I caught some rainbows yesterday and I have a brand new big chief smoker that I havent used before. Its just under 30 degrees outside today. The information in the book that came with it is a little vague on things. Will the smoker get hot enough when its thus cold? I am thinking I might need to make a plywood box to surround it and help it hold in heat. Also it doesnt really say how long it should take to smoke whole small trout. I would think that 12 to 14 inch trout are a large part of what gets smoked in these.

Those are for cold smoking anyways. I have one from the 70s, as long as the element gets hot enough to get the wood to smoke you should be good. 30 isn't really that cold anyways.

Use the cardboard box it came in for insulation. I think that is in the instructions.
I find that the "chief" smokers are anything but cold smokers, usually they will cook the fish if you aren't careful with temperature control, which is a little tricky with them.
However, if you want to cold smoke (which I prefer) maybe you should try it at 30 degrees without the cardboard box.

If you are concerned about your fish being raw.. Do the overnight brine thing (1/2 cup salt to qt. water) then put the fish in the oven at 350 for about 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit and dry for awhile then into the smoker for a few hours. Be careful that no condensation drips on them when it is cold out...

Thats how I do them bring them up to 165 in oven get them out quick and cold smoke for 8 hours. I use a dry cure half canning salt and half brown sugar with some pickeling spice mixed in. sprinkle it on let them sit over night and shift them around they make there own brine.

Is it true that if you smoke fish in a smoker, subsequent meals will taste of fish? I'm thinking of trying smoking some fish but I'm planning to set up a dedicated fish smoker with just a hotplate for smoke.

Sound great.

You guys are killin'me.

"350 degrees for 20 minutes", that's baked fish with smoke flavor.
"165 degrees and then a cold smoke" is a little closer, but in reverse order.

One of the main issues with smoked fish is Listeria monocytogenes, you are even more susceptible of cultivating listeria in smoked fish if you vacuum seal it.
To prevent becoming sick from listeria, smoke your fish however you would like; hot or cold. Then at the end of your smoking cycle rapidly raise the internal temperature of the fish to 160F degrees for a couple of minutes.

If you are going to eat it soon (or freeze it) then this precaution is not really necessary, but don't vacuum seal it regardless, unless you follow the procedure to kill listeria.

No clue on the how but over in bavaria I really enjoyed rauchforellen (mein deutsch ist sur schlect) that was sold at every local fest. Smoked trout served on a stick like a corn dog. That and a real pretzel mit senf was what I went to fest for, oh and the bier of course.