The difference

[CATCHDAWG]

Between a stocker trout and a wild one looks like this. Sorry for the poor pic but I was tryin to get it back in the water quickly. For such a small stream, a 17 incher ain't to bad. Notice the spots and color.

 

[easy45]

pretty fish

 

[catman529]

Some of the winter stockers this year have been colored like that. But still the hatchery fish are missing a lot of their fins which is a dead giveaway. I've never caught a wild trout. That's a pretty fish


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[Setterman]

That's still a stocker, notice the damaged dorsal fin and misshapen tail.

 

[CATCHDAWG]

That's still a stocker, notice the damaged dorsal fin and misshapen tail.

Sorry bro, this stream isn't stocked. The tail and other fins are perfect, don't know what happened to the dorsal. And stockers don't have white tips on the fins either.

 

[Mudbone]

That's still a stocker, notice the damaged dorsal fin and misshapen tail.

Sorry bro, this stream isn't stocked. The tail and other fins are perfect, don't know what happened to the dorsal. And stockers don't have white tips on the fins either.

Bwahaahaah!!! :super:
Rockfish bait!!

 

[MattFugitive]

Its illegal to use rainbow trout as bait!!! If i have to run skipjacks so should you!!!! Cheater

 

[CATCHDAWG]

Its illegal to use rainbow trout as bait!!! If i have to run skipjacks so should you!!!! Cheater

Is that a joke? Legal trout are legal bait.

 

[Setterman]

That's still a stocker, notice the damaged dorsal fin and misshapen tail.

Sorry bro, this stream isn't stocked. The tail and other fins are perfect, don't know what happened to the dorsal. And stockers don't have white tips on the fins either.

After fishing for trout both stocked and wild for over 30 years including 10 years as a guide on rivers that are almost 100% stocked I can recognize a stocker immediately. I've also had to the pleasure of traveling to 100% wild fisheries a bunch. There's nothing wrong with a stocked trout, and that's a good fish, but it is 1000% was raised in a hatchery or was carried in a concrete bucket for a long time. Every fin is damaged in a way that only occurs in a hatchery tank, the color is good for a hatchery fish but not consistent with a stream reared fish, and the tail is not the correct proportions to be a wild stream reared fish. The scales are also pretty severely damaged which could be from a net, but are pretty indicative of a stocked trout.

The white tip fins mean nothing as all stocked fish are raised from wild strains which carry the white tip genetic code.

In the southeast there are very few if any rainbow streams which aren't susceptible to stocker intrusion. I'd love to hear of the 100% wild rainbow fishery in the SE that is capable of supporting a trout that size and maintain the weight that fish is carrying?

That's a great fish, and congrats on a fine catch. Nothing wrong with it being stocked, so don't take my comments as a knock on where it was raised.

 

[MattFugitive]

Its illegal to use rainbow trout as bait!!! If i have to run skipjacks so should you!!!! Cheater

Is that a joke? Legal trout are legal bait.

I feel dumb for posting that now, but im glad i did. Im use to fishing in ky where you cant use game fish for bait. Looked in the book, and youre right. Didnt mean anything buy it! Good to know information.

 

[bigluresonly]

Nice fish :tu: I bet that was a surprise and a heck of a fight. Great job!

 

[CountryBoy053]

Definitely a stocked trout. But a great catch regardless!


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[guthooked]

Stocked. The only stream I can think of that's not a tailwater that could support that size fish in TN is Abrams… and there aren't many in there that would go 17. The ones that do are footballs.

 

[TboneD]

Nice stocker.


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[CATCHDAWG]

Stocked. The only stream I can think of that's not a tailwater that could support that size fish in TN is Abrams… and there aren't many in there that would go 17. The ones that do are footballs.

I've caught several bows that size out of North river and a few Browns in the 20" range out of Bald river. Two more wild streams I'd rather not name also produce large trout, all four wild streams and all smaller than Abrams. They are out there but they're like hunting that wise old buck!

 

[Setterman]

Stocked. The only stream I can think of that's not a tailwater that could support that size fish in TN is Abrams… and there aren't many in there that would go 17. The ones that do are footballs.

I've caught several bows that size out of North river and a few Browns in the 20" range out of Bald river. Two more wild streams I'd rather not name also produce large trout, all four wild streams and all smaller than Abrams. They are out there but they're like hunting that wise old buck!

North River gets plenty of stockers that push up from Tellico. The Browns from bald are certainly wild though

 

[Mudbone]

Stocked. The only stream I can think of that's not a tailwater that could support that size fish in TN is Abrams… and there aren't many in there that would go 17. The ones that do are footballs.

I've caught several bows that size out of North river and a few Browns in the 20" range out of Bald river. Two more wild streams I'd rather not name also produce large trout, all four wild streams and all smaller than Abrams. They are out there but they're like hunting that wise old buck!

North River gets plenty of stockers that push up from Tellico. The Browns from bald are certainly wild though

Does a stocked fish ever become a wild fish?

 

[Setterman]

Stocked. The only stream I can think of that's not a tailwater that could support that size fish in TN is Abrams… and there aren't many in there that would go 17. The ones that do are footballs.
I've caught several bows that size out of North river and a few Browns in the 20" range out of Bald river. Two more wild streams I'd rather not name also produce large trout, all four wild streams and all smaller than Abrams. They are out there but they're like hunting that wise old buck!

North River gets plenty of stockers that push up from Tellico. The Browns from bald are certainly wild though

Does a stocked fish ever become a wild fish?

No, wild means born in the stream