RVR Friday

[acabtp]

I had a chance to get out with a friend of mine to Round Valley last Friday. We were the first boat out when we put in at about 8 am. We set up drifting with some shiners (couldn't get herring for this trip) on the bottom and a little before 9 am I hooked into this 21.5" lake trout. It came up from somewhere around 60 or 70 FOW and went on a couple good runs before coming up to the surface

We drifted a bunch of other areas and eventually also started tossing some lures in the coves, but the one laker was the only fish of the day. By around 2pm the wind was picking up ahead of the snow, so we headed on out.

It was the first time that I'd fished RV from my boat and I was really surprised at the clarity of the water. Seeing the bottom in 30 FOW was no problem. Very cool. Definitely will be returning.

As for the trout, it went on the smoker last night.

Sorry, I was not able to get a picture of it when it was done smoking, it smelled too good.

The trout's stomach was full of insect larvae, brine shrimp looking things, and other tiny critters, no evidence of forage fish... definitely a planktivorous diet. Anecdotal evidence, but does make it clear to me why they have changed the regs so that people will take out more of the mid sized fish and allow the remaining population a more piscivorous diet so they can grow to the trophy sizes faster.