Tha Holy Grail

[foxfire]

FINALLY caught my first few wild Brownies. Like most, have caught countless native Brookies. Can't crack the wild Rainbow yet. I was wondering - in Pennsylvania, what is considered the most prized of the three?? (I know wild tigers and paliminos/goldens are the most scarce, at best.)

 

[David]

I think that is completely subjective...

Rainbows would be the fewest in numbers and limited by spawning habitat. So by numbers, rainbows.

Growing up, I primarily fished stocked waters around pittsburgh, so the brookie was the most prized for me based on where they lived and the need to "get away" to find them. I still think they are my favorite because of where they live and how beautiful they are.

Wild browns are typically prized because of the size they can grow to... 20"+ wild browns aren't common place, but they aren't unheard of either. And there are certainly a good number of places to find them. There are many famous streams with great hatches where browns flourish. So you can get into the wild browns while still chasing fabled and prolific hatches.

 

[poopdeck]

Very subjective question. A trout is a trout is a trout to me. a 50" striped bass would be my holy grail but since your limiting it to trout cant go wrong with brown trout since they run bigger. My planned and limited trout fishing this year will be for browns.

 

[dryflyguy]

Something I've never caught in my 30 plus years of fly fishing, is a really big brook trout. I'm talking about something in the 5 pound range or larger. And that is something I'd really like to do someday

I was surprised to catch a 15 inch tiger trout in a small, not very highly regarded stream in the allegheny forest several years ago - although I'm quite sure it wasn't wild.

 

[docdom]

I'm with you on the wild Brook trout. I'm heading up to the Rangeley, Maine area in early June to check the large Brook trout and landlocked Salmon off my list. Camping/fly fishing up there for 12 days.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

IMO, a WILD Tiger Trout is the holy grail in Pa. Those golden rainbows don't count , their numbers are only limited by how many the PFBC want to raise and stock, They are not rare by any means. A true WILD Tiger Trout is VERY rare.

 

[pcray1231]

Bows are probably most prized because they're rare.

Some prize brookies cause they're native, and many browns because they're tough to catch.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

pcray1231 wrote:
Bows are probably most prized because they're rare.

Some prize brookies cause they're native, and many browns because they're tough to catch.

+1 I agree.

 

[pete41]

Browns because they are the the most dominate and generally hardest to fool.Size for size rainbows and brook trout tend to put up better fights than browns in my experience but browns had a special place in my heart.I just felt they were at the top of the pecking order.
I will say I have fished ponds in the west where the very nice sized brook trout seemed non-existent until spawning time even though they were there all year.gained a great deal of respect for them in those conditions.{they were better than me].lol

 

[psychobeagle12]

I want to see about a clarification. Are we talking about trout that were born in the stream, or trout that have been in the stream long enough to have gone "wild" (coloration changes, etc.) I have caught wild browns and wild brookies by both definitions. I would LOVE to catch a truly wild rainbow. The closest I have ever come is the fish i caught tonight. The state stocked them as fingerlings and they were essentially raised in the stream. Beautiful colors, if not truly "wild" fish. I think though the most enjoyable for me is wild browns because they are smart and fight hard.

 

[foxfire]

I guess when I first pondered the question I really meant was - What trout is the least established in local waters. Native Brookie are plentiful on most/many mountain streams; Wild Browns have adapted/dominate many waters in the commonwealth; but wild Rainbows seem pretty rare - to me. Are there many streams where they have established themselves as the alfa trout??

 

[csoult]

Caught a beautiful wild rainbow on the J yesterday, the truly wild ones are beautiful. It used to be a rare thing to catch a wild bow around here, but the last few years the J has been producing more and more. That being said.... A wild tiger

 

[albatross]

Good friend of mine caught a 4" wild tiger recently. All of my circle of friends agreed, fish of a lifetime!

 

[foxfire]

Albatross - can you get a picture??

 

[WildTigerTrout]

albatross wrote:
Good friend of mine caught a 4" wild tiger recently. All of my circle of friends agreed, fish of a lifetime!

I agree with your circle of friends assessment.

 

[salmonoid]

WildTigerTrout wrote:

albatross wrote:
Good friend of mine caught a 4" wild tiger recently. All of my circle of friends agreed, fish of a lifetime!

I agree with your circle of friends assessment.

I would agree as well, but I broke the bank on wild tigers last year. I'm not sure if I'm done for three lifetimes or what..

On the original question, it really does depend what you prize. Geography can play a role in defining your prize (i.e. if there aren't a certain species generally in your area and you pick up a wild one, that is a prize). General scarcity across the state can play a role (tigers and rainbows are certainly scarcer than browns and brooks). Size can play a role. For instance, a 15" wild brook is a true prize. A 15" wild brown is nice, but I'd lengthen the ruler there to about 21" for a prize.

In reality, all wild trout are prizes in my book. Some just reach gold medal status.

 

[albatross]

The fish in question...

 

[foxfire]

Wow!! I would have though I died and went to trout heaven with that catch!! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[sipe]

Mine would be a truly giant wild brown. I dream of a 25" monster with a fat belly, perfect fins, and a beautiful dusky gray eye spot. Sign me up.

Also, I generally regard rainbows as the least desirable but the WILD fish are a beautiful sight. I caught a gem on Big Spring...

 

[JF_]

Alby,
That's an awsome pic, thanks.
John