No need to go to the grocery store for rainbow trout at this time of year. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is supplying Texas ponds, lakes, and rivers with plenty of the fish as part of its annual winter rainbow trout stocking program.
Through the program, which began in November and continues through March, the department is stocking nearly 286,000 trout in 142 locations around the state. The hatchery-raised fish are nine to 12 inches long.
The stocking locations range from city lakes, like Brackenridge Park in San Antonio, to the Guadalupe River, the southernmost trout fishery in the United States. See this link for stocking locations and schedule.
Last January, we covered the prime trout-fishing opportunities on the Guadalupe River near Sattler. Each year, the Parks & Wildlife Department stocks nearly 24,000 rainbow trout in the Guadalupe from December to early March. Trout Unlimited, a national nonprofit dedicated to conserving coldwater fisheries, also stocks trout and hosts the annual Troutfest, a three-day fly-fishing expo and banquet.
Once you’ve caught your trout, preparing the fish is as simple as baking them with olive oil or butter, salt, garlic, lemon, or whatever else suits your taste. Or, you can try something a little more complicated, such as this recipe for smoked mint fish fillets.
