What type of trout is this??

[JimKennedy]

wild brown. I've seen that red tint occasionally on decent size browns like that. Very cool fish.

 

[DomR]

OP fish…Brown Trout - 100% confidence. Female - 90% confidence. Stocked - 85% confidence.

For the guys that are saying wild, why? To me this looks like obviously stocked genetics, though certainly one on the nicer end of the spectrum. Other than coloration, which can vary wildly, even on the same fish from different times of year, I don’t see any markers on this fish that would indicate to me it’s wild. What are you guys seeing that I’m missing?

For me mostly the spot pattern, to me it doesn't look like a holdover stockie would based on the spot pattern. I'd expect a large stockie to look more like post #33 or one of the digi-browns.
But I see your point, fins are not as translucent as I'd expect, no blue spot behind the head.

 

[wildtrout2]

For me mostly the spot pattern, to me it doesn't look like a holdover stockie would based on the spot pattern. I'd expect a large stockie to look more like post #33 or one of the digi-browns.
But I see your point, fins are not as translucent as I'd expect, no blue spot behind the head.

I thought that spot pattern made it look wild, and yes, the fins aren't as translucent as on a lot of wild browns I've caught, but they're not all beat up either. They're actually fairly pristine if you zoom in on them.. Either way, it's a really neat brown.

 

[troutbert]

OP fish…Brown Trout - 100% confidence. Female - 90% confidence. Stocked - 85% confidence.

For the guys that are saying wild, why? To me this looks like obviously stocked genetics, though certainly one on the nicer end of the spectrum. Other than coloration, which can vary wildly, even on the same fish from different times of year, I don’t see any markers on this fish that would indicate to me it’s wild. What are you guys seeing that I’m missing?

The pectoral fin says stockie, IMHO.

 

[Swattie87]

The pectoral fin says stockie, IMHO.

The fins were my main sticking point too. No leading white edges, and the pectoral fin on a wild fish that size is usually huge. Tough to tell with the position of the fin though. Fanned out it may be bigger.

I can kinda see what some guys are saying with the spot pattern. Stockies usually aren’t that sparse. This is a similar, nicely colored up Brown I caught on First Fork last year, down near the State Park. I believe this fish to be stocked. Was in the evening, low light, but the general coloration was similar to the OP’s fish. It was definitely “red” in appearance in real life. The photo is unedited, and off a IPhone8, for reference. While fighting it I thought I had a rare rogue wild Brown for that stream, but after landing it, I settled on it being a pretty stocker.

If you made me bet my 401k, and my only choices were stocked or wild, I’ll still vote stocked on the OP fish.

 

[Mikey2006]

View attachment 1641241295

Heres a photo of a very colorful brown that I believe came from a central pa private hatchery. I believe it to stocked due to spot pattern and scarring at insertion point of all fins. Regardless the young kid that caught it was ecstatic and it’s a beautiful fish.

One of my my local streams has some of the best looking stocked fish I’ve ever seen, I’m assuming that a landowner must privately stock because there are a bunch of 10-16 inch browns through a short stretch that all have the same wild look to them, and then very few of them anywhere else. I’ve never seen state fish or even my local club first look this good. Some of them look so good that it’s hard to not question if they are wild or not, but I’ve caught wild fish in this stream before and the actual wild browns have a much different look. The amount of these wild looking browns also conveniently drops off steadily throughout the year until there’s not many to be caught, and then spring rolls around and there they are again. There are some visible indicators that they are stocked if you look hard enough, but if I caught these fish from a stream that is known for wild fish I wouldn’t even bat an eye.

 

[Mikey2006]

Caught this one last year in a stream that is stocked but has a wild brown and brook population. My thought was holdover since it doesn’t have a dark spot by its eye, but it does have nice white edges on fins. Curious on others thoughts.

View attachment 1641241317

it does have nice looking fins, but they are rounded and worn. It also has those long, connected lines of spots and no red coloration, only a few orange spots which I've only ever seen on stockies

 

[wildtrout2]

One of my my local streams has some of the best looking stocked fish I’ve ever seen, I’m assuming that a landowner must privately stock because there are a bunch of 10-16 inch browns through a short stretch that all have the same wild look to them, and then very few of them anywhere else. I’ve never seen state fish or even my local club first look this good. Some of them look so good that it’s hard to not question if they are wild or not, but I’ve caught wild fish in this stream before and the actual wild browns have a much different look. The amount of these wild looking browns also conveniently drops off steadily throughout the year until there’s not many to be caught, and then spring rolls around and there they are again. There are some visible indicators that they are stocked if you look hard enough, but if I caught these fish from a stream that is known for wild fish I wouldn’t even bat an eye.
View attachment 1641241311
View attachment 1641241312

That first brown has some mighty nice, clean looking, translucent fins, and the eye spot is curious. If you didn't say it was stocked, I'd swear it was wild.

 

[Swattie87]

One of my my local streams has some of the best looking stocked fish I’ve ever seen, I’m assuming that a landowner must privately stock because there are a bunch of 10-16 inch browns through a short stretch that all have the same wild look to them, and then very few of them anywhere else. I’ve never seen state fish or even my local club first look this good. Some of them look so good that it’s hard to not question if they are wild or not, but I’ve caught wild fish in this stream before and the actual wild browns have a much different look. The amount of these wild looking browns also conveniently drops off steadily throughout the year until there’s not many to be caught, and then spring rolls around and there they are again. There are some visible indicators that they are stocked if you look hard enough, but if I caught these fish from a stream that is known for wild fish I wouldn’t even bat an eye.
View attachment 1641241311
View attachment 1641241312

Those are the pectoral fins of wild fish. I’d have zero problem agreeing to either of those being wild.

 

[Swattie87]

Caught this one last year in a stream that is stocked but has a wild brown and brook population. My thought was holdover since it doesn’t have a dark spot by its eye, but it does have nice white edges on fins. Curious on others thoughts.

View attachment 1641241317

Stocked. That’s an easy one. Dorsal fin is the first give away. I’m guessing this fish was caught in the Summer or Fall…Big head, skinny body. Means the fish at one time had much more mass. Typical of stockers struggling to efficiently feed and manage their calories consumed vs. expended.

 

[GoldenRfly]

Stocked. That’s an easy one. Dorsal fin is the first give away. I’m guessing this fish was caught in the Summer or Fall…Big head, skinny body. Means the fish at one time had much more mass. Typical of stockers struggling to efficiently feed and manage their calories consumed vs. expended.

Caught April 20th. That’s why I guessed holdover. The white fin edges have others trying to tell me different. I knew you guys would verify it for me. It was a fun catch… I was hanging onto a tree over an embankment. Thx for the reply.

 

[Mikey2006]

That first brown has some mighty nice, clean looking, translucent fins, and the eye spot is curious. If you didn't say it was stocked, I'd swear it was wild.

I used to think they were wild up until this spring. I started exploring this stretch of water this past winter after occasionally catching small wild browns while fishing for the state stocked fish right by the main pull-off along the road. I would regularly hike far upstream and i would occasionally catch some nice fish like those ones. They obviously had been in the stream for a while so they looked even better, it was impossible to distinguish them from wild fish. That combined with the fact that I was catching some 5-8 inch wilds reinforced the idea that I had found a really good, overlooked wild trout fishery.

Once opening day rolled around I started fishing the same section of water again and suddenly started catching tons of those browns. Most of them conveniently hovered around the average size of a stocked fish, with very few being bigger or smaller than the size range I mentioned earlier. And they all have this unnatural orange hue, which I'm guessing the holdovers I caught over the winter had lost. Most of them are practically free of any blemishes, but occasionally one will have scar or a slightly rubbed fin.

Another big tell is that the short 1/4 mile section where the majority of these fish get caught conveniently has "No tresspassing" signs lining the bank on one side. Thats why I assumed a landowner was privately stocking it, it would be an incredible coincidence if 90% of the wild fish in this stream congregated in the only semi-private stretch of water, especially when there's another half mile of relatively unpressured water with great habitat downstream that's for the most part devoid of fish.

I still do think there are some nice wild browns to be had in this stream, in fact I've seen pictures of some pushing 20 inches from other sections, but unfortunately in this section even if i did catch a big wild i would never be sure about its origin

 

[rustbeltwilds]

1oo pct stocked brownie. And oversaturated on the color. Nice fish nonetheless

 

[Swattie87]

Caught April 20th. That’s why I guessed holdover. The white fin edges have others trying to tell me different. I knew you guys would verify it for me. It was a fun catch… I was hanging onto a tree over an embankment. Thx for the reply.

Yeah, that’s a little early to be that skinny. I agree - 2024 stocked fish. In that sense, he may just be that skinny from Winter.

I once caught a Brookie like that that was clearly near the end of its life. It was late Fall, post spawn, in super low water. I hooked a dink, maybe 4”er, and this larger fish shoots out from under a pile of submerged leaves, and grabs the fish I hooked broadside in its mouth. It lets me pull it all the way in like this, and pull it from the water still holding the fish I hooked in its mouth. I unhook it, with the larger fish still attached to it. At this point I get the smaller fish out its mouth and released, and take a look at the fish. It’s a wild Brookie, with the head of a 9” or so fish, and the body of a 6” fish. Felt sorry for the old guy. I let him go. He just sat at my feet. Until I casted my fly back into the pool…He promptly shot over toward it, so I yanked it away out of the pool. Brookies are dumb, but that fish was ravenous.

 

[Swattie87]

I used to think they were wild up until this spring. I started exploring this stretch of water this past winter after occasionally catching small wild browns while fishing for the state stocked fish right by the main pull-off along the road. I would regularly hike far upstream and i would occasionally catch some nice fish like those ones. They obviously had been in the stream for a while so they looked even better, it was impossible to distinguish them from wild fish. That combined with the fact that I was catching some 5-8 inch wilds reinforced the idea that I had found a really good, overlooked wild trout fishery.

Once opening day rolled around I started fishing the same section of water again and suddenly started catching tons of those browns. Most of them conveniently hovered around the average size of a stocked fish, with very few being bigger or smaller than the size range I mentioned earlier. And they all have this unnatural orange hue, which I'm guessing the holdovers I caught over the winter had lost. Most of them are practically free of any blemishes, but occasionally one will have scar or a slightly rubbed fin.

Another big tell is that the short 1/4 mile section where the majority of these fish get caught conveniently has "No tresspassing" signs lining the bank on one side. Thats why I assumed a landowner was privately stocking it, it would be an incredible coincidence if 90% of the wild fish in this stream congregated in the only semi-private stretch of water, especially when there's another half mile of relatively unpressured water with great habitat downstream that's for the most part devoid of fish.

I still do think there are some nice wild browns to be had in this stream, in fact I've seen pictures of some pushing 20 inches from other sections, but unfortunately in this section even if i did catch a big wild i would never be sure about its origin

IMO the most important factor to consider when having these stocked/wild debates (which are fun, even when there’s disagreement) is where the fish was caught. (Don’t tell us.) But what I mean is all the context clues you mapped out paint a picture that suggests these fish are most likely stocked, and they most likely are from your description. But put those same fish in an unstocked stream, 2 miles from the nearest road and we’d all happily call them wild.

Physical characteristics are all just varying degrees certainty. Put enough of them together and you can make a pretty good guess most of the time, sure, but on the “tweeners”, location trumps all IMO.

 

[PennKev]

My personal experience with larger, NWPA wild browns is that they are rarely built like the fish in the OP. Rather, they'll be long with proportionally larger heads, regardless of sex. The spots, or lack of them, is odd if it is a stocked fish though. I agree about the fins looking not quite right, but more so due to the dorsal fin.

Also, I've noticed hatchery browns having better colors on them in recent years, and holdovers can be very colorful of course.

 

[PennKev]

Also, regarding white fin edges, I find this to be one of the least reliable indicators of fish origin, particularly on mature fish. A quick flip through my photos from the past year confirms this. I think that caudal and anal fins are very susceptible to damage during the spawn and this leads to many fish not having this identifying mark after a certain age. Or perhaps it's just completely age related. At any rate, browns, particularly older, larger fish have the most varied appearance of any of the trout in PA.

 

[Mikey2006]

IMO the most important factor to consider when having these stocked/wild debates (which are fun, even when there’s disagreement) is where the fish was caught. (Don’t tell us.) But what I mean is all the context clues you mapped out paint a picture that suggests these fish are most likely stocked, and they most likely are from your description. But put those same fish in an unstocked stream, 2 miles from the nearest road and we’d all happily call them wild.

Physical characteristics are all just varying degrees certainty. Put enough of them together and you can make a pretty good guess most of the time, sure, but on the “tweeners”, location trumps all IMO.

I have to admit it was disappointing when I realized they were likely stocked, but I should have known sooner. Aside from short spring influenced areas, this is very marginal water I am talking about. I've caught smallies in the lower end of the section that these browns came from. There are some small wilds (In barely fishable numbers) and there's likely a few bigger wild fish, but that's it. Just a few. And with all the pressure it gets early in the season from people targeting and keeping the stockers, that number would be reduced to even less. So even catching just 1 larger fish each trip in the winter should have tipped me off, as there's no way that number of fish could exist without new fish holding over each year.

But even though they aren't wild, it's still fun. I don't have to drive far at all so its a great option for a half day of fishing, and the high quality stocked fish seem to behave more like wilds, especially in the winter. They aren't pushovers at all. They fight hard too. Really hard. And the fish through this section rise more than any other place I've been too. As long as its warm out and the water isn't chocolate milk, there will be rising fish. It's some of the best looking water I've ever fished, so I'm willing to overlook the fact that most of the larger fish aren't wild.

 

[Swattie87]

My personal experience with larger, NWPA wild browns is that they are rarely built like the fish in the OP. Rather, they'll be long with proportionally larger heads, regardless of sex. The spots, or lack of them, is odd if it is a stocked fish though. I agree about the fins looking not quite right, but more so due to the dorsal fin.

Also, I've noticed hatchery browns having better colors on them in recent years, and holdovers can be very colorful of course.

My experience is the same in NWPA in terms of what old, large Browns tend to look like up there. Especially in the “big” river system up there. There’s a lot of fish in there, of all sorts of origins, and they move around. I’d say most, but not all, of the 15”+ Browns up there I’m not entirely sure if they’re wild or not. And you could lump the OP fish into that.

I do have more trouble being sure of what I’m catching up there than anywhere else in the state. Lehigh would be a similar example IMO. The larger fish there are usually hard to tell too. But IMO NWPA has these fish spread out all over. I don’t mean to say there’s necessarily a lot of them, just that they’re spread around the watershed, and not all in one place.

 

[salmonoid]

The most vibrantly colored brown trout, not of the fall butter variety, that I ever laid eyes on was from an ANF stream. We'll call it a thunderstorm ghost... I was fishing a trib to a STW one year and a roughly 14" fish came out from underneath a cut root bank. I missed the fish and it appeared relatively dark in the water. I returned the next year, this time fishing with a friend. Same place, same cut root bank. This time, we landed the fish, or at least a very similar sized one. It was definitely a brown, but it was like someone had taken a 1.5" paintbrush and painted a vibrant red strip down it's side. And naturally, I had left my camera back at the campsite on that outing. I've never seen another brown colored like that prior to or since in my life.

The next year, the course of the stream had changed and that root bank was filled in. And we never saw the fish again. And sadly, those tribs are now sediment choked from the energy extraction that exploded in that region.