What is your favorite size trout to catch

[RCF]

I know, I know ---> Any and all of them...

I have access to a lake that has many different sizes. Been fishing it for 22 years.

My favorite size is in the 18" class. They are Olympic athletes. When first hooked they leap out of the water sometimes doing cartwheels, sometimes leaping several times. Then they make a short sprint. As one reels them in - wait for it, wait for it - they see the boat/tube. Long, deep and fast run, sometimes all the way into the backing. Pole bent almost in half. One wonders what size the fish it? Maybe 20"+ or even 24"+? Pulls so hard - have no clue... Get them near the boat/tube again and they make a second and sometimes a third run. They are non-stop splashing and are hard to net. They fight harder and longer than larger fish except for the rare 'runaway freight train'.

What size do you like?

 

[Rob Allen]

15-18 inches. Enough size to have a sense of accomplishment but not so big as to make landing then take too long..
Bigger fish are awesome as long as the water is still cool and smaller fish are awesome if they are colorful. But day in day out give me a solid collection of 16 inchers.

 

[Xoxo]

12”.But I’m happy with any size that aren’t dinks.

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

Guppie size, I love guppies!

cheers

 

[Josh]

Wait, is there any other size than "small"?

Maybe I should start trout fishing somewhere besides small cascade streams above barriers to fish passage where a 10" fish is a story to brag about.

 

[XLO]

20”-24

 

[Tom Butler]

A big fish can be fun, some just knock your socks off. Sometimes I think the bigger fish know what's up and tug hard but come in waiting to be released, or something, I don't know. 12-14" fish seem to really give it a go. Small ones can be really frantic/flippy and pretty. I dig them all.

 

[Gary Knowels]

Girth is what really matters.

 

[Xoxo]

Girth is what really matters.

That‘s what she said.

 

[SurfnFish]

my favorite size is whatever the hell is willing to bite the crappy flies I tie..

 

[JACKspASS]

For small mountain streams, 12" is a bonus and a welcome surprise. 14 - 18" for larger rivers is perfect, the allure of a 20"+ is there. Any bigger and I will be steelheading.

 

[Tim L]

Girth is what really matters.

I'm just surprised it took 8 posts to get there

 

[Gary Knowels]

I'm just surprised it took 8 posts to get there

I mean, someone had to

 

[Richard Olmstead]

I like any size trout, but my favorite is the biggest one in whatever stream/lake I am fishing.

 

[flybill]

I'm fine with whatever wants to play and have rods from my Tenkara and 6' 2wt, bamboo rods and some great streamer rods. Big is fun, but the little guys are good too!!

 

[FinLuver]

15”-18”
Cutthroat over rainbow
Cutties are reel screamers!!!

 

[BriGuy]

I'll like the size of the next one I catch.

 

[MT_Flyfisher]

I love to catch any size and species of trout. They’re all fun. For a preference, however, I’ll take a wild, well conditioned and colorful one like this, caught in SW Montana yesterday.

 

[Shad]

I completely agree with those saying 15-18 is generally the best class of fighters. A day of playing several fish in that class will go down as a great one. That said, it's the ones over 20 (rare though they are) that stay with me the longest, so they must be my favorite.

 

[clarkman]

For most of my trout fishing outings, size isn't really all that important (unless I'm strictly streamer fishing, then I'm hunting the larger ones). That said, it's the ones that break 20" that are always the most memorable. Where I normally fish for trout, those ones are the unicorns.