Wild Trout vs Stockies (The Fight)

[pcray1231]

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.

As a very general rule wild fish are faster and stronger and more muscular. A decent corollary would be a wild turkey vs. a farmed one. The farmed one was bred to grow fast, be docile, and fat to the point it may be the same species, but it's not the same bird, and it was raised in a pen being fed fattening foods.

The gap narrows once they are in the stream a while, but never goes away. That said, temporary environmental factors, like water temperature, can make the wild one docile too. Think wild turkey, but on sedatives.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Make sure that while you are doing your comparison that you are not severely stressing the fish out.

 

[FiveWeight]

Fully agree on The fight in a bass. I can just about always tell when I get hit by a SM rather than a trout if I'm fishing water that hold both. Not say'n that I haven't had a good tussle with some good fight'n trout but, in many cases if you put the a trout and bass in a tug a war. The bass will out pull the trout.

 

[FarmerDave]

pcray1231 wrote:

As a very general rule wild fish are faster and stronger and more muscular. A decent corollary would be a wild turkey vs. a farmed one. The farmed one was bred to grow fast, be docile, and fat to the point it may be the same species, but it's not the same bird, and it was raised in a pen being fed fattening foods.

I agree, but that is where the comparison ends.

Farmed raised turkey are way better table fare than wild. Not the case with trout or any fish species. ;-)

 

[moon1284]

I'd say a 20" trout from the delaware fights much harder than a 20" fish from white clay creek keystone light section.

I also think lb/lb trout fight harder than SMB in the same body of water. My litmus test is the Niagara River. I've caught 5# smallmouth and 5# steelhead from the same exact spot. Assuming the steelhead is fresh from the lake, there is no comparison.

Another comparison is this. An 18" rainbow weighs 2# +/-. An 18" rainbow from the delaware fights better than any 2# SMB I've ever caught.

 

[afishinado]

moon1284 wrote:
I'd say a 20" trout from the delaware fights much harder than a 20" fish from white clay creek keystone light section.

I also think lb/lb trout fight harder than SMB in the same body of water. My litmus test is the Niagara River. I've caught 5# smallmouth and 5# steelhead from the same exact spot. Assuming the steelhead is fresh from the lake, there is no comparison.

Another comparison is this. An 18" rainbow weighs 2# +/-. An 18" rainbow from the delaware fights better than any 2# SMB I've ever caught.

Your spoiled, Moon. The D-river bows are the best fighting trout, pound for pound found anywhere.

Overall, I think smallies fight harder, with the D-River bow exception^.... maybe. I'll call in a tie.

 

[moon1284]

Fair enough. I'll agree that SMB fight hard.

 

[Jessed]

It’s all in the fishes diet! Especially in Brookies! Certain streams where they eat a lot of smaller fish or the water color was darker, I’ve found brooks to be very bland like stock brooks! This was the case for me in New Brunswick Canada

 

[Jessed]

^ also agree that Delaware river trout fight like salt water fish pound for pound.

 

[moon1284]

I am pretty spoiled I can walk to the bigger water from home and the smaller from camp.

 

[OrangeCahill]

From dealing with more current and eating more because of it some fish get shoulders, and they fight better. They have their athletes too

 

[bigslackwater]

I think its a wild fish but even if it isn't, the fact that it migrated that far, fought like a wild trout, looks like a wild trout etc...makes it just as exciting as catching a wild trout.

 

[krayfish2]

Over the last 30+ years, I've caught a couple of smallmouth and a few Delaware rainbows. :lol: :-o :-o

Smallies do pull hard and often refuse to quit. I've never seen an all hands on deck moment with a smallie. I've also never hooked a smallie and instantly thought "zero chance of landing this thing". Both are regular occurances with the bows. While both fish are exceptionally strong, blistering speed and unpredictability go to the bow. Relentless fight to the smallie.

Getting back to OP subject line....
have got some stock fish that put up a good fight but as a general rule, no comparison between wild and stocked.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

....stocked trout are raised in a cement pool (very little environment change) from birth and are feed by humans. Which in turn makes them associate human activity to getting fed. My brother-in-law once said, "just match their food"
Now the wild trout has faced environment change and danger all its life. Why would they not fight harder?

 

[FarmerDave]

PPF, you have to hook one, first. ;-)

 

[salmo]

I've caught some large wild fish which I felt did not fight very well for their size. I cannot tell if I'm hooked up with a stocker or "wild" fish.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

FD..... PA Trout fight better than Ohio Trout

NaNaNaNaNa!!!!