Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking trout for bass?

any of you guys ever stock rainbow trout for LMB in the winter?

I stocked trout last year for me, not for the LMB, but I think some of the LMB profited from the stocking as well. I didn't take out as many as I stocked, and I didn't see that number of fish floating when they died due to the warm water.

how expensive is it? just for forage size, not eating size.

That I don't know. The trout that I stocked were in the 12" range (some might have been 10", some 14") and they were less than $3/lb, but I picked them up and transported them myself.

5-7" rainbow could cost $1.00 to $2.00 a piece depending on quantity and delivery cost.

Not yet. Article in the new PB mag on the subject. Very good for LMB food and people too.

Their cost is closely related to how far you are from a hatchery that raises them. As in, you're going to be paying for transportation costs more than the fish themselves living where you do in TX in all likelihood. I can get 6" rainbow trout for $1.05 each but I also have a hatchery where I can pick them up less than an hours drive away...

As ewest mentioned, there's a really great article in the current issue of PB magazine on this very topic. It's intriguing enough that I'm going to try it next year as I have a fish farm close by that raises a lot of trout. According to the article, you get better bang for your buck feeding trout to your LMB than you do from just about any other forage fish in terms of weight gain. Heck, I might even try it at ice out in a few months just for fun.