Hay Creek Brook Trout!!

[SlowMutants]

When i first looked at it, I automatically said brown, but I'm now in the brookie camp.

 

[greenghost]

The anal fin keeps me away from 100 percent sure it's a brown. That white border looks brookie-ish. Tough one. We need Mike to weigh in on this one I think.

 

[HopBack]

I initially thought brown trout as well but I was looking back through some of my dink photos and came across this one. It's clearly a brook trout if you look at the dorsal and adipose fin. I think it looks a lot like the one in the OP and is missing the red and black in all of the fins except the anal fins.

 

[sarce]

^That DOES look almost exactly like the OP brookie. Nice.

The only thing you need to know to ID brookies is light spots on dark background. It's absolutely fail-proof, unlike using the white edge on the pec fin, which we've seen several examples posted here where that did not hold true on young brookies.

 

[wgmiller]

I looked a lot closer and followed the comments. I have switched camps and agree that it's a brookie. The dorsal, ventral and anal fins are "deal sealer" for me.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Oh yeah I agree, especially after seeing that last brookie. It's a brookie.

 

[ChronicFlyTyer]

I've caught many a dink brown out of valley creek that looked the same...I wish it was a brookie I'm voting brown

 

[LetortAngler]

Team Brook Trout takes the win

 

[pcray1231]

Didn't see this thread till now. Now that it's decided, I'll jump aboard the winning team. Brookie.

The dorsal is actually what did it for me. Peck, adipose, and anal fins fail sometimes, especially on dinks. As do spots (both have orange/red spots, but the black on browns and the yellow on brookies fails to show in young fish. And I catch my share of dinks, haha.

But I've never seen a brown with dorsal fin markings.

 

[Stenonema]

That was fun. I couldn't see the dorsal well enough to use it as an identifying characteristic either way. The picture didn't help and my eyesight is not as good and ...and....well.

 

[mikesl]

So....
significance of wild brookie in Hay?

 

[Mike]

Two tribs have known wild brook trout populations. One is very close to where these fellows were fishing, but they may not have known that it was there. As I recall, it is somewhat hidden.

 

[salmonoid]

If you look closely at the fish, you can see faint yellow spots. And there are the beginning of blue halos around a few of the red spots. Definitely a brookie. Anal fin is white tipped, black, then red. Browns would be white tipped and yellow.

 

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

Whatever it is it looks healthy. Makes me very glad to have moved into this watershed last winter. Damn house buying and wife marrying though have only allowed two outings on the Hay so far this year. Haven't been skunked yet though and I'm hearing good things from everyone I talk to that fishes it.

 

[Spiral]

I blame this all on the PGC and the mutations that occured when they crossed a puma, mountain lion, coyote, brook and brown trout in a failed attempt to curtail the porcupine problem.

I can only imagine what they have up their sleeve next.


.

 

[LetortAngler]

That is interesting. Perhaps they could of got away with just the Mt.lion and saved themselves the issue of finding a Puma

 

[PatrickC]

Muskie if I've ever seen one!

 

[Chaz]

sarce wrote:
^That DOES look almost exactly like the OP brookie. Nice.

The only thing you need to know to ID brookies is light spots on dark background. It's absolutely fail-proof, unlike using the white edge on the pec fin, which we've seen several examples posted here where that did not hold true on young brookies.

The light spots on dark background is foolproof, however it's not at all evident from the OP Photo. The exposure and camera angle preclude making that a determining factor. I fact the only spots you can see on the fish are the orange spots, which usually indicate brown trout, because on brookies they are red with blue halos. While some browns have halos, most do not.

 

[sarce]

Chaz, you're right that the photo does not show that aspect well. As for red spots/blue halos, I have caught wild brookies with zero red spots, only a couple spots that were more orange than the typical yellow spots. And looking at a photo of such a small fish, there's a good chance you won't be able to see the blue halos even if they are there in reality.

 

[Fishidiot]

One characteristic that you see on occasion in both small wild STs and BTs, is red spots (usually a pair) on the dorsal. If you look closely at the brookie in sarce's avatar above, you can see a pair of these red spots.