Blooming heck – I've accidentally hooked a monster trout

[tiddlertamer]

I spent a very enjoyable day on the river Kennet in Berkshire this week.

 

Paid for a day's coarse fishing ticket and spent it trotting the river aiming for silverfish such as roach and dace. Didn't get a sniff though the day was still wonderful.

And then the float disappeared... and I hooked into a monster rainbow trout.

Sadly, not what I was aiming for in terms of species but the sheer size of it and the adrenaline rush I experienced in trying to get it to the riverbank outweighed any remorse that I had caught a game fish.

It's a stunning rainbow trout at least ten times larger than anything else I have ever caught! Well I am a novice...

Anyway, the 20" landing net struggled to cope...

I did of course put it back. I had a coarse fishing rather than a game fishing ticket. I'm no poacher.

My real concern was not that I caught a species other than that which I was aiming for but that a game fish was caught on bait rather than dry fly or nymph. Purists probably wouldn't be happy though I have to say it was still an incredible experience.

I guess others have done the same and caught game fish accidentally on bait? Should I have felt embarrassed about this and kept quiet (clearly I wasn't going to post anything on the game fishing board...) or is this quite common?

Also, my scales are rubbish. How much do you think it actually weighed?

[Guest tigger]

The Trout looks about 3 to 3 1/2 pound, looks a healthy fish. Well done .

Edited February 8, 2008 by tigger

[Mat Hillman]

Don't worry about it, don't feel guilty just enjoy the fight!

Theres no way to avoid trout while trotting rivers that contain them, they are both greedy and stupid

 

The owners of the fishery are well aware that you are going to accidently catch some trout, and won't care as long as you return them carefully.

 

Mat

[tiddlertamer]

Another view of this unexpected but much welcomed fish... I made it a bit more web friendly . I hope it helps you guess its weight

[lutra]

Ill give you a second 3 1/2, looks to be holding its weight well for the time of year. Hope it was just a little kiss you give it.

[wsmlewy]

that is a nice looking rainbow indeed around the 3 1/2 no problem. i have had trout on dedbait especially sprats they are greedy and stupid fish i heard of a trout at 10lb taken on a sprat were i was fishing last month i had one at 6lb fishing for pike

[Chris Plumb]

Ay the trout are a menace on the Middle Kennet - when you're after coarse fish. Rainbow's worst of all! Pretty stoopid too. I had the same brownie 4 times in 20minutes on Monday - 3 of them in consecutive casts. This was a big 3lb+ fish too. Plus I had a PB brownie of 5lb10oz which I'd hooked and lost in the morning and which still had my size 18 in it when I got it in a 2nd time.

 

Still I'd rather see brownies in the river than rainbows which in my book don't belong there. Some keepers on the Kennet won't stock them and this causes a bit of friction with those that do - especially when they escape! 1 or 2 keepers that do stock rainbows justify it by saying to their game anglers that they have to return the browns and only keep the Rainbow's.

 

Where abouts were you fishing - Barton Court?

 

 

C.

[tiddlertamer]

Where abouts were you fishing - Barton Court?

C.

 

 

It was indeed Barton's Court. A lovely spot though I couldn't find the roach there for love or money...

[The Flying Tench]

It was indeed Barton's Court. A lovely spot though I couldn't find the roach there for love or money...

I have often found trout have saved the day when I have gone to Barton's Court. But in Newbury where I live there are quite a few places where you get trout on the Kennet. Most coarse anglers see them as a legitimite species to catch. Where are you from, TiddlerTamer?

[Dick Dastardly]

Dont worry about the ocaissional suicidal trout Tiddler Tamer just enjoy them. What they lack in skill rto catch is more than made up by the skill required to land them on fine coarse tackle.

 

Also dont worry about the fly fishing purists either,after all most coarse anglers treat any accidental trout with a lot more care and respect than the fly guys do an accidental coarse fish................