Is trout edible?

Question

If so pleese tell me what types and how to catch them plus areas to catch them in South Chicago, IL (please no lake michigan or calumet river)

Answer 1

Of course trout is edible! But, there may be bodies of water where you don't want to eat what you catch. Some bodies of water, like the lower Hudson river, have recommendations as to how much fish you should eat.

Sorry, not from Illinois, so I can't recommend any good fishing spots.

Answer 2

Lake trout and brown trout that have matured in Lake Michigan are edible but tend to have higher fat contents (due to their diet of alewives) which is in turn where the toxins such as pcb's and mercury are stored, so if you eat these fish you should remove the fat along their bellies, back and lateral line. Rainbows or steelheads are less fat and generally taste a little better (to me). Most all Great Lakes trout will enter a stream at times to feed or spawn (yes, even Lake Trout) so it maybe difficult for a novice to know if the trout they caught from a stream that connects to the Great Lakes is native to the stream or the Big Lakes. My guess if you are fishing in a stream around Chicago and the trout are smaller (probably browns or rainbows) you are probably catching fish planted by the DNR raised on pellitized food, they taste ok but not as good as wild or native trout, and if you are catching large trout like the browns of southern Lake Michigan (which frequently run up rivers) referred to as footballs, you should heed the warning about how much and how often to eat them. Bottom line know where you are fishing and know what you are catching. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Yes, they are very edible. There are Rainbow, Brook, Speckled, Brown, and several other types of trout.
There are streams in Missouri, and some lakes in Kansas, and places in Colorado for trout.
That is one of the reasons that restaurants and cafes charge $9 and $10 a plate for a Trout dinner.

Answer 4

Yeah, trout is edible. I don't know where to catch any around Chicago, though. I know a place in Missouri where you can go fish for trout, and you can fish for them in some lakes, during the winter, in Kansas.

Answer 5

Yes but I have to say I am not a fan, which is strange because I love trout fishing. Ironic I suppose.

I've posted a link below to a site that offer tips on trout fishing, check it out.

Answer 6

From the Illinois DNR website:

Q: Why is the statewide methyl mercury advisory only for predator species?


A:Mercury is very persistent in the environment. Small organisms absorb mercury from water and sediment and the organisms are eaten by smaller fish. Predator fish eat the smaller fish and methyl mercury is accumulated up the food chain so the larger fish have the highest amounts of methyl mercury stored in their bodies. Predator species for Illinois include all species of black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted), striped bass, white bass, hybrid bass, walleye, sauger, saugeye, flathead catfish, muskellunge, and northern pike.

IMHO, Since trout are not on the list, they are presumably 'safe to eat'.....however, if you are pregnant or nursing you do so at your own risk.

Answer 7

Don't know what sorts of trouts are living in Chicago, IL ( possibly they possess a machine gun :-) )
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachforelle
She likes very clear water. That is the normal trout you can catch in German creeks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmo_trutta_lacustris
(Seeforelle)

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerforelle
This fish we do catch near the North Sea in Danmark and in Germany. I never caught one. I have eaten one once (smoked).

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenbogenforelle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncorhynchus_mykiss
Is an import of North America and is raised comercially.

German trouts (Seeforelle und especially Bachforelle) survive only in very clear water. We don't have pollution problems with trout but we have with zander, luce, roach, "Barsch = http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echte_Barsche_%28Familie%29
", " Brassen = http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassen" and eel.
The water of the rainbow trout is kept clean.
We have 3 kinds to prepare trouts
1) "Forelle blau" (trout blue) with boiled potatoes hot butter and "Sahnemeerrettich" ( sweet sour horseradish with whiped cream).
2) "Forelle Müllerin Art" in flour "turned" trout and then baked in in butter (I prefer sunfloweroil for health reasons) in a pan
3) "smoked trout filet" but please don't ask me for a receipt didn't find one. All are top secret.

Trouts are very delicious and do have very less fat.

Greetings from Hamburg, Germany
Heinz

Answer 8

just wrap the trout in silver foil with some butter and throw it in the embers of a camp fire for 20 minutes the flesh will just fall off the bones sorry cant help with tips for fishing i live in England

Answer 9

Yum is it ever! I am from Lower Michigan and I go around Ludington, Pine River for the best

Answer 10

theres bull trout, rainbow trout and some other ones, yes they are edible and taste great.