Do stocked trout lack intelligence or do they only lack experience?

[Prospector]

Having just returned to my camp in Forest County directly from the Jam where I fished Penns Creek and Spring Creek on consecutive days, I began wondering about stocked vs wild.

I also thought about the trout in the East Hickory DHALO that were stocked in late April. As newly stocked fish they wanted to eat everything they saw. There were no fish pellets being provided multiple times per day. They had to make a diet conversion from fish pellets to the real world of minnows, aquatic insects and terrestrials. In their first 3 days in the DHALO they pounced on anything that floated past their nose and they took a lot of lumps. They were very each to catch.

Soon after these trout were stocked in the East Hickory DHALO, I fished 15.5 hours over 3 days and caught 77. (5.3 per hour) This was the trout’s first chance to experience the real world and they made lots of mistakes.

But fast forward a month. These last 2 days I fished 4.5 hours on the East Hickory DHALO and I caught 3 (0.67 per hour).

That got me thinking that stocked fish do adapt to their environment and have the ability to learn what is safe and what they should avoid.

Comparing stocked fish to wild trout. Wild trout had to learn from day 1 what was food and what was not. I’m sure they made lots of mistakes too but probably at a much younger age. Likely before anglers even caught them.

Looking at my experience on Penns this past weekend, I fished 8 hours over 2 days and I caught 6 trout (0.75 per hour). The fish in Penns Creek tend to be considered the Crown Jewels of PA. That made me wonder if stocked fish vs wild fish have similar intelligence but they have different journey to get to the same level of wariness. Maybe it’s just experience that is lacking in the stocked fish.

With protection in a DHALO the stocked fish can be caught and released multiple times and they learn and get smarter. This allows larger stocked fish (8-12 inches) to make mistakes that wild trout encounter soon after hatching.

On Spring I fished for 7 hours over one day and I caught 3 (0.43 per hour). Once again a sub (>1 catch per hour). This was a day without a spinner fall. That event would have driven up trout per hour a little bit.

I realize I’m throwing out a very small sample size. We all know stocked trout can be dumb. Nothing that is done in a hatchery is preparing them for life after they exit the white buckets. But revisit these same stocked fish after 30 days of protection from a DHALO, C&R, or FFO and see how quickly they adapt and catch up to wild trout at a similar age.

I live in a region that has very little natural reproduction. My camp is in a region that has limited natural reproduction. Most are small wild streams that the fish also lack experience and they tend to eat everything. These 2 populations are not wary at all. Last but not least I spend about 11 days on Kettle Creek where stocked fish are the king. They certainly get picky on this water, especially sections that are easy to get to. Some of the stockies there get very educated.

Other factors related to catch rates

• Typical water speed
• Area weather patterns
• Angler experience level
• Size of water
• ….I’m sure a lot more

Based on my experience, I’m leaning toward a stocked fish that gets pressured daily (or every other day), will be as smart as a wild fish. It’s experience and not genetics that makes the difference.

My question to you: Do you feel that if the majority of stocked fish did not die due the thermal issues over the summer, would there be very little difference in angler success between freestone and spring creeks


@Mike
I hope you can provide your take on this too.

 

[Tigereye]

I agree with just about all your theories. I would add that feeding on natural food becomes a "conditioned response"

Wild fish in fertile streams get alot of "reps" and thus learn the feeding game very well. Size, color, movement, shape etc. It also explains trout focusing on one insect or stage ie those days when we can't figure out what they are rising for.

Wild fish in head waters are no different than their lowland cousins except the streamS aren't as fertile and thus they get less "reps". Not that they are dumber, just that they need to feed aggressively to take advantage of the fewer morsels that pass by.

Stickies are conditioned that food comes from above. There is plenty of it, but the competition is very high. They need to feed aggressively.

When put into the wild they learn or better yet are "conditioned" to eat like wild fish as soon as they get enough reps.

A fish is a fish and they only have so much intelligence. There is probably some variation between species and individuals, but come on, they are fish. To say one is significantly smarter than the other or possesses a degree of intelligence greater than another is bull IMHO.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Interesting post and response.

One other question or consideration: What conditions or traits make one fish survive for sometimes several years over another? Are they all the same?

Is it just luck, good fish handling by the many who may have caught the fish, happening upon a good hiding spot where the fish fed but did not get caught 12 times in a DHALO?

There must be variations genetically that predispose a fish for termination or survival? And, of course, there must be stupid genes too?

Stocked browns and rainbow seem to acclimate differently, even.

 

[wildtrout2]

Interesting post and response.

One other question or consideration: What conditions or traits make one fish survive for sometimes several years over another? Are they all the same?

There must be variations genetically that predispose a fish for termination or survival? And, of course, there must be stupid genes too.

Sure, just like humans, there's smart ones and stupid ones. The smart ones tend to live a longer life.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

One theory, that has been somewhat proven by underwater observation, is that resident trout (wilds and healthy holdovers) will push non-resident trout (stockers) out of the best feeding lanes and into the marginal side water where the little chubs hang out. I can't remember the guy's name but the video I saw, showed an 8" wild brown bullying a 13" rainbow out of a prime feeding lane.

 

[DomR]

One theory, that has been somewhat proven by underwater observation, is that resident trout (wilds and healthy holdovers) will push non-resident trout (stockers) out of the best feeding lanes and into the marginal side water where the little chubs hang out. I can't remember the guy's name but the video I saw, showed an 8" wild brown bullying a 13" rainbow out of a prime feeding lane.

Might be from these series of videos.

Underwater World of Trout

The Underwater World of Trout is a series of videos that explore the aquatic world of trout and their environment. Filmed by Wendel (Ozzie) Ozefovich, this collection of videos in DVD format represents years of unique underwater photography unparalleled in clarity, subject and technique. These...

www.underwateroz.com

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Might be from these series of videos.

Underwater World of Trout

The Underwater World of Trout is a series of videos that explore the aquatic world of trout and their environment. Filmed by Wendel (Ozzie) Ozefovich, this collection of videos in DVD format represents years of unique underwater photography unparalleled in clarity, subject and technique. These...

www.underwateroz.com

That's it... I only remembered it was a Polish guy. My son bought one of his DVDs.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Sure, just like humans, there's smart ones and stupid ones. The smart ones tend to live a longer life.

Exactly!

A brook trout must have gotten through school with an IEP and taking the short bus?

Or is that aggression or what Tigereye noted about conditioned to look up and pounce?

 

[Nymph-wristed]

One theory, that has been somewhat proven by underwater observation, is that resident trout (wilds and healthy holdovers) will push non-resident trout (stockers) out of the best feeding lanes and into the marginal side water where the little chubs hang out. I can't remember the guy's name but the video I saw, showed an 8" wild brown bullying a 13" rainbow out of a prime feeding lane.

I think I saw that, and I have seen it in real time too. I believe I have heard that a wild brown might exhaust himself or herself too with this constant territorial defense.

They do choose different water at times, and that must exhaust the rainbows if they don't get with the menu. Like if they feel most comfortable in pushier water but don't eat enough to account for the calories spent working hard in the current, while a wild brown is just chillin....

 

[jifigz]

I don't think that stocked trout are any dumber and/or easier to catch than wild trout. The stream being fished, the water levels, the length of time the stockies have been in there, and a myriad of other factors affect how difficult it is to catch fish at certain times.

When fish are stocked into high quality trout streams, they assimilate and begin acting natural in a very short time. I have had fresh stockies that were only planted less than a few days before be so discriminating on a small mountain stream that they would only eat green drakes. There was a decent hatch coming off of drakes, and those fish would only eat my drake offerings. That isn't a "stupid" fish, and it was freshly planted.

I don't think there is a glaring difference between stockies and wilds as far as their instincts that separate them.

There is no doubt that many places that stockies are stocked are crappy places to trout fish, though, and it leads to a crappy fishing experience.

 

[wildtrout2]

I don't think that stocked trout are any dumber and/or easier to catch than wild trout. The stream being fished, the water levels, the length of time the stockies have been in there, and a myriad of other factors affect how difficult it is to catch fish at certain times.

I agree with most of the above. But, I have to say that I've never had a school of wild trout, natives or browns, just sit there while I attempt to catch them, ever. My experience has been if a wild trout sees you, it's gone! You can't say that about stocked trout.

In fact, I almost never see a wild trout before I actually catch it. I rarely see one sitting in the open.

 

[DomR]

I agree with most of the above. But, I have to say that I've never had a school of wild trout, natives or browns, just sit there while I attempt to catch them, ever. My experience has been if a wild trout sees you, it's gone! You can't say that about stocked trout.

100% agree. Wild fish are bred to be weary of anything moving above cause that's where danger and death often come from. Stockers are bred to associate movement above with feeding time and while that instinct lessens the longer they holdover, it is still there, you can certainly approach them easier whether you can get them to eat or not.

 

[Prospector]

In Kettle Creek there are certain high usage pools where stocked trout will be rising within a rod length. It’s rare to be that close but one did it to me last trip.

 

[PennKev]

Wild fish are dumb more often than stocked fish are smart. But generally speaking, wild fish are far less tolerant of your presence and I think in many cases people misinterpret this as fish being picky. Just because a fish hasn't bolted for cover, doesn't mean you haven't disrupted its feeding and put it on alert. Although, wild fish are often long gone before you get close enough to see them.

 

[ROVERT]

There are a lot of variables that limit the value of comparing fish per angler hour statistics without taking those variables into account. For example, the trout density in central PA is pretty high. I'm not sure how you were fishing but in 8 hours you could have easily drifted your fly within two feet of hundreds of fish.

I don't know what the real numbers are but is possible that you fished to four or five times as many trout per hour in the wild streams vs the dhalo.

That said, I think a stocked trout behaves very similarly to a wild trout if it stays in the river long enough. They have no choice. If they're going to survive, they have to do the same things the wild trout do unless it's a location with a daily bread hatch.

 

[ROVERT]

In Kettle Creek there are certain high usage pools where stocked trout will be rising within a rod length. It’s rare to be that close but one did it to me last trip.

There's a somewhat popular hatch going on right now on one of the central PA streams you fished. If you were to go stand in two feet of water during the spinner fall, you'd likely have at least three wild trout rising within a rod's length. Catching them is an entirely different matter.

 

[jifigz]

I agree with most of the above. But, I have to say that I've never had a school of wild trout, natives or browns, just sit there while I attempt to catch them, ever. My experience has been if a wild trout sees you, it's gone! You can't say that about stocked trout.

In fact, I almost never see a wild trout before I actually catch it. I rarely see one sitting in the open.

Yes, that's true, but after a couple of weeks those stocked trout being being almost just as wary. They quickly lose the conditioned state of man bringing food to man bringing danger.

 

[Prospector]

There are a lot of variables that limit the value of comparing fish per angler hour statistics without taking those variables into account. For example, the trout density in central PA is pretty high. I'm not sure how you were fishing but in 8 hours you could have easily drifted your fly within two feet of hundreds of fish.

I don't know what the real numbers are but is possible that you fished to four or five times as many trout per hour in the wild streams vs the dhalo.

That said, I think a stocked trout behaves very similarly to a wild trout if it stays in the river long enough. They have no choice. If they're going to survive, they have to do the same things the wild trout do unless it's a location with a daily bread hatch.

Your points are valid. I thought it was interesting that the fish per hour numbers were that close but the sample size was small. Most interesting was the progress the stocked fish made on decision making after about 30 days.

 

[troutbert]

Your points are valid. I thought it was interesting that the fish per hour numbers were that close but the sample size was small. Most interesting was the progress the stocked fish made on decision making after about 30 days.

Stocked trout definitely do learn.

But another factor may be that there are now simply less fish in the stream stretches than were there at the beginning of the season.

Even though DHALOs are still in the C&R part of the season, the numbers could still go down substantially, for several reasons: Dispersal, poachers taking fish, predation by herons, mink etc.

 

[steliejim]

Stocked fish can wise up pretty fast. I catch a lot of wild trout almost at my feet because I’m a careful wader. Toss up.