A frog in his throat?

[Wulff-Man]

All this talk about the inability of stocked fish to become "holdovers" made me think back to the discussion about the fingerling stocking of the Tully. There were a number of posts from those who swore that the fingerling stockings were a good thing and that they should be renewed. I know the Tully's a tailwater, but I don't think it's that great of a tailwater as far as maintaining cold temps. I'm not really on one side or the other on the Tully fingerling stocking, just trying to figure it out. So do you guys think it's different on the Tully, or do you think it's unlikely to have many fish holding over there too?

 

[FarmerDave]

Wulff-Man,

Anyone who says stocked trout don't holdover is blowing smoke. Sure, most of them don't, but some do. But I also have to agree with a couple other comments where a few guys said that many of the trout identified as "holdovers" are actually wild trout when you are talking about the more fertile streams. In some of the streams that I fish, it is quite easy to tell a holdover from a wild trout. but that is a totally different story.

The percentage of fingerlings that make it to adulthood in a natural stream environment is quite low even for the wild ones, but stocking fingerlings is till cheaper than stocking adult trout, and can provide a better fishing experience IMHO.

 

[Wulff-Man]

FarmerDave wrote:
Sure, most of them don't (hold over), but some do.

I have a feeling that's the best answer, on streams that have the habitat to support trout year round.

 

[ryanh]

RRR,
don't beat the guy up for taking a fish. He even went to lengths explaining that it was a stocker. From a conservation stand point he probably did the stream a service by removing the fish. It would probably eat 50 or 60 wild trout over its life.

Also Tom Gamber brought up the best argument for the holdover theory. If they did not hold over then brookies would not be relegated to the head waters. All of those wild rainbows and browns were hold overs from the stocking truck (or horse wagon) at some point on their family tree. Just by logic....yes trout hold over becuse non native populations exist.


I once caught a brown on the 1st fork about 10 inches that had a stone cat in its stomach.....that swam away.


As to 20inch + fish....
They are out there, if I can catch them then anybody can catch them. They are rare, but they are there. Come to think of it I have never seen an acre of stream with 37 pounds of trout....but they must exist.