Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Fly Fishing & Other Fish Species Rainbow Trout in Texas

Hello all, I'm thinking about putting in Rainbow trout in Dec just for the fun of it. I'm in SEast Texas and realize they wont last too long into next year. We have a 1/2 ac pond that is new to us. Our first winter with it and thought it would be fun as an added species to fish. We have LMB, BG that have been in the pond forever. plus CC and Tilapia that I put in last spring. I see where I can buy them, but man they're not cheap at $10 a pound. At that rate I may only put in a dozen or so.

Question is, is it worth the trouble for that few? I'm new to pond mgmt. so is there anything else I should know before doing it? I'd hate for them to die right off the bat because of something I didn't foresee. Thoughts?

L's Pond, we got 25 for our 1/4 acre brood pond last winter, and they were a blast to catch. IIRC, we wound up catching 23 of them in the 4 months they lasted here in NE TX.

I ordered mine through Overton's, but I don't remember how early I had to do that before he picked them up. If you add them to an existing pond, I'd make sure they're at least 10-12" long. They're Scooby Snacks for XL LMB.

Hope this helps

I just priced rainbow here this week. $10/lb for 14 inch+ fish. Average weight 3 lbs. 25 lb minimum purchase. So after tax and driving to get them they are around $30+ each!

Thanks Al, any problems transporting them to your pond? Do you plan on stocking them again this year?

L's Pond, Todd Overton was running up here for something else, so I had him deliver them. They did fine, but they can get stressed if they're transported on warmer days.

We're not getting them this winter, but we've tentatively planned to restock them next year. The only reason we're waiting is that this winter's about LMB management in the big puddle, and we want to focus on that.

Got some Trout today from Overton's. Beautiful fish. All were 12" and up.

L's Pond, I hope you have as much fun with them as we did.

If there was a trout that lived 6 months down here in the heat, it could completely change the way we look at forage. A trout/tilapia seasonal combo would be an incredible addition to LMB production.

Well after two days it appears our Trout experiment has gone extremely wrong. Today I saw one out in the middle of the pond, looked like it was struggling to stay on top. So I went out on the boat to check it out. I found 3 dead and 4 clinging to life, lathargic and hugging the bank. They were in pretty sad shape. Not sure what the problem is, stress, poor water quality? They all seemed alert and healthy when released two days ago. I expect I'll find more dead tomorrow:-(

Trout are pretty sensitive to water temps, oxygen levels, and turbidity. Is your pond muddy after all the rain? Have you experienced turnover? What were the water temps when you put them in the pond?

I don't know what the water temp is, have no way of checking it. I figured I was safe since TX Parks has started stocking them in community ponds. Water was not muddy from the rains. My LMB, CC and BG seem to be doing fine. Less are feeding but I figure thats typical for the season?. I tried checking the water with a pool water tester today. Alkalinity was zero, hardness 100 and PH did not match any of the colors on the chart.
A few days before, we did have some strong winds and ended up with ALOT of pine needles in the water. Not sure if that has anything to do with the water quality.