First wild browns.....

[steveo27]

I picked up a new small stream rod - an Eagle Claw 6'6" Featherlight - this past week and got a chance to put it to the test this weekend. I matched it to a cheapy Cabela's disc drag reel I had laying around and some Orvis Clearwater 4w WF line.

Ive never fished with a 'glass rod before so it was a learning experience. After I got the hang of it, it turned out to be a fun little rod. Perfect for the tiny little streams I fished this past Sunday. The length is nice for crawling around in the brush along the streams. It bow casts rather nicely too.

We packed up the truck and headed for the Laurel Highlands around noon. We fished 2 small mountain streams. Both had a decent amount of water in them still and both were still cold - 64* and 61*.

There was a decent population of native brook trout in both streams. These are few of the notable ones -

I was really shocked when I caught these 2 fish in the one tiny stream I was fishing -

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/s320x320
/e35/11909433_391158354342027_1740628808_n.jpg

I would have never expected to catch 2 wild browns in a little brookie stream. Ive read there are wild browns in the Laurel Highlands but this is the first time Ive ever seen them.

Cheers

 

[Maurice]

Id call the top brownie stocked and the bottom one definitely a wild brown. Nice day of fishing.

 

[PocketWater]

Thanks for sharing the pictures. I love the Laurel Highlands.

 

[steveo27]

Thanks guys.

Maurice wrote:
Id call the top brownie stocked and the bottom one definitely a wild brown. Nice day of fishing.

I caught him about 2 miles up from the mouth of the stream. The stream this little tributary feeds is stocked with browns. I guess it is very possible for the fish to have swam this far up. However, in my opinion, this fish had the typical tail which is characteristic to a wild brown, very large and a deep red/purple. Do hold over fish develop these traits?

I wish I would have gotten a better picture.

 

[jifigz]

He means the second picture from the bottom I believe. And I agree with him, it looks stocked. The last picture looks wild. I do not believe that he means the "first" Brown because the second picture down is a brown trout and it is certainly wild.

 

[JackM]

The last two are brown trout, the first four are brookies. The fifth (first brown) looks stocked, and the final picture (second brown trout) looks wild. I would be confident about the brook trout being wild and skeptical about both browns, with the last picture more likely to be wild.

 

[phiendWMD]

Maurice wrote:
Id call the top brownie stocked and the bottom one definitely a wild brown. Nice day of fishing.

I thought the same exact thing. Either way it looks like a good day.

 

[pcray1231]

this fish had the typical tail which is characteristic to a wild brown, very large and a deep red/purple. Do hold over fish develop these traits?

Yes, they do.

It's not a great pic, but I'm leaning stocked on the 1st one too. I'm nowhere near 100% certain. The fins are rather opaque and beat up, I don't see any red on the adipose, and the spots look orangish rather than red. It's got the body shape of a stockie and the correct size. What's holding me back from being sure is that I think I see a blue eye spot, which almost always indicates wild (I've seen wild fish without it, but not sure I've seen stocked ones with it). And I could be mistaken on some of the others because it's not a great pic.

2nd brown is 100% wild, no doubt about it.

Really like the 4th brookie. Mature males are so pretty at this time of the year. The 1st is immature, but male I think, the middle 2 are females.

 

[wildtrout2]

Looks like a nice day on the stream. I agree that the first brown is stocked and the second brown is wild. The first one doesn't have the transparent fins like the wild one does.

 

[steveo27]

Thanks for the info Pcray. Ill have to keep that stuff in mind on the next ones I catch.

I'll see if I have a better picture. The woods were very dark and shaded were I caught him.

I love the color the male brookies take on this time of year. Beautiful fish for sure.

Cheers

 

[greenghost]

steveo27 wrote:
I would have never expected to catch 2 wild browns in a little brookie stream. Ive read there are wild browns in the Laurel Highlands but this is the first time Ive ever seen them.

Cheers

steveo,

Unfortunately, it has been my experience that there are relatively few streams in the LH that have strictly brook trout in them.

I know quite a few that have stocked browns and rainbows with natives and wild browns in the headwaters. Sometimes, you can catch all three in the same stretch of water. I've never caught all three species of wild fish in the same stream, though I'm sure those waters exist.

 

[pcray1231]

Unfortunately, it has been my experience that there are relatively few streams in the LH that have strictly brook trout in them.

This is reasonably true statewide.

There are plenty of streams with all browns, no brookies. But with only a handful of exceptions, most brookie streams have at least a token population of browns. You may fish them 20 times before catching your first, but there's always a few....

 

[dc410]

Sounds like a great outing. Thanks for sharing it with us. Spruced up your avatar just quite nicely. Gorgeous brookie!

 

[boychick]

Love that last brookie, BEAUTIFUL!

 

[Acristickid]

...and an increased chance to catch wild tigers?

 

[JackM]

Do you think Tiger Trout feel like a red-headed step-son?