Had a few guys over and the 5 lb. 10 1/2 oz. 21 1/2 inch brook trout has been eclipsed by a 6 lb. 4 oz. male fish of the same length. Girth was 17 1/8 inches! Not bad for a four year old fish that was only 6 to 8 inches as a 2 year old.

Sizes ranged from 2 lbs. 8 oz. to the largest one with two over 4 lbs, and two over 5 lbs. I will try and post a pic when I get the roll of film used up.

I haven't forgotten about the record fish site. Hopefully the wife and I can get started this weekend.

I'm looking for my car keys right now... :p

Wow! Cecil, I just checked IN state records and it looks like you just broke the state record at least 5 times today for a brook with your largest being 59% larger than the current state record. Truly amazing

As a side note, I didn't mean to take over your records website post. I hope it didn't come across like that, though regretfully I feel like it may have. Just wanted to give some advice and offer help if any was needed.

Bruce, don't be looking for your car keys after your Jack & Coke Wednesday off!

Theo still can't find his car keys!

I did find Bruce's keys. But he doesn't get them back 'til he sleeps it off.

Cecil, what kind of feed conversion ratio do you think you get from these fat boys?

Chris,

I didn't feel you were taking over whatsoever. Before all is said and done I may wish you had!

Actually I shattered the state record for brook trout the last time I had them too, but my best then was only 5 lbs 2 oz. and that particular strain seemed to peter out at only 3 years of age. Although I entered the perch out of the 3/4 acre pond, I wouldn't consider entering any of the trout as it really is like fishing in a barrel the pond is so small. I may send a pic to a few biologists as if I'm going to enter one just to rattle their cages. :p

Theo,

I have no idea what kind of feed conversion I get. I feed them to satiation once a day as I don't have the overhead and quantity of fish that most fish farmers do.

Sounds like a good life for a trout, at least until it's their turn in the barrel.

Yep I think so.

BTW I have found a cheap way to euthanise them vs. MS-222 which is quite expensive. Baking Soda in the cooler of water they are put in. I need to euthanize them to keep them from damaging each other and allow me to freeze them ASAP to prevent discoloration.

I just found Theo's car keys...

I think I'll have another J & C. Sunil, if you were here I'd be buying.

Cecil, Do you have any plans to work with any different salmonids over the next few years?

Bruce,

If I had more ponds and unlimited water the sky would be the limit. If that was the case steelhead and landlocked salmon would be interesting. However I have a maximum of two ponds for trout and if I use the second one for trout it will probably be browns. Browns and brooks are hard to come by and sell well for me. Rainbows are a dime a dozen and I have a couple of hatcheries I can refer taxidermist to. So I'm seriously considering specializing in brooks and browns. I'm hoping to hatch my own fish by next fall too.

But I will have to double my well flow if I have two trout ponds and I do have the water, but my well driller isn't motivated to put the new well pump in. He's trying to tell me I will stir up more iron if I up the flow. If I decide to go with two ponds I'm going to have to find another well driller to get one from and put in.

So does the H2O gpm that go into the trout ponds then drain into your other ponds?

Yes it does. What doesn't seep back into the ground in the pond bottoms flows into the next pond. The well is at the highest point on the property and I can direct water to any pond I want with underground gate valves. The last pond to receive water is the largest bass & perch pond and it overflows into a highway ditch.