Stocked or wild, you decide!

[wgmiller]

Was out fishing the other day and had a bunch of willing brookies come out to play. Without getting into specifics of which stream they were found on (that would be too easy ), what are your thoughts - stocked or wild?

 

[Fish Sticks]

Its just a guess no one can ever tell for sure even if they say they can. After they are in the stream for a while the stocked ones unfortunately can look clean and colored, there are some suggestive traits but nothing to hang your hat on. And its a spectrum too could be wild but a first generation stream born fish from a reproduction event that involved a hatchery fish(introgression). Ya never know in PA thats what kills me .

 

[vealboy]

Look like stocked fish to me.

 

[sarce]

Stocked.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Yea they looked stocked

 

[wildtrout2]

Was out fishing the other day and had a bunch of willing brookies come out to play.
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A "bunch" of this size brook trout would lead me to believe they're stocked. Colors aren't real vivid. JMO

 

[silverfox]

Stocked. Western PA?

 

[phiendWMD]

Stocked but much better looking than the stocked brookie I saw this year.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Stocked, all have noticeable fin wear. Some blurring of white and black on fins. If you look close all also seem to have the spot pattern indicative of a particular private hatchery in swpa.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

Stocked, but good looking fish for stockers nonetheless.

 

[JeffP]

I guess I always thought worn fins were tattered or almost non-existent.

 

[wgmiller]

Stocked. Western PA?

Nope. SEPA. I'll shed some light on their location in a bit.

 

[troutbert]

They look like stocked brookies.

The fins aren't bad looking, but that is often the case with small hatcheries.

I have seen hatchery brook trout with that particular coloration, but never saw wild brookies with that coloration. The coloration is odd. I wonder whether that is caused by genetics or their food supply.

If you catch a bunch of brook trout and they are all 7 inchers or larger, and you're not catching brookies 2-6 inches, then you're probably catching stockies.

So, which stream is it?

 

[Fish Sticks]

a dissertation done on rear-edge brook trout populations mentioned there were multiple phenotypes(identified by physical characteristics) seen for similar genotypes(identification by genes). Coloration seems to be much more diet and environment like the silver shiny rainbow trout that run out of the great lakes.

 

[JeffP]

Color-wise, to me, they all look different. but i guess the angle can make a difference. Stony?

 

[Fish Sticks]

I’m going to guess somewhere in schuyllkill county, i have my reasons.

 

[Prospector]

I was going to say 1-2 stocked and 3 wild, except 3 has that abrasion on its nose that could be from nursery or from previous handling by an angler. The abrasion makes me say stocked.

 

[Dave_W]

Been awhile since we've had one of these threads.
Fun stuff.

 

[Fish Sticks]

The even bigger question on my mind in this stocked stream is if the stream does contain wild native brook trout, has there been introgression? Probably one of the worst things that can happen to a brook trout population short of extirpation.

 

[pcray1231]

Stocked. Nice fish though.

With brookies, in my experience one fairly good indicator is the anal fins. Not wear. Specifically the pink to black to white tip transitions. On stocked fish those lines will be uneven and a little "muddy". The black line really bleeds into both pink and white. On wild fish it is a sharp, definitive line separating the 3 color schemes.

2 pics. The first is a typically colored 100% wild brookie from a typical small freestoner. A no doubter fish. The 2nd is a rather dull looking, stockie sized fish from Penns Creek. There are upstream tribs with both wild and stocked fish, so a potential source for both. The dull color is from large water/bug diet. But due to the fins I believe the fish is wild, but will admit not 100% sure of it.