To kick off the 4th of July weekend, we took the kids to Troutmere in La Honda. As far as sure catch (aka "fish-in-a-barrel") operations go, Troutmere is pretty good. In Tahoe, I had issues with whacking the fish to death in front of the kids with a steel rod. At Troutmere, though, you take the hook out of the fish and toss it into a bucket. You then get them cleaned and gutted for 50 cents each.
If there's any downside, it's that this pond is stocked so full of trout, your kids will each catch a fish within 30 seconds tops. A typical trout of eight to ten inches, including the cleaning, will set you back about five dollars. (Also, there's a $5 admission charge per car.) So, costs will add up quickly. We had to tell the kids to stop for a short while so we could draw things out a little.
That said, the fish was delicious! They send you home with the fish in a bag of ice. Just add some salt and coat the trout with flour and you're ready for frying in the pan!
The skin was crispy and, to me, irresistible. Take a few seconds to scrape the tender meat off the bone and you've got a terrific fillet!
