Stocked trout, after living in the wild for about a year start to fight a little more and taste a little better but nothing can beat a cut throat from a mountian lake.
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40 years of trout fishing.

There is no better way to spend a day than to go on a long hike that winds along a river, pausing to fish at sections that have deeper and slower currents. Wild fish are sometimes more difficult to catch as many have seen similar bait on the past or have been caught-and-released. I recommend using live-bait w/ wild trout and powerbait w/ stocked fish. If you are fishing a lake/reservoir that is regularly stocked, find out the schedule! The introduction of thousands of tiny, disoriented, harvested fish actually excited all off the larger locals into a feeding frenzy!. Make sure you have your pole in the water that morning!
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Start skipping the stocked place, and go out walk the streams be the hunter. You will learn more about fishing if you do this. You will also become more aware of whats going on around you and become more skilled.
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It's a question of quantity or quality. There is no right answer. If you want to enjoy just catching fish, the stocked will get better results. If you want to get out and forget what time it is and where you are for a few hours, get away from the rest of the crowd. You don't have to get back into the "wilderness" to find peace. Look for folks that can point you to some of the out-of-the-way places near you and go enjoy, and if you are looking for a trout dinner, hit the stocked ponds. They are stocked to be harvested.
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YOU ASKED WHAT IS BETTER —THE FARTHER NORTH YOU GO EVEN INTO CANADA THE MORE PRISTINE THE LAKES & ESP. RIVERS WILL BE DUE TO INDUSTRIAL WASTES DUMPED IN THE WATER FOR MOST OF THE MIDWEST AND EAST….COLDER WATER IS MORE CONDUSIVE TO LESS CONTAMINATED FISH
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