DNR stocks rainbow trout at Moorland Pond November 24, 2011
By HANS MADSEN - Messenger staff writer , Messenger News
MOORLAND - On Nov. 16, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources added 1,500 rainbow trout to Moorland Pond southwest of Fort Dodge.
If all goes well, the newcomers will be mostly gone within a few weeks.
Not to new homes or other ponds, but into the frying pans, ovens and freezers of area anglers who make the trip to catch some of the easy to hook fish.
David Yackle and his son, Brian, 14, of Eagle Grove, were among those.
As they tried their luck with spinners the "easy to hook" part may have been a bit of a, well, fish tale.
"Once in awhile you catch one," David Yackle said. "You have to be patient."
Of course, it may just be the fickle day of the week for the fish, the spinner could be just the thing two days from now.
Trout fishing is new for them.
"I never did this before they put them in here," he said.
While most anglers would usually associate trout fishing with streams, Matt Cosgrove, Webster County Conservation director, said they do well in a pond setting as long as the water is cool.
They are also not expected to make the pond a permanent home.
He was told by Iowa DNR biologist Ben Wallace that, "80 percent are caught in the first few weeks."
The trout stocking is part of a DNR project to stock ponds near urban areas to allow new anglers an easy fishing experience or to have experienced ones bring children along to introduce them the sport.
Cosgrove encourages that.
"Get out there and catch some fish," he said. "Take a new person."
He is quick to credit local angler John Thrams with getting the ball rolling.
"He started the process with the DNR and now we have trout," Cosgrove said.
So how are they... once on the plate.
Cosgrove said it all depends of how it's cooked.
David Yackle wrapped one of his catches in foil along with onions, bacon, butter and seasonings with only one thing missing.
"I didn't leave the heads on," he said.
His son Brian gave the meal an interesting review.
"It tastes like chicken," he said.
A second release is schedule for Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. Cosgrove said that it will also include a free seminar on the fish and the stocking programs.
He also reminds anglers that they need to pay the additional fee for a trout stamp to legally fish for or possess the fish. There is a daily limit of five fish.
Contact Hans Madsen at (515) 573-2141 or hmadsen@messengernews.net
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