not affected there taste at all as far as my senses go.

BigIrv the best way to figure out how brooders taste would probably be to bonk one cause no one can judge the taste of em except yourself.

[Chironomid]

Youre right shrubs. How is Tay? I've heard nothing but good things, don't you have to hike in but some bigger 'bows to be found?

[Shrubs]

In the winter it was allright, pretty comparable to struble for size on average. I hear there are some real good ones in there but I haven't connected with one yet. I just drove in during the winter.

Was there about a month ago and couldn't get anything but fresh stockers. You could see a few bigger ones swirling out farther but just a little to far for me. Probably best with a belly boat. You have to hike or quad in during the summer and the shorelines are muskeg wich makes walking and standing a bit interesting. A friend of mine found a hole and sunk down to his waist last time.

[Chironomid]

Yup, same with most of the lakes out there. Just ask riffer about walking/wading on muskeg lakes, I was in my float tube and watching my indicator, looked up, saw him, looked back down, then looked back up, and he was gone. He went shoulder deep into the hole. I laughed pretty hard.

[Drano]

World Wide at Dickson Trout Pond.