Second opinions

[Nckr624]

I hate to be the wild or stocked guy, but here goes…On my way into a small mountain stream I stopped at a large deep pool in the main stream that usually holds a bunch of stockies. This section doesn’t get much pressure due to the long walk to access it. It’s stocked by the state and by a nearby club. I have caught natives in this stream in the past as most of the tribs hold them, but I’ve also caught big stocked brooks a few years back. I caught a brookie that went about 13” and I’ve gotta know, stocked or wild, second opinions welcome.

 

[troutbert]

What was the first opinion?

I think it's a stocked trout.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

Pretty fish but I'm a heavy lean on stocker.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Several things, mainly size, coloration/patterns, proportions lean stocked for me. However, fins are big and pretty clean, the big and full caudal is rare on hatchery fish.

 

[wildtrout2]

Several things, mainly size,

Agree. That's the one thing that makes me most skeptical of a brookies origin, then coloration/patterns.
Same with tiger trout.

 

[troutbert]

How many 13 inch or larger native brook trout do you all think exist right now in PA?

 

[Bamboozle]

A stocker would be my opinion, even if I caught the fish.

 

[wildtrout2]

How many 13 inch or larger native brook trout do you all think exist right now in PA?

Not very many at all. My best native in 40 years is 13.5". I've only ever actually seen a bigger one once. I'd put the odds of catching a 13"+ native up there with catching a wild tiger trout. You might actually have better odds catching the wild tiger.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

who cares? did you have a good time? Debate over

 

[greywolf]

How many 13 inch or larger native brook trout do you all think exist right now in PA?

Very few. That is why I would think that fish was stocked. Maybe a holdover.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

Nice holdover there

 

[Swattie87]

That fish definitely is a fence sitter. Has physical traits in support of both wild and stocked. IMO this is a classic case of the most important factor being the location where it was caught.

If this was in a stream or watershed that wasn’t stocked, I’d call it wild. Given the info the OP shared about the stream where it was caught, coupled with the mixed bag of physical characteristics, stocked is my vote.

 

[blitzinstripes]

I tend to agree with the consensus. Most likely a holdover.

 

[troutbert]

I doubt that it's a holdover. Holdover means that it was stocked last year and survived through all last year and through the winter in the stream. The number of hatchery brook trout that do that is extremely low. It was probably stocked this spring.