Brook trout

[Thompsoncentre]

Ok so I found a few trout brines that I believe I'm gonna try, my trout will be small anywhere from 8-10 inches. And from previous experience I know you can not fillet a brookie like you can a rainbow. So do I just cut tail and head off, leave skin on and Lay them in rack? Or should I try and split them down the back? And I see some people put tooth picks in to keep it propped open.
Any help is highly appreciated!

[pmmpete]

I haven't smoked brook trout, but I have smoked a lot of Kokanee Salmon in the same size range.  See my posting at http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=30984.msg365935#msg365935.  It's a lot of work for such small fish, but I prefer to cut the fillets off the backbone and remove the ribs before smoking the fillets.  The fillets are easier to brine and smoke than whole fish because they are a consistent thickness, and they are easier to eat than whole fish because the bones have already been removed.  I figure that you have to remove the bones at some point, and I find it is easier to remove the bones while processing the raw fish in preparation for brining and smoking, than it is to claw the bones out of whole smoked fish.

[Thompsoncentre]

Ya that looks awesome! I wish I could fillet them like that, but last year I tried filleting brookies and its impossible as far as I'm concernd due to the way there bones are, it's almost like they have back rib cage too.
Thanks for the post I'm sure I will be using some of your tips!

[tskeeter]

When I was in high school, the guy that had one of the local fish houses used to smoke small fish that were about the size of brook trout dressed.  Gutted and scaled, but with heads and tails on.  The cut in the belly was open slightly, so it is likely that he did something to keep the cavity open about 3/4 of an inch while smoking.