Wild or Stocked?

[wildtrout2]

I look forward to the "wild or stocked" threads each year. The comments are always interesting.

 

[5footfenwick]

I thought both looked stocked at first glance. The second one is bald, i.e. no spots or few spots between his head and dorsal fin. Seems like a rare trait to have for stocked browns, but who knows what strains are out there and what their food is at the private hatcheries. But I’m thinking both are stocked.
~5footfenwick

 

[jifigz]

They both look like hatchery trout. I'm going mostly by the pelvic fins.

The closer I look, the more I agree with Troutbert.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I would have told myself wild in the moment, and then changed my mind to long-time holdovers when I got home and looked at my pictures more closely. They're nearly wild by this point, but the pecs, as others have said. The other fins aren't that sharp even though they're fully grown on that second one especially. Nice couple of trouts either way.

 

[Mike]

There are lots of wild browns in the stream I caught these fish in, but you mostly catch them after a rain or first thing in the morning or evening. What makes me think stocked is they came from a DHALO stream and it was overrun with anglers, also I caught these 2 and lost another similar one in a small stretch that was heavily stocked.

Given the question, if you would name the DH Area, then there’s a better chance for someone here to know whether or not wild BT are a possibility. For example, if you said Tulpehocken, then it’s a possibility, but catching two on the same day would be a pleasant surprise.

 

[jifigz]

Given the question, if you would name the DH Area, then there’s a better chance for someone here to know whether or not wild BT are a possibility. For example, if you said Tulpehocken, then it’s a possibility, but catching two on the same day would be a pleasant surprise.

Why are there not more brownies in the Tulpehocken? I've never fished it, but I thought it had at least a decent population of wild trout.

 

[Mike]

The only decent population of wild brown trout is in the Lebanon Co portion and It extends from roughly the upper stocking limit upstream to the headwaters. It may improve down through Myerstown if cold flows become consistent, which would will require permanency to sink hole seals and by-passes.

 

[Swattie87]

The only decent population of wild brown trout is in the Lebanon Co portion and It extends from roughly the upper stocking limit upstream to the headwaters. It may improve down through Myerstown if cold flows become consistent, which would will require permanency to sink hole seals and by-passes.

They’re further downstream than you think. And that was 10 years ago.

 

[Mike]

They’re further downstream than you think. And that was 10 years ago.

He said “decent population.” We found wild browns as far down as Millardsville Rd, but none near the Marion Twsp R&G Club not far over the Berks/Lebanon line. The Flannigan Rd vicinity had some decent numbers in the very few, short stretches of good habitat, but overall not good numbers…. Class D at best. I’d fish it, and have fished it when most of the stockies were gone, but the average angler would not be impressed without the stockies to be caught as well.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Yes, in my eyes, those fish are wild

Wait, what other possible position could be taken here? I'm confused.

 

[jifigz]

Wait, what other possible position could be taken here? I'm confused.

Feral trout? Oh no! I can already imagine the new threads.

"Hey guys, you think this trout is stocked, wild, or feral?" 😂

 

[leonidjbjv]

Might be a stocked fish that’s adapted well to the wild?