Thought I would share this photo of the nice trout that can be caught in West Virginia after the DNR stocking ends. I caught this 17 inch rainbow the first week of June. My favorite haunt is located off the beaten path, and I'm pretty sure I had this same fish hooked in mid-May, but he rocketed straight up eye-high out of the water about 10 feet from me and gained freedom that day. Lucky to have a second chance at him. Same place, same lure.
I caught five trout this past weekend ranging in size of 13 to 16 inches fishing the same stretch of river.
They were granted amnesty

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Canned corn. The feed at most hatcheries is corn based (at least used to be) so that is what they are used to feeding on. I believe Berkeley Power bait is made from corn. They may be attracted to a specific color depending on the weather conditions.

No, this fish was definitely a bluegill, just gold colored. It had a blue gill, plus the scales and barbed dorsal fins of the bluegill.

I caught a "golden" bluegill when I was just a boy (8 years old?), in the Smoke Hole Canyon of the South Branch of Potomac River in WV. It was getting dark, bats were flying, and I begged my Dad for one more cast, and lo and behold I caught it this unique creature. Like the golden rainbow trout that was developed nearby, this fish was gold all over. We put it in a bucket with some water, took it home, and placed it in an aluminum tub with fresh water. A conservation officer looked at it the next day. We then released it in a nearby farm pond where I am told it was seen for a number of years afterwards.
I recently came across the photos of me with it. I will have to digitize and share.

Nice find, Mike. My father and I found hundreds of points along with pottery shards, gorgets, hammerstones etc. walking the fields along the South Branch of the Potomac in the 70s & 80s. But alas, farming techniques have changed and the soil is not turned over like it was then, and points are harder to find.
There is a museum in Parkersburg that has a great collection of relics, many I believe were found when the Grand Central Mall was built. Certainly worth the time if you are interested in Native American history.

Beautiful trout! May I ask what state or stream you caught it in? I won't be offended if you don't reveal the stream! Some secrets are best kept to yourself!

The Golden Rainbow Trout stocked in Eastern waters are derived from the rainbow trout. In the 1950s, a rainbow trout was spawned in a hatchery in Petersburg, West Virginia with flecks of golden color all over it. Biologists and scientists worked on breeding it and eventually came up with an all golden trout. It was introduced and first stocked in 1963 and is called the West Virginia Golden Centennial Trout to commemorate the 100th year of the founding of West Virginia. They are different from the Western golden trout.
Obviously, these trout are easy to spot in streams and lakes. They do have a reputation for being more finicky to catch, but maybe it is because we fisherman can see them and just think that is the case. Most people don't feel they have as good of flavor as regular rainbow trout.

The medium light action rod will work, but I highly recommend trying an ultralight. I use a 4 1/2 foot rod with 4 lb. line. I enjoy fishing small streams, often brushy, and I can maneuver around with a lot more ease. Don't have to cast far, so long rod not necessary for distance. Plus, winter trout aren't aggressive when they hit, so I find the sensitivity of the light rod allows me to feel them nibbling before they suck the hook down into their innards. And finally, the thrill of the fight with a light rod is priceless for me. Any fish over 12 inches will just about double the rod and they just can't be muscled in, especially trout.

WVMetronews reports that an angler recently caught a snakehead in the Monongahela River near Braddock Pennsylvania. So they are now in the Ohio River watershed, which drains into the Mississippi.

My best success for rainbow trout have been getting on the stream at the crack of dawn and fishing until mid or late morning during the time period between Easter and July 4th. Cool cloudy days and you might catch fish all day, while a scorching summer day may be a complete waste of time. I fish for natives more in winter and early spring and have found afternoon/evening can often be better at that time of the year as the water warms up during the daylight hours. And of course, an insect hatch at any time can spur a feeding frenzy.

Ahh, the Salt River. Inner tubed that back in July '95. Came to a point where the stream forked with an island in the middle. I took the right fork, while my wife......went straight. Yup, ran right into the island underneath a bush. Fortunately, there were no rattlers there and she got out OK. I still give her grief about that. As Yogi once said, when you come to a fork in the road (or stream), take it.

Al:
I started out as a baitcaster, but over the years have gravitated toward spinnerbaits. Last time out, I was catching some fish, but when I switched to the Aglia, I was busy the rest of the morning catching smallmouth, rock bass, and some large fallfish. It did provide some excitement. The Aglia is still on my rod, and will likely be the first choice the next time I get out. Don't know where you are located, but the Aglia works well here in WV.
I hope for a few dollars you enjoy some tight lines!!

In response to Alphonse, I have had a lot of success with the Mepps Aglia throughout the entire fishing season. Mepps makes a lot of variations of the Aglia, but the plain gold or silver spinner with a small dark red collar seems to work best for me. The ones dressed with different colored flashers, hair, etc. don't seem to work as well. I fish with an ultralight and 4 lb. test line, mostly in streams that have moving current. It appears to me that the Aglias vibrate better than other spinners. Works well with both trout and smallmouth.

Muddy water=earthworms.

If you aren't catching anything, try something else. Last weekend when I was out, I had a little action with the first several lures I used. But the 4th lure I used, (an Aglia Spinner), I caught a smallmouth on the first cast. Fishing the same stretch of stream, I caught 8 or 10 fish over the next 30 minutes.
Last year, after high water had changed the stream at my favorite fishing hole, I wasn't catching anything.
I finally sat down on a rock that appeared to be the best water for trout to lay. Out of frustration, I started changing lures after every 3 or 4 casts. I put on a yellow rooster tail, a color I had never caught anything with, and finally caught a rainbow and proceeded to catch 5 more over the next hour. Yellow was the color they were hitting that day. Certain lures and colors work good at certain times of the year under specific water conditions and may be useless other times. You have to be willing to experiment.