1. Troutnut Forum
›
2. Fly Fishing
›
3. Unique brown trout markings, Page 2

I don't believe it's a tiger. I've seen browns with such elongated spots; Some I've described as "marbled". I don't see any char characteristics in that fish at all.

The best indicator of hatchery origin is warping in the fins -the dorsal in particular. This occurs due to crowding in the hatchery raceways. Fish stocked as fingerlings often do not have such warping though.

In the first image the dorsal looks pretty straight, which would lead me to think it's possibly a wild fish as most streams that are stocked are stocked with catchable-sized yearlings that almost always show warping. The other (lower) fins show slight warping. This could be due to hatchery origin (with age fins can grow out some) or to contact with substrate at a particular lie. Often streams with lots of wood cover produce fin wear -abrasions and eventual warping in older fish. Your fish is older indicated by rounded fins, large head, and prominent kype (a male). He also shows an abraded ventral lobe of the tail -abraded by substrate.

That's what I can offer: Pure brown, and can't rule out either wild or hatchery origin. It could be that the genes for that spotting pattern are prevalent in certain PA hatcheries, esp considering what the biologist said. You could call some hatcheries and ask if this is so. You could also find out if your stream is stocked with fingerlings, or stocked at all.

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter it's origins. It makes me feel more accomplished as a fisherman to catch big old gnarly looking fish, but if that's the only reason I participated in this great sport, I'm in it for the wrong reasons. The biggest reason for my interest in this fishes origins are because I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to fish out 300+ for a repro. If this is a wild fish, it is certainly a very unique one worth displaying on my wall, but if it just a common hatchery fish I am satisfied with the pictures I have taken... what do you all think?

$300 is a ton of money. Get a bigger photograph enlargement like a 11" x 14" and a nice frame with no glare glass and take the rest of the money you save and take your wife, or significant other, out to a nice dinner.

Can't help with the financial debate.

As to the "value" of the fish: Any fish -esp in a smaller stream- that hits 18" is a rare and impressive fish -one that figured something out. And that goes for holdovers too.

Since you're asking, Ben...the spawning potential of this buck suggests it should of been left in the "crick".

Spence

It was left in the "crick". I'm considering a reproduction mount

Spence, you have a habit of accusing fellow Troutnuts, including me, of killing fish...perch, OK I admit that, and rainbows from Reid Lake that are stocked and never get to breed. That's where I draw the line, even my bluegill & pumpkinseed get to live and grow for the future.

Jonathon

P.S. I think a reproduction mount, if you can afford it, is very cool.

get your mount and ask the maker to take a very good look at the dorsal fin in your photo...i think the stripes on the trailing edge of that fin say tiger trout to me!
glad you got such a good picture.

PSUturf91- That is a brown trout. No doubt at all. I have caught hundreds, maybe thousands of browns with that "wormy" look like that. There is a PA state hatchery that produces brown trout that look like that.

Here are a few of them, and I think you may have seen them already...
< />

< />

< />


< />


< />


< />

< />

And finally....

This is a wild tiger trout...

< />


And these are stocked tiger trout...
< />

< />

< />


Hopefully after comparing with my photos, you can see the difference.

Thanks for posting. Good info, great pics, awesome fish!

Sorry for the presumption on my part! Just spotted your response to me or I'd have apologized earlier.

-Spence

That is a lot of oddly marked trout. I have fished a long time and have never actually seen a "tiger" trout except in photos.

Spence

Tigers used to be a popular novelty to stock in pennsylvania. Our fish commission discontinued stocking them about 10 years ago but private clubs still stock tigers. I have also caught a few wild tiger trout. All stocked browns around my area look like that, so to me, they are not odd.