Chances for a wild tiger trout?

[Zak]

Here is a side by side of what basically every stocked tiger looks like and the one I think is wild. Stockers are always more green up top and usually (but not always) have the darking fins. We'll never know for sure though unless I get it again which is super unlikely. It would be a 9 year old fish most likely. It's probably dead.

 

[bigjohn58]

Zak wrote:
Here is a side by side of what basically every stocked tiger looks like and the one I think is wild. Stockers are always more green up top and usually (but not always) have the darking fins. We'll never know for sure though unless I get it again which is super unlikely. It would be a 9 year old fish most likely. It's probably dead.

Most of the stocked tiger trout I've caught do not look like the ones you just posted. Most of the stocked tigers I've caught are darker in color especially on the top and tend to have more of the wavy pattern going down the sides instead of the marbling effect.

 

[Zak]

Probably right Bigjohn. Trout are a lot like fingerprints and snow flakes. No 2 are ever completely alike. One of the reasons why I love them so much. You never what you next 'bite' might hold.

 

[Prospector]

wildtrout2 wrote:

Prospector wrote:
Here is the one I caught in June 2019 on Kettle. I assumed it was stocked and still do, but admittedly the door is open a little bit. I caught it in a hole that always holds brook trout. A very productive tributary to Kettle flows in about 60 yards upstream of where I caught this fish, so it easily could have come down. Another guy in our group caught 2 in Kettle in 2017. Once again, in a spot that always holds brookies and just about 50 yards downstream of a trib.

Prospector, is there any history of tiger trout being stocked in Kettle by the State?

WT2,

I talked to someone who helps stock Kettle and he has seen the occasional tiger in buckets that he dumps in. Apparently it’s not widespread but it does happen. I also was able to get the results of a recent electro shock pretty far up Hammersley Fork and they found 1 tiger in the 3/4 mile stretch involved in the project.

 

[wildtrout2]

Prospector wrote:

wildtrout2 wrote:

Prospector wrote:
Here is the one I caught in June 2019 on Kettle. I assumed it was stocked and still do, but admittedly the door is open a little bit. I caught it in a hole that always holds brook trout. A very productive tributary to Kettle flows in about 60 yards upstream of where I caught this fish, so it easily could have come down. Another guy in our group caught 2 in Kettle in 2017. Once again, in a spot that always holds brookies and just about 50 yards downstream of a trib.

Prospector, is there any history of tiger trout being stocked in Kettle by the State?

WT2,

I talked to someone who helps stock Kettle and he has seen the occasional tiger in buckets that he dumps in. Apparently it’s not widespread but it does happen. I also was able to get the results of a recent electro shock pretty far up Hammersley Fork and they found 1 tiger in the 3/4 mile stretch involved in the project.

That's interesting Prospector. I'd love to know what section of HF that was for the survey, and the results.

 

[Dave_W]

Zak wrote:
We'll never know for sure though unless I get it again which is super unlikely. It would be a 9 year old fish most likely. It's probably dead.

Yes, it's probably dead, but yuh never know. You could catch it again.

There was a large brown in Falling Springs that was caught by three different forum members over three consecutive years from the same pool.

Regarding the age of tigers, one would think their brookie genes would limit their lifespan. However, I know of a very large tiger, also from Falling Springs, that was in the same pool for several years. I pursued this fish for years thinking it was a large brown (it was over 20" and a brilliant orange color). I was surprised when I finally caught the fish to discover it was a tiger from the local coop hatchery. I hooked it again a couple years later (I think it was two years) in the same spot. This fish held over for many years, maybe a decade, or close to it. They seem to be able to live pretty long.

 

[Zak]

That's a cool story. Just imagine the things a trout sees if lucky enough to survive 7-8 years in the wild. How many life threatening encounters it must have to survive. The odds to get to that age are astronomical in most cases. If they could only speak our language I could sit all day and listen to one haha.

 

[Acristickid]

I really want to catch one but but don’t really put Myself in a position to do so but I think as time goes on I will try to increase my odds.

 

[fly_flinger]

Dave- Was this the Falling Springs tiger you were talking about?
Caught in 2008

 

[sandfly]

wild bushkill near rt.209

 

[sandfly]

holdover stockie delaware river near rt. 263 bucks county