Palomino

[rrt]

Yes, I know nearly no one on here has any respect for palomino trout (I know they're really golden rainbows, but I still call them palominos).

Anyhow, I ran into one this afternoon, not a particularly big one and on an unstocked stream. How he got there would be anyone's guess -- a traveler from somewhere else, put there by a bucket biologist, etc.

I spotted him and then saw him rise and thought, Aha, I'm gonna catch you.

I re-rigged, taking off my nymph rig and putting on a size 14 Adams. On the first cast, he seemed to glance at it and then ignored it and proceeded to ignore several other dries. He did not seem bothered by a muskrat swimming by or a small brown trout that took a caddis I tossed him.

I put my nymph rig back on, cast it, and promptly hooked -- a stick on the bottom. My tugging on the stick sent him shooting underneath an instream log pile, and that was it.

Just another of the humbling experiences I endure when I run into these man-made stocked trout. When I see one, I ought to ignore it and go somewhere else to fish. (I do not plan to go back to try for him again; I don't need further humiliation.)

 

[jifigz]

I don't like them as much as a natural wild fish, but I respect any that remain alive for quite a while. They are glowingly bright and obviously stand out to predators. I've found them far up unstocked streams before but these streams were all connected to streams that these fish were stocked in..

 

[dryflyguy]

I don't have the disdain for them that a lot of other guys on this site seem to have.
I look at them as a novelty.
When I come across one, I'll take a few casts at it.

But they do always seem to be very fidgety - as if they know that they stick out like a sore thumb.

And while I have caught a few on dry flies, they generally seem reluctant to rise

 

[larkmark]

I have never seen one rise. If I see one I usually try to catch it just like I did when I was a little kid.

 

[Acristickid]

Seems typical.

To me, this is proof I really don’t have that many problems in my life. If there was a barrel full of different lives in it- I’d still pick my life.

 

[MKern]

I've caught two on dries including a 20"er.
The other was a small 12" guy that was missing it's bottom jaw (cause you know, you gotta get your spinner back at any cost).

I always cast to them, because....why not.

 

[KenU]

I actually know people who have paid to have them mounted. I guess it’s better to see them hanging on a wall than swimming around in a wild trout stream.

 

[MKern]

I thought about having my first one mounted.
It was 20" and very orange with a huge red stripe. I was also like 18 years old.
Never went through with it and wouldn't dream of having one mounted now.

I'd rather have a 12" brookie than a 24" golden mounted.

 

[larkmark]

I have one mounted. It looks good. It is my only mounted fish. They get pretty when they hold over. Of course right after I had the one mounted I caught one even bigger. Amazing they can avoid predators with that color. I've seen huge ones way downstream in Penns Creek. They seem to adapt as well as any other stocked trout.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I noticed a lot more of them in SEPA this year, regular sized fish, not just the monsters. I probably caught 5 on the Wissahickon in Philly this year, none over 14 inches, when the usual would be one or two 20 inchers every couple of years.

I wonder if this was a fluke at the hatchery this year or a concerted effort (if the latter, it sort of underscores the ridiculousness of chasing stockies and makes me self-conscious ;-) ). I believe this is the first year I saw a category for them on the stocking chart too? Mike?? Were we a pilot for the new plan?

 

[tomgamber]

I like them for the fact that other tend to congregate around them, leaving more of the remaining stream open. I have never seen one be very aggressive so I might cast to one if no they are in a normally populated section of stream. I think of you're going to stock highly visible fish you should be able to shoot them. Jk

 

[jifigz]

I've seen them mounted and hanging on restaurant walls across my region. Because, you know, nothing says quality food like a nice buck and a palomino hanging right over your table.

Seriously, why did the name switch from palomino to golden rainbow? Are the fish slightly genetically different than they used to be?

 

[Clams]

Love em or hate em, you can expect to see more of em

https://www.inquirer.com/science/climate/pennsylvania-fishing-golden-rainbow-trout-anglers-philadelphia-20191104.html

Fyi this is a front page story in today's Phila. Inquirer

 

[Clams]

Love em or hate em, you can expect to see more of em

https://www.inquirer.com/science/climate/pennsylvania-fishing-golden-rainbow-trout-anglers-philadelphia-20191104.html

Fyi this is a front page story in today's Phila. Inquirer
(sorry about the double post, feel free to delete one of them)

 

[ColdBore]

tomgamber wrote:

I like them for the fact that other tend to congregate around them, leaving more of the remaining stream open.

Agreed.

Some people hate them, others have a fascination with them and will dedicate way too much time and effort into catching one that they spot.

I like when somebody bounces flies off of the nose of one, over and over and over, and leaves the rest of the stream to me.

As for my personal thoughts towards the fish, I'm pretty much indifferent. If I see one, sure, I'm going to cast at it a few times, just like I would any other normally colored fish. Why not? But if no reaction within a few casts, I'll move on and leave it for the next guy.

 

[FarmerDave]

jifigz wrote:
I've seen them mounted and hanging on restaurant walls across my region. Because, you know, nothing says quality food like a nice buck and a palomino hanging right over your table.

Seriously, why did the name switch from palomino to golden rainbow? Are the fish slightly genetically different than they used to be?

I believe you can find the history of the golden rainbow on the PSFB website, if not, you can google it. Here is the condensed explanation.

First one was a WV hatchery freak and it was several decades ago. They decided they could make a buck off of this thing. But since they only had one, they crossed with normal colored rainbows. The color was more subdued and I think that was called a palomino. Over the next several years they selecting the brightest ones for breeding stock until they achieved a golden color. WV was protective of their hatchery freaks, but eventually PA started producing their own by crossing WV freaks with regular colored and called them palominos. They then also selectively bred for the gold color. Hence golden rainbows.

There may be some inaccuracies in the above, but it is the basic gist.

my using the term freak is not meant as disrespect. The term "hatchery freak" on the other hand... ;-)

 

[ryansheehan]

One of the biggest browns I ever took was a few feet down stream from a golden. Ever since then I make a couple casts to the golden then down stream, it's turned into a number of big trout that I couldn't see!

 

[Dave_W]

ryansheehan wrote:
Ever since then I make a couple casts to the golden then down stream, it's turned into a number of big trout that I couldn't see!

I'll definitely second this! ^

Don't know why, but there are often other stockies that seem to hang out around pallies and sometimes wild fish. One would think that the barrage of lures and flies that rain down on the yellow fish would drive off any thing else around them.

Anyway, when I see a pallie, like many of you, I'll make a few casts (usually unsuccessfully) at it... but often get some other nice fish in the effort.

Dang if I can explain it (scratching head).

 

[afishinado]

Dave_W wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
Ever since then I make a couple casts to the golden then down stream, it's turned into a number of big trout that I couldn't see!

I'll definitely second this! ^

Don't know why, but there are often other stockies that seem to hang out around pallies and sometimes wild fish. One would think that the barrage of lures and flies that rain down on the yellow fish would drive off any thing else around them.

Anyway, when I see a pallie, like many of you, I'll make a few casts (usually unsuccessfully) at it... but often get some other nice fish in the effort.

Dang if I can explain it (scratching head).

My guess is stockies seem to hang together in pods for quite a while after stocking. The pallies are visible and end up marking the area where the pod is hanging for anglers.

 

[Tups]

Agree with Farmer Dave. The name has not changed from Palomino to Golden rainbow. Rather, they are two different but related creatures. A golden rainbow is a recessive genetic color morphism. A GR is genetically homozygous for the bright yellow color with no spots. If 2 such homozygous individuals spawn, all of their offspring will also be homozygous GR's with bright golden color and no spots. However, if a GR spawns with a genetically homozygous rainbow of typical coloration (this is the genetically dominant coloration of the RT species), then none of the offspring can be pure GR's, though each will carry a recessive gene for the golden color. And because they carry this recessive gene, some of the offspring will display a combination of the two types, namely they will have a muted golden color and faint spots. These cross-bred fish are called Palominos. Anyway, that is my understanding of the situation.