Maurice or Fishidiot (or another expert),

Is this a wild trout? And how can I tell? Yellow color and what about the fins?

Caught last year at Muddy Creek. About 19" (next to a 1wt Superfine rod ..... so it might look bigger than it really is?)

Thanks,
1wt

Ummm, maybe not even a holdover?

Good condition stockie.

Really tough to tell form the pic. Maybe a little red on the adipose? Or just the refection from the rocks? Slight eye spot, amber fins, although the fins are a little rough, but again tough to tell. Either way a good fish. freshly stocked, holdie, or wild.

Quote:

Thanks, Phish,

It doesn't really matter that much to me anyway. All trout are so much fun to me on a fly rod!

I seem to catch quite a few trout, and it seems to me that the "yellow" ones jump out of the water (sometimes 3' like a steelhead) and they just seem to be very healthy and much better fighters?

Spring like tomorrow ....... I have a feeling that 2013 will be a very good year for fly fishing?

Definitely not wild.

My guess goes to state stocked brown, in the water a few months.

Caudal is nearly cleaned up.

The fish has pretty good weight still so I am guessing it was caught in late spring. (didn't hold over the winter or summer)

Guessing female based on white belly and mouth size too.

We did a holdover stocking in fall 2011 Probably no 19'ers though.

Upside down stocker.

Quote:

It looks stocked to me, but a nice catch nonetheless!

It looks like a stocked fish to me but a real nice one.

Freshly stocked fish by all appearances.

Why is a photobucket window popping up when I click on the fish? Couldn't bring it up from PB.

Chaz,

Right click on the image and touch "get image info" then copy the url and paste into browser address window. Then you can blow it up by holding down the CRTL button and rolling the wheel on your mouse (or pressing the +).

What I find disturbing about the picture (besides the upside down fish) is the use of a full large arbor reel on a 1 wt rod (cork and ring reel seat). Thats just out of wack.

Here is a similar fish I got yesterday that I believe has survived over the summer and winter. Otherwise it must have been stocked last week. (unlikely)

Its about 17", Look at tail condition, and white halos around the black spots. Also looks like a mail pouch chew in its cheek. (so there is that....) And it has lost that fatty look. Just a solid fish.

Attach file:

---

  MuddyH-O20130308a.jpg (186.71 KB)

OK here is another holdover, survived the summer, winter and a raptor attack (talon marks both sides).

Likely this fish has been in the water almost a year. Took a beadhead after chowing down on stoneflies. Every time I would put this fish down with my stone I would wade downstream and he would rise again. So I went up and nymphed him. Just saw it drift to the right when my sighter went by and I lifted. Solid hook up!

I never would have caught it had I waited for the line to move. It was like that all day. I missed a bunch of soft takes. Anyway, here is the fish.

Attach file:

---

  Muddy H-O 20130310acrop.jpg (170.59 KB)


  Muddy H-O 20130310bcrop.jpg (191.56 KB)

Quote:

And by what criteria do you determine that this fish isn't wild? I've caught a lot of wild fish that looked much like that in color, fin condition, etc. It is also not a very large fish which could be taken as in indication of wildness.

Just curious to hear what you used to determine that this was a stocked fish. These threads always seem to end up producing a million different opinions on the criteria used to determine stocked vs. wild.