tiger trout

[dryflyguy]

Now that the fishing season is winding down - at least for me anyways - I've done some reflecting on this past year.
It was a very good one for me - the streams were rarely unfishable because of high water, and I sure caught my share.
But I also did something this year that I never did before - catch a tiger trout. In fact, I caught 4 or 5 of them - 2 in the exact same spot on the Yough river a few weeks apart, so i could have caught the same fish twice there. And a buddy of mine caught one for the first time in his life within minutes after one of my catches in the Yough, so there were definitely at least 2 in that stretch of river.
Anyway, it seems rather odd that, after never having caught one before, to catch that many in one season. From what I've read about them, they seem to be quite rare.
I should also point out that I caught them in 3 different streams many miles apart, so I definitely wasn't catching the same fish over and over, other than the 2 pointed out above. I caught at least 4 different ones for sure
Just wondering if anyone else has caught tiger trout this year

 

[Fishidiot]

I have taken a few tigers (trout and muskies) over the years but none that I thought were actual wild fish. These were hatchery fish. I think most of the tiger trout in PA are stocked in club waters and migrate out to the public stretches that I frequent. I have heard of some guys catching very small tigers on streams with wild brown and brook trout where there exists a possibility of hybridization. There is a very large tiger in Falling Springs who many of us regulars know quite well. I caught this fish in April 2004 and he was 22". I hooked him again last week but not solidly. It looks like he has grown at least a couple inches. I don't know how old this fish is but I think I've been seeing him since 2002. Typically, I think hybrids lack the longevity of purebred fish but I might be mistaken. I think there was a tiger trout photo posted on this site earlier this year by a fellow who thought he had a huge brookie. Perhaps there has been some private stocking of tigers in the Yough. Someone from that neck of the woods can probably tell you more.

 

[PaulG]

I caught my first ever tiger trout, this year. Caught it in Spring Creek, Centre Co. For sure a escapee form the hatchery!

 

[Maurice]

Dryflyguy,

Tiger trout are stocked by the state during adult trout stockings and fingerling stockings. My experience would demonstrate that they occur at a rate of about one per thousand through unintentional mixing. Whether or not they are actively breeding them I don't know, but I remember someone asked once and they said it was intentional to a limited extent.

We get about a half dozen over 6,000 trout raised in our nursery and when stocking a couple thousand trout during preseason and inseason stockings they seem to appear ata bout the same regularity.

Maurice

 

[Chaz]

I caught a tiger last November that was the first ever, after fishing for many years. But here's the real zinger, I caught a wild one in the tioga state forest. I'll post a photo in the next couple of days.

 

[Buzzmaker29]

I have caught a couple this year...and at least one per year for the last 3 years or so. I caught almost all of them (incl. the 2 this year) in Meadow Run. It could be that the state for one reason or another stocks the Yough / Ohiopyle area more frequently with them than in other areas. When I was younger and growing up on the border of Chester and Delaware counties I never caught one...and I hooked intyo many, many trout. The last one I caught was pretty heafty (19" and a fat 2-3 lbs.) and I will post its picture that I took before releasing it when I get home later. All I know is that they are real pretty fish...stocked as they may be.

 

[sandfly]

First one was caught on ressica

second one on the delaware


The fish commision officially will not say but through my source they have been playing with them for years and unoffically stocking for years to see what happens...kinda like jersey not admitting to but stocking steelies and salmon in the delaware years ado..

 

[Chaz]

I posted the pic of the Tiger I caught in Sept. in the photos section.

 

[Maurice]

Bob,

That Deleware fish is frickin' HUGE! What was it like 27"?

How did it fight compared to say a large brown or large rainbow?

Just curious. I've never caught one yet....I've handled lots of them but never had one a pullin' at me.


Maurice

 

[sandfly]

Maurice,
Just to give you an idea on the delaware we use 6 to 8wt. rods with shooting heads..We have caught them to 10lbs.right now is the time to go..They will jump like a brookie and run like a big brown..In all I think they fight like their name. I had one run into the backing once never landed, just saw it...huge..They seem to tolerate the lower river and actually like it..some have been caught as far south as trenton in the summer...I kinda wish mother nature would fix the genetics and start a new species....

 

[dryflyguy]

Sandfly: beautiful fish! None of mine were close to that size.

Maurice: thanks for the info. 1 tiger trout per thousand stocked - so I guess they're really not that rare then.
Like I said, it's odd that in 25 years I've been fly fishing, I never caught one until now

I caught 3 of them in the Yough, as for my buddy too, so maybe the fish comission is putting more of them in that area for some reason.

 

[JackM]

dryflyguy wrote:

....I caught 3 of them in the Yough, as for my buddy too, so maybe the fish comission is putting more of them in that area for some reason.

Keep in mind that there are several organizations and clubs that also stock fish in the Yough. I have found tigers in Dunbar in the last two years, so I know that PFBC does stock some, but private clubs also may be responsible on the Yough and also on Beavercreek, a trib. to Meadow.

 

[Buzzmaker29]

As I stated in an earlier post, this is the Tiger I caught in Meadow Run most recently (this spring). It is about 18", and should still be in there.

Speaking of Beaver Creek...is it open to the public or is it on property owned by Nemacolin? Has anyone fished it or know how the stream and its fishing is? I was just curious.

 

[dryflyguy]

Buzzmaker:

There is some private club water on beaver creek.
I did fish a short section of it however, just above it's junction with meadow run. That was 6-7 years ago however, and I don't know if that section is still open now. As for the fishing there, I didn't do very well on that section that day - there weren't many pools there - mostly shallow riffles. I was told by a guy who belongs to the club that they have jack dams on their stretch to create some nice holding water

 

[Maurice]

Here is one that Our very own Chaz caught in a wild trout stream...I call attention to this cuz it was posted the other day on the photos page.

Thats pretty cool...

 

[ivhawks]

I also caught at least 3 tigers on the Yough this past summer and fall. The largest was about 15", but I firgured that they were stock at the area below the dam and came down stream. I also caught a couple of nice brookies on that river last summer.

Ivhawks

 

[Bruno]

Big dog food fed rainbows........ My buddy has a memembership. He told me he paid a $1000 bucks a year for the right to fish the stream. He also can take a guest X number of times per year. I fished it during the 84 lumber golf classic. It is a place for guests of the resort to have fun. It is not really fishing. The resort charges $350 per day guided / $100 per day unguided.

 

[Buzzmaker29]

Bruno,

How was the water? Was it a nice stream aesthetically (was it pretty trout water)? I walked down there once like 5 years ago and didn't see anything. Looked like decent water though.

 

[Bruno]

like everything else there is is nice. Tons of stream improvements / jack dams etc. I think meadow may get some big trout that migrate down. Now that I said it is a nice little stream, I would not pay a dime to fish it. Too many nice streams within 15min that are free and better.