For all of you private pondowners who stocked rainbow trout into your lakes back in November/December, it’s time to start taking them out.

Trout are coldwater fish, and they just don’t do very well as water temperatures start to rise. They’ll start laboring when water temps reach the high 60s, and they’ll float up dead when temps hit the low 70s.

There’s no sense letting them go to waste. So fire up the grease, and start filling your coolers.

I put 100 pounds of trout in the pond behind my house back in December, and until last week I’d had a really hard time catching them.

Last week, I brought in a pro for some help.

Philip Landry, a professional fly fishing guide on the Little Red River, spent about three hours fishing with me on Wednesday, March 27. Between his knowledge of fly fishing and my knowledge of light-tackle fishing, we caught several trout, including two over 5 pounds.

I’ve posted his picture here with his big rainbow.

Since then, I’ve caught one more that weighed 5 pounds and one that weighed almost 6 1/2.

I’m using simple YUM TroutKrilla in hot pink about 18 inches behind a split-shot. That lets the bait float up off the bottom just a little bit.

I’ve also gained a new appreciation for eating trout.

I just cut the heads off, gut them and skin them like you would a catfish. Then I fry them whole. You have to pick around a few bones, but it’s worth it.

Good fishing - and good eating!