bruce, regarding the freeze branding of eagle lake trout, i am attempting to get a couple pics of the operation, but i learned that the nitrogen freeze branding is done with a real homegrown system....its a modified 5-gallon metal bucket with a steel bolt sticking out the bottom. they fill the container w/ nitrogen which supercools the bolt. after the fish are anesthesized, they hold each fish up to the bolt for 5 seconds or so freezing the skin. sometimes the skin at the contact point comes off but it apparently does not hurt the flesh or the fish and it eventually heals up. the fish then go into a antibiotic rich bath to revive before being released.
