I'm gonna go fishing and catch me a trout

  "...trout that doesn't think two jumps and several runs ahead of the average fisherman is mighty apt to get fried."  ~Beatrice Cook, Till Fish Do Us Part, 1949

Mr. G and I are lucky to live fairly close to  the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River, where the tailwaters below Smith Dam  stay cold enough year-round to support the rainbow trout that have been stocked there regularly since 1974. 

Here's a pic   of our daughter fly casting on the Sipsey when she came  home for a visit last February. 

 
She and Mr. G did manage to catch a few trout then, but trout fishing hasn't been  very good for the last few months because the power company turbines have been running full blast making fishing  difficult, but when Mr. G read that the turbines were going to be off one day last week, he decided to  brave the chilly weather and head for the Sipsey. 

Despite the  cold he had a very good day.  He released most of the fish he caught, but  brought five  (the creel limit) nice trout  home and set about cleaning them.
  He usually butterflies them, removing the  backbone and most of the rib bones, but leaving the skin on. Butterflied  this way, they can be stuffed, baked,  or  pan fried. 
 I decided to  pan fry these. Here's how I do it: I  prefer not to have them stare at me, so  usually  cook them without the heads, but that's a personal preference. First, rinse the fish, then dry them thoroughly to prevent  the formation of steam as they cook. If you have  some clarified butter or ghee on hand, use that; if not, use  regular butter tempered with a little olive oil and heat over medium high heat  until the butter foam begins to subside. Just before  putting the  fish in the pan, I  dredge them in a mixture of  wheat flour and corn flour seasoned with salt and pepper. I prefer  corn flour rather than the coarser corn meal as the fish seem to need less cooking time and turn a beautiful golden brown without being  crunchy. Cook, turning once until both sides are golden brown and the  flesh is cooked through. Most directions say to cook fish until it flakes, but I agree with Julia Child, who said,  “if the fish flakes, it is overdone.” Rather, cook it  until the fish is "springy." You can test this by  pressing it with your figer, but this can be hazardous unless you have asbestos fingertips, so  you might want to gently stick a fork in the fish.  If the flesh is nearly opaque and the flesh separates easily, it is done. Cooking time varies depending on the size of the fish and your stove, but usually takes about four to six minutes per side. 

If you 'd like  some blues music while you enjoy  your delicious fish, here's Dr. John singing "I'm Gonna Go Fishing" Enjoy!.