Personal best rainbow trout today

**starrfish** · 01-29-2012, 07:45 AM

Caught a 19.5" rainbow trout today from the Saluda River outside Columbia, SC today. I used use my 3/4 weight Eagle Claw Granger rod at 7.5' and a 6x (3lb) tippet, and a size 14 Pheasant Tail Nymph. I was working a run for about an hour and was down to my last cast before moving locations, and BANG! Fly Stops Dead, and the fight begins and went on for about 15 min. It didn't jump but it did have several violent head shakes, and some big bulldog runs to the bottom structure.

Saluda River here in SC is a "put, grow, take" stocked River. Fish are stocked annually by helicopter, many at a small size with a few trophy's thrown in, and grow pretty rapidly over the next few months (DNR states up to an inch a month, but I find this number inflated). Very few of these trout survive the brutal SC summer heat, and low dissolved oxygen levels in this river. So he went into the creel bag and will make some nice trout dinners. Had this been from a stream in PA, NC, or even upstate SC where fish had a chance to survive more than part of a year and breed (no breeding going on in this area of the Saluda), he would have been released. Released 4 others that were much smaller, which were caught on Light Cahill size 18 dry flies.

Not a bad way to start off the 2012 fishing season!

Oh yeah, and brewed 2 all grain beers in 1 day on Friday. Great weekend!

**Airplanedoc** · 01-29-2012, 07:55 AM

Looks awesome.

All we can catch up here are Asian carp, and they jump right in your boat

**bad67z** · 01-29-2012, 01:45 PM

Wow, that is a beauty! I had no idea that there are rainbow that could survive in the low country. Especially one the size of your catch. Wish I would have know that when I still worked for ESAB and traveled to the area a number of time each year. Congrats on the manly weekend hat trick (2 brews and 1 stellar trout)!

**starrfish** · 01-29-2012, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bad67z

Wow, that is a beauty! I had no idea that there are rainbow that could survive in the low country. Especially one the size of your catch. Wish I would have know that when I still worked for ESAB and traveled to the area a number of time each year. Congrats on the manly weekend hat trick (2 brews and 1 stellar trout)!

They are pretty much gone by May, stripers come through in april during their spawning run up from the big lake and eat the small ones, and after May it just gets too stinkin' hot. January-March tend to be the best. ESAB is just a few miles away from my place here in Florence, SC and the Saluda is about 1hr 20min. Heading back out in a few weeks and may try to repeat the process (2 more brews and at least some 12-14" trout, I'm going to be hard pressed to beat this one!)

Hanso · 01-29-2012, 07:55 PM

Good work. Make some broth with the carcass and use it in your next stout.

**Revvy** · 01-29-2012, 07:57 PM

Makes me hungry!!!

**beowulf** · 01-29-2012, 08:00 PM

Sweet....congrats on a great catch!

**starrfish** · 01-29-2012, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanso

Good work. Make some broth with the carcass and use it in your next stout.

Kinda like an oyster stout? (which I want to try)

Filleted the bad boy and froze body for fish stock. I do some fish stews but rainbow stout sounds like a plan! Recipe?

**Frankiesurf** · 01-29-2012, 08:14 PM

Last year I caught a 19" sea run Rainbow here on LI using 3 pound test on an ultralight setup. When that thing hit I thought I was snagged on the bottom. It was a good fight in moving water. Released to swim another day.

Congrats on your personal best.

**Airborneguy** · 01-29-2012, 08:23 PM

Nice! Caught my personal best brown trout last year at a small Adirondack Lake. We'll be returning there in April, can't wait. Here's to a great 2012 season for all the fishermen brewers!