Redband Trout

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I know this came up before but why havent we stocked these fish in PA waters. Yes im against stocking already good trout streams, but this fish seems suited for our warmer PA waters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Basin_redband_trout

Both redband trout subspecies find their ideal habitat in clean, cool, relatively small and low gradient streams, but are capable of enduring higher water temperatures (75–80 °F; 24–27 °C)

Any thoughts? Id like to hear Mike maybe chime in on this. Im not saying by any means we should, one could only speculate on the consequences of doing so. Seems like an interesting idea to me.

 

[Fredrick]

I'm with you on this one Sal .

 

[PennKev]

Probably because there is no domesticated strain which can be produced in hatcheries as efficiently as the current bows, browns, and brookies.

If we want more holdovers, I think we need to focus on habitat. From what I've seen, the current stockies will endure some periods of high temps as long as they have good cover, and well oxygenated water while they ride it out.

There is no miracle strain of trout that is going to survive in low, clear, warm, featureless, flat water. Unfortunately, it seems many of our streams fall into this description during July an Aug.

Kev

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I agree habitat is the biggest issue. Not trying to get around that.

If we can breed tiger trout we can breed these things. Im fairly certain on that.

 

[sundrunk]

Thought Redbands and Mt. Shasta's were the same thing..If so, isn't that our resident rainbow swiming around Fallings Springs and mighty "D"?

 

[tomgamber]

They would not survive in most of the acidic pa streams. I knew a couple places in Idaho where you could catch redbands. It was like fishing for brookies. You'd get some decent sized ones but they were mainly small. Beautiful but small. These are not aggressive fish and in spite of their tolerance to warmer waters, they get easily pushed out by other fish and require very clean water.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Thanks Tom.

Shame, it would be nice to see a warmer water trout. I wonder what would happen if they crossed redband and our current rainbow trout. Perhaps a bigger fish that doesnt get pused out but can tolerate warmer temps.

Anyways it was just a thought. Id still like to see them experiment with this idea.

 

[bikerfish]

I remember reading that at one time, somewhere in maryland they stocked some cutthroats, always thought it would be cool to go catch a couple without driving 2000 miles!

 

[Chaz]

Redband trout are probably the most common rainbow stocked in PA, however they are not the warm water variety. Redband trout are from northern California, Nevada, Oregon, and a fair amount of the rainbow range, but not all are desert forms.
The fish we have here in PA are most likely from the Sacremento Drainage. It is the most likely source of the wild rainbows we do have.

 

[sundrunk]

That's closer to what I thought, mt shasta, mcloud strains..

Thank god we've got Browns cause I could give a tinkers damm about rainbows, I for one try to avoid them..

 

[afishinado]

More info on Redband trout:

http://www.westernnativetrout.org/sites/default/files/Redband-Trout-Assessment.pdf

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/fishing/regional/fishresources/coldwater.html

I also read that "few redband trout exceed 10" in length." Probably why they are not a species commonly stocked.

My fear is that introducing another evasive species to PA would not be a good idea, especially since they thrive in warmer water than most other trout/char species.

 

[Chaz]

According to Behnke the redband trout originally propogated in hatcheries was a hybrid of McCloud River Redbands, McCloud River Redband Steelhead, and Coastal Redbands, propogate in San Francisco. The great basin strain is different having evolved in Lake Bonneville. The Lake Bonneville attained enormose size.
There are Redband Trout in the Deschutes River and I can tell you they are quite athletic and grow quite large.

 

[DGC]

See if this works. from google books for Behnke on Redbands, especially pp 68 -70 from About Trout: The Best of Robert J. Behnke from Trout Magazine.

http://tinyurl.com/yjm64hv

I give PA biologists the benefit of the doubt that they are aware of these issues, talk to their colleagues in other states about them, and are game for trying new approaches.

It is nevertheless important to bring up from time-to-time to make sure, and to do a little prompting, since there are no guarantees that global warming can be arrested.

 

[jayL]

I'd rather see smallmouth.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Id also be all for expanding Smallmouth Bass populations or at least enhancing them.

Seems more people are interested in trout though.

 

[tomgamber]

http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=7244200

BTW Dan Schill went to Clarion Univ. of PA.

I've met Dan twice. (once at a James Taylor concert)

Like I said, its like Brookie fishing.

Here's the official version:
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/tech/CDC/cwcs_appf/Inland%20Redband%20Trout.pdf

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

If its like brookie fishing then id love it :-D

 

[tomgamber]

This is the closest pic of what I remember them looking like. The biggest difference I remember is a much narrower but deeper red stripe.

When I think of some of the places you'd find them, yes, Sal you would like it.

 

[Chaz]

We donot need more smallies.

 

[jayL]

Chaz wrote:
We donot need more smallies.

When we're talking about what to do with a warm, relatively uninhabitable SEPA trout stream, I don't see how they are any worse than stocked trout. Especially when the suggested species is a newly introduced invasive.