Wild Trout vs Stockies (The Fight)

[Out4Trout]

This morning I had a nice surprise in a small local stream I visit often. The fight this trout had in him made me think about wild trout vs stockies. Now for the sake of this conversation lets consider a wild trout just that but also any year to year hold over fish.

It seems to me they just know the stream better and know where every rock, stick, log and bush is in their territory. As soon as I hooked this one today it was off to the races. Now, keep in mind I also know the stream very well and knew right where he was gonna go. I only use my 3 weight and 7X but managed to keep him out of all those places he wanted to go.

I really enjoy the fight of a wild trout and usually can tell the moment I set the hook, Im not saying all stockies fight for crap but that most wild trout know the water and surrounding area and will do everything they can to no be landed.

I know its not the biggest trout but for a stream no wider than 3 or 4 feet that holds mostly 6 inch brookies, this was a nice surprise.

Just a thought . . Tight Lines !!

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Fresh out of the white truck! haha

my guess would be a holdover if otherwise the stream produces 6inchers.

 

[Out4Trout]

Could be but I dont think so as Im fishing close to the headwaters of this stream and there is no stocking even close to this location at all. The hole is like the deepest hole in the entire section for miles and holds the best fish in the stream. Its private land for miles and miles and miles.

But never say never

 

[Wild_Trouter]

The fish looks pretty clean for a stocker. Could be a holdover, but could also be a wild one that migrated. Knowing where Out4Trout is located and where he frequents, I couldn't rule out the latter.

 

[jifigz]

Being no where near where a stream is stocked has nothing to do with whether it is a stockie or wild. One brookie stream i love gets stocked illegally (PFBC turns a blind eye) once a year with about 300 fish for a kids tournament. Otherwise this stream is unstocked. I caught a stockie brown WAY UPSTREAM in one of the biggest and deepest pools this stream has. There are no roads along this stream and no one ever frequents it. That trout swam and through a lot of obstacles and water to get to where it was.

 

[Out4Trout]

So I think we are missing the reason for my post. I wanted to get everyone's opinion on if they think a wild or holdover trout fights better and knows his or her surroundings better than a fresh stocked trout. The way they seem to know everything that could possibly get them off the hook without getting caught is amazing and keeps me coming back for more. Tight Lines !!

 

[lycoflyfisher]

without a doubt wild trout fight better than stocked trout. Brown trout of similar size also fight harder than brook trout. I have had some fun fights with big stocked rainbows, where they all seem to have several fast and long runs. Big brown holdovers fight very similar to wild fish in my experience and as with most large browns if you hook into them close to cover, ie big boulders, undercut banks, woody debris etc it can be difficult to keep them from out of cover and breaking you off.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

+1 with Lyco here. I have caught plenty of grown up stocked fingerling trout that over time have acquired the same traits/physical attributes of wild fish to where they are nearly indistinguishable. Back in the day when I did the season opener thing, I did catch a bunch of stockers that just came in for the ride after being hooked unless it was one of those large mutant breeder fish they put in, in which case there was a little more resistance.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

You gotta be talking about Zook's. If so, I hear ya.

 

[pcray1231]

In general, wild fish fight better. But there are a ton of variables, and wild vs. stocked is just 1. Water temp plays a large role in how well they fight.

FWIW, I think that's a wild fish, and a nice one at that!

 

[jifigz]

Yes, that trout could definitely be a wild fish and if it is it is a beauty for a brook trout. Now, yes, I think some trout fight much better than stocked trout and, as Pcray noted, water temp, the current they are in, and other factors affect the quality of the fight. As someone else said, browns and rainbows also fight better than browns. But yes, overall, a wild trout fights better than a stocked trout and a smallmouth bass fights much better than both.

 

[Canoetripper]

I do all of my fly fishing at a R&G club in the Poconos. The trout are stocked from three different private hatcheries so they are a better quality trout than what the Pennsylvania Fish commission would stock.

The initial early season stockings are brook trout, but as the season goes on and temperatures rise, we stock brown and rainbow trout since they are more water temperature tolerant. Most members are C&R(there is a 5 weekly kill limit) since we are paying for the fish that we catch and release.

There are predators that know those trout are there like eagles, ospreys, and otters. The trout that survive through the winter and hold over are different than when they were first stocked. They adapt to both avoiding predators and the food that is naturally available in the water.

I don't think that they truly turn into wild fish and they don't eventually reproduce.

I know that this kind of fishing isn't for everyone, but I like being deep in the woods and catching some large holdover trout(18"-20").

I typically fish with a 9' 5 wt. rod/reel combo with 3/4 X tippet and have these trout take line out of my reel. It is not quite like I was in Alaska and have them burning line off of my reel into the backing, but I am having fun.

And, after all, isn't having fun what fly fishing, or any other kind of fishing for that matter, is what it is all about.

I am constantly trying to upgrade where I fish in the Poconos in terms of trying something new with tackle and technique so that I will feel more confident when I delve into the more challenging Pennsylvania waters.

This great message board is where I learn something new and get answers on my questions from the more experienced fly fisherman.

 

[FarmerDave]

Can we all agree that lightning trout fight the least? ;-)

As far as the OP's question goes, pound for pound wild trout fight better than their freshly stocked counterparts.

As far as holdovers go, IMO hatchery trout that survive the onslaught eventually start figuring out that they are actually ... trout. In other words, I probably wouldn't notice the difference if it was a holdover from the year before.

Or maybe I'd be smiling so hard I just wouldn't care enough to notice. ;-)

Nice brookie O4T

 

[wildtrout2]

I imagine that brookie was off to the races when you hooked it, that's a nice trout! I believe that one's a native. I have very little experience with stockers, but I'm sure wild trout would fight harder.

I will mention though, that the wild browns I caught on BFC (narrows) on Monday fought a lot better than the wild browns I'm used to catching in the Poconos. It actually surprised me. I'm trying to figure why.

 

[poopdeck]

A 10" fish fights like a 10" fish, stocked or wild. Likewise a 20" fish fights like a 20" fish. The degrees of separation between the fight of similar built stocked and wild are far larger in the mind of an angler then reality.

Fish do not have large enough brains to have the reasoning ability that would allow it to determine the best rock or log to snap your tippet. They simply try to get back to their happy place.

Just one mans humble opinion.

 

[Prospector]

As far as fight, it seems like wild browns in the 9-10” range (in a stream on the medium side of small, if that makes sense) tend to jump really high and sometimes several times compared to stocked browns that rarely jump.

 

[larkmark]

A lot of variables for sure. Wild fish fight harder but I have certainly had some large stocked Rainbows that live in cold streams with a lot of food give a good tussle. Bigger fish in larger waters seem to know how to use the current and will run the line out and the ones in small streams will take you into sticks etc. In the end the trout is just responding to pressure.

 

[redietz]

Lots of variables here. I've caught stocked rainbows in the mid-teen inch range where I seriously didn't know if I'd hooked a fish or a stick. I've caught other stocked 'bows of the same size, especially recently in MD, that were quite lively, jumping multiple times and not giving until they're in the net. It depends on water temps, the conditions under which they were raised at the hatchery, how they were handled being transported from the hatchery, how recently they were stocked, etc.

Wild fish are more consistently good fighters.

 

[jifigz]

poopdeck wrote:
A 10" fish fights like a 10" fish, stocked or wild. Likewise a 20" fish fights like a 20" fish. The degrees of separation between the fight of similar built stocked and wild are far larger in the mind of an angler then reality.

Fish do not have large enough brains to have the reasoning ability that would allow it to determine the best rock or log to snap your tippet. They simply try to get back to their happy place.

Just one mans humble opinion.

I disagree with the first part wholeheartedly. A fish that has been living it's entire life in a stream surviving finding its own food, fighting the current, and escaping predation makes for a tougher fish than one that lives in a concrete raceway where food is supplied in ample amounts and is relatively protected from predation. Just spending the entire life fighting current and finding the right lies to avoid the current makes a fish have more muscle and would therefore translate into a harder swimmer. A smallie caught from a lake fights less than a smallie of a similar size taken from flowing waters. Just my .02.

Now, the second part of your statement I agree with. Fish can see spots that are protected and all they are trying to do is get to a safe place because the have no idea what in the hell is happening to them..

 

[FarmerDave]

poopdeck wrote:
A 10" fish fights like a 10" fish, stocked or wild. Likewise a 20" fish fights like a 20" fish. The degrees of separation between the fight of similar built stocked and wild are far larger in the mind of an angler then reality.

Fish do not have large enough brains to have the reasoning ability that would allow it to determine the best rock or log to snap your tippet. They simply try to get back to their happy place.

Just one mans humble opinion.

I respectfully disagree in so many ways.

There is no way you can convince me that a trout raised in a featureless run or a large tank and recently released into the wild fights the same as one that grew up in the wild.

And I'm talking pound for pound and not inch per inch. OK, if we are talking brook trout, let’s make it ounce for ounce. ;-)

I don’t even need to address the learning capacity of trout to make this point. I disagree with that, too, but to a lessor degree. I think they can be conditioned to their respecitive environment, which is all the learning they would need.

Let’s just look at the science.

Stocked trout = selectively bread for best biomass in a specific and unnatural environment. The breeding goal is survival of as many as possible and maximum weight. After only a few generations, it produces inferior genetics for surviving in the wild.

Wild trout = natural selection for survival in a much harsher and much more vared environment. Survival of just the fittest.

I could stop there, but let’s go deeper (no pun intended) and look at physiology. Farm raise salmonids have a MUCH higher fat content than their wild counterparts.

So, you are comparing two organisms of same size and species. One has much lower BMI than the other, meaning the other has more muscle mass. Which has the capability to fight better?

It’s like comparing an athlete from a family of athletes, to a couch potato from a family of couch potatoes addicted to fantasy sports.

I rest my case.;-)