Making enemies...what's great about the South in the 'Winter

[Big Bad Wulff]

Sorry just have to do this to y'all.
Besides all the trout streams being just fantastic this time of year we also sometimes get a special treat from the local Parks.
This is the only time of year our lake water is cold enough to support trout. A local lake here puts a net across a lake cove and stocks it with trout. Went out this am from 8-10 and caught 20 trout. Of course you can only take 7 if you want to take them with you. Being a stream trout fisherman I pretty much always put them back. I may take a few for dinner every now and then. I also will give them to other fisherman who want them. They will all be taken by fisherman or will die eventually when the water warms up in the spring so there is no reason to put them back......other than getting to catch them a few times before they are gone.
They will stock the cove about 3-4 times every winter. Great fun!
Sometimes you even come across a 16 incher.

Feel free to respond this Summer when it's 100 degrees and we're sweatin' our arses off for 6 or more weeks

I grew up where it routinely snows 80 inches per winter so yes I know what real winter is............

[Betty Hiner]

I think I hate you. Telling us cold northerners about active trout fishing, while we're shivering in the cold and ice, is just cruel and unusual punishment. Mean ... just mean.
<now, having said that ... can I come down and fish?>

[Big Bad Wulff]

Betty it would be my pleasure to show you some world-class stream trout fishing.....or a lazy day of cove stocker fishing.

[EdD]

...and the Caney Fork has been making so many people happy...

BBW, did you tell here that earlier in the week it was too warm to fish in a long-sleeved shirt? Not to run salt and lemon juice into the wound, or anything...

(Of course now they shared their blinkety-blank cold weather with us and we expect lows in the 20's Saturday night.)


Ed

[Big Bad Wulff]

I did catch 6 bass on my 4wt last week on a 77-degree day.

If it makes them feel any better we're supposed to see snow/freezing rain, etc tonite.

That Caney is always good.....shhhhhhh.

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Wow a 16 incher , do they make them that small? Up Here in the frigid north we have 40 inch trout available all year round. If you catch a bunch of those 16 inchers send em up for bait would ya? I fish from a 30 ft boat with a heater and a barbecue on board , its like fishing from your living room. I may put in a fireplace to keep the hot rum hot. Yep we're suffering up here all right.

[Big Dave]

I know that I am pretty new here but I can not help myself. I live in South Carolina but I am in VIrginia at the moment. I thought abuot going fishing today and then I figured I would go tommorow. The rain did not freeze on the way down. It came down and landed wet. I don't mind being cold and I can deal with being wet. But I don't like both of them put together. So I will just go tomorrow. Fishing season for us is whenever feel we like wetting a hook. So we can be a little a choosy about the weather. The hardest question is do I go after the readily available and bitting trout (12"-24+") or do I take the real challenge and try for the bass that don't like bitting in the cold.......decisions ...decisions

[Big Bad Wulff]

Gnu Bee. Where is it again the world record brown trout comes from? Oh yeah that's right it keeps going back and forth about 50 miles apart between the Little Red river and the Norfork in Arkansas
Besides I pretty sure I said the trout they are stocking in our cove are up to 16 inches. Pretty decent for stockers. But............if you must:
Our 'little trout':