Milking Stillwater trout

[Surly Ghillie]

*Cough* *Ahem* Right, now that I've managed to clean the coffee off my screen, thanks to the guy who milks the cockfish, here's what I've previously been told and taught by Rob Karssing, who used to run the hatchery at Kamberg:

1.) A rainbow hen is capable of re-absorbing her eggs around 2 or 3 times in her lifetime. After that, she becomes eggbound and dies. This is one of the reasons why cock fish tend to live longer than hens in stillwaters.

2.) Correctly stripping a hen of her eggs is a delicate operation. Do it incorrectly and you can easily damage her internal organs and she will die. If you've never been shown how to do this the correct way, the fish is better off simply being released without being stripped.

3.) Cock fish do not need to be "milked". Fish breeders only strip milt from cock fish to obtain a supply in order to fertilise eggs they intend hatching.

mostly right. having just come in from spawning trout, (i do about a million eggs per season ) i'll just add a few cents worth. With all salmonids, when the eggs are 'ripe', they release out of the ovaries into the stomach cavity. if you try to strip the hen before the eggs are released you WILL cause serious damge. once the eggs have releaed from the ovaries, even gentle pressure on the 'soft 'belly which is full of eggs, will cause them to squirt out. gently massage from just behind the head towards the anal fin. if the fish is ready, a pinkish ovipostor will extend and the eggs will stream out.

You dont need to milk the cockfish. the sperm, or milt is reabsorbed and there are no deliterious effects leaving them alone.

In our climate rainbow trout mature in their 2nd year.... and only live for 5 years, if they were to reabsorb their eggs 2 or 3 times... they'd reach a full life expectancy without any interference. Unhappily that's not entirely true. browns are longer lived and can survive for 7, or even 8 years. because of the high metabolic averages of our climate, the fish mature much faster than in their native rivers, but they metabolise too fast for longevity and 5 years is about the best you can hope for off a fish that might have lived at least double that in a system where water temps never really get much above the low teens during summer.

The hens CAN reabsorb the eggs and sometimes do. Sometimes they dont and then a few things can happen
1. the eggs can calcify and a hen with 2 seasons of calcified eggs is unlikely to survive into her 4th or 5 th year.
2. The eggs can turn septic. A fish with egg septicemia is a fish waiting to die.
3. sometimes, especially if there is suitable gravel in a place where prevailing winds set up water flow over the shallows, the hens sometimes shed the eggs on their own, though they are unlikely to incubate without a bunch of suplimental conditions.

Basic rule; if the eggs dont flow easily with very gentle massage, then they're not ready and forcing things will just damage the fish.

I would say use your common sense, but experience teaches that is sometimes a comodity that anglers are remarkably bereft of. I'll be stripping fish again on Tuesday, and then again on Friday. If you get your ass over here, Heck & all... i'll show y'all

[poppernel]

mostly right. having just come in from spawning trout, (i do about a million eggs per season ) i'll just add a few cents worth. With all salmonids, when the eggs are 'ripe', they release out of the ovaries into the stomach cavity. if you try to strip the hen before the eggs are released you WILL cause serious damge. once the eggs have releaed from the ovaries, even gentle pressure on the 'soft 'belly which is full of eggs, will cause them to squirt out. gently massage from just behind the head towards the anal fin. if the fish is ready, a pinking ovipostor will extend and the eggs will stream out.

You dont need to milk the cockfish. the sperm is reabsorbed and there are no deliterious effects leaving them alone.

As trout only mature in their 2nd year.... and only live for 5 years, if they were to reabsorb their eggs 2 or 3 times... they'd reach a full life expectancy without any interference. Unhappily that's not entirely true.

The hens CAN reabsorb the eggs and sometimes do. Sometimes they dont and then a few things can happen
1. the eggs can calcify and a hen with 2 seasons of calcified eggs is unlikely to survive into her 4th or 5 th year.
2. The eggs can turn septic. A fish with egg septicemia is a fish waiting to die.
3. sometimes, especially if there is suitable gravel in a place where prevailing winds set up water flow over the shallows, the hens sometimes shed the eggs on their own, though they are unlikely to incubate without a bunch of suplimental conditions.

Basic rule; if the eggs dont flow easily with very gentle massage, then they're not ready and forcing things will just damage the fish.

I would say use your common sense, but experience teaches that is sometimes a comodity that anglersd are remarkably bereft of. I'll be stripping fish again on tuesday, and then again on Friday. If you get your ass over here, Heck & all...,

THATS CORRECT, ONLY MILK WHEN EGGS escape while fighting the fish. One gets GENERAL idea after netting. I however treat the cockfish the same.

Was wanting someone like you to clarify., will still wank cockfish anyways

[MattHaden88]

That was an awesome answer surly thank u very interesting

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[dollar]

selfishly i'd like a bowl of fertilized eggs toppled over into every stream in the country