Trout fishing below Normandy
 

I got out for a couple hours this afternoon to try my luck with the trout. I caught around 20 in a couple hours on the black and chartreuse trout magnet. Some of the trout are starting to get some bellies on them. All the ones I kept were good size. I caught a couple with really pretty colors. I plan on going back a few more times. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...3822705e95.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...8601307560.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...326565b4c9.jpg


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Nice trout congrats. I hope to be down there in the near future.


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Looks like you had a good day. Congrats.

Are you using 3/8 or 1/2 oz. jig heads with that 90 lb braid and TM's?

Man, I stepped my game up a while ago. 4lb and a TM panfish jighead. Learned it from you.... except I catch fish ;)

Good job. How do you like to cook them?

I have not cooked them in forever. The one's I caught last year I gave to my wife's family in Illinois. We used to fry them but I think I am going to try some on the grill with different seasonings. I have ideas :)

Nice fish. Lot of food for them below the dam. A hoot on 2# test. Congrats!

Regards


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I can say for fact that there are 26"+ rainbows below Normandy dam and the same for Walleyes. Go Big and go early, I throw AMCE Sidwinders and Redfins and generally topped the limit on fish there every time.

I would love to stumble into some walleye. Are you fishing right below the dam or farther down?

Those 26 inch rainbows are brood stock.....several are usually put in each year. But this year they stocked about 365 of them in there. The only problem with the trout below Normandy is they will die off in July. Now some may find deeper holes and survive through the summer but it is not very likely. When someone catches a brood tout it always leads to a lot of talk that trout survive all year long there and that is just not the case. Yes plenty of big walleye in there. I have dealt with them before. I have caught trout as big as 18 inches in there and my sons catch a few each year that are 18-19 inch fish. I have fished there a lot over the past 6 years or so and have many days of over 100 trout caught in a day but I've never seen a limit of 18 inch trout come out of there. Next time you catch a limit of walleyes and trout post some pics....love looking at fish pics.

Regards

Simmer them on low heat in a pan with lots of butter. Add lemon juice, parsley, capers, and salt/pepper to taste. Turn them over once or twice and eat the meat right off the bone. It's delicious.

"Those 26 inch rainbows are brood stock.....several are usually put in each year."

What is the purpose of putting brood stock into waters that doesn't allow for survival over the summer?

They have served their purpose and are not the best anymore at what they were chosen to do....so might as well let fisherman have a shot at them. They will be replaced at hatcheries and I'm sure with costs associated with feeding trout they aren't keeping fish that don't do their job anymore...so to speak. I think the ones that were put into Normandy were out of Flintville. Over in east TN the older brood trout are released into waters that can sustain them year round.



Regards

Here is the release from TWRA Region II Facebook page a few months back. "Big Trout Hit time Ford and Duck River Tailwaters In Time For Beautiful Fall Weekend----920 Pounds (350 trout)!!!!
Region II Note: More on this next week, but we want to give trout anglers a heads up for the weekend. Flintville Fish Hatchery worked with Erwin National Fish Hatchery to move a total of 920 pounds of brood rainbow trout to the tailwaters below Normandy Dam (Duck River) and below the Tims Ford Dam (Elk River) late this week. The fish are 3 to 4 pounds EACH! They were no longer needed for brood purposes, so now they are available to anglers. Have a good time this weekend and go catch a few good trout. From Jeff Sanders of Flintville Hatchery: "Shawn Honea and I brought back 350 fish from Erwin National Hatchery, with half going in the Normandy tailwater at the dam bridge below Normandy Hatchery and also Courtner's Mill, and the other half going below Tims Ford Dam and at Ferris Creek." Good job Jeff and Shawn and thanks to Erwin for working with us and the sportsmen. Jeff said some of the fish had "really hooked jaws".

From the discharge to the first bend in the river. Don't attempt to wade until you are past the parking lot(s).