Your largest wild/native trout?

[wildtrout2]

I'd love to hear/see what everyone's best wild/native trout caught in a Pa stream was. My 2 best wild browns were a Sullivan Co 19", and a Potter Co 18". My best native was 13.5" from Carbon Co.

Maybe the mods could put this thread in the Genaral Forum? That's where I meant to put it.

And yes, that's indeed a wild brownie I caught (2003) from the WB of Fishing Creek in Sullivan Co. I wouldn't have paid almost $300 to mount a stocked trout. ;-)

 

[JasonS]

No way that fish is wild. Look at the fins.

 

[Acristickid]

(pic 1)

Here is my largest wild trout caught in PA. Caught in August of 08 during my first drift boat float on the Delaware River.

Actually hooked 2 other very large trout and several other trout that day but wasn't able to get any into the net until this fish. Learned alot from the guide I floated with.

The crazy thing was I landed this fish just several hundred yards from the takeout and turned a very good day into a great day.


(pic 2)

Here is the largest wild rainbow I have caught in PA- what a shock also from the Delaware from this past spring. Know it's not the best pic but what the heck thought I would share it.

Probably something like 13-14 incher- not huge by large trout standards but my biggest to date. Think dryflyguy was there that day as well as my buddy Leo. If you guys remember this spring there was a super warm up then a cool down before the weather broke for good. Well, we happened to get there during the cool down where it was sleeting and winds howling 40 mph. Finally saw the sun after 2-3 days on that trip.

(pic 3)

I am not much of a brookie class A type of fly angler but I will add this for the my biggest native brookie. Caught him on a secret stream in the dog days of summer. It was a fun day in the woods.



Might have had a larger fish than this from the Yough but I lost him after several minutes- was so disgusted/dejected I sat on the bank in disbelief for 20 minutes muttering to myself. hahaha

Fun to recall the good ole' days on a cold winter day.

Can get a closer look by clicking on the pictures.

 

[Maurice]

Here Paul I turned the lights on for you....

 

[MKern]

This is a 20"er from a couple Winters ago.
To bad all I had was my cell phone and the fish appears smaller because of how the rod was sitting, but my met is 22" long.

The largest native was around 13". I've seen bigger though.

 

[bam]

Nice fish!

I've caught a few browns around 20 inches from central PA to the Lehigh Valley. Took my first trip out west last year and fished the Horn... landing a few bows/browns at 20 or slightly over. I'll hit the 2 foot mark one day, and the fish will likely come from the Delaware.

 

[Acristickid]

WT2,bam MKern- how did you catch them?

What did they take? Did you see them and target them? bam- the horn is something huh?

Did'nt target my guys, just got lucky.

 

[pete41]

Five ponder -letort-hopper-don't know where momma spawned-

 

[PaulG]

A couple of 20 inch browns in Spring, that I thought to be wild, one 20 inch brown in fishing creek, I'm sure was wild!

All were beautiful fish.

Go steelers!

PaulG

 

[osprey]

I've "seen" five pounders in the Letort , above Bonnybrook stone arch bridge but never caught one , yet. Caught a big wild brown on Yellow creek in Bedford opposite side from the wall at the end of the Special Regs , biggest native brookie was maybe 16" stretched.

 

[MKern]

I caught mine kinda by luck. I knew a fish would be there just didn't know how big. It was behind rock, facing downstream.

He took a olive bugger on 12/28, so it was surely after spawning.

The stream he lived in is small and narrow, but there's very little chance of seeing any fish in it; they blend right in.

 

[bam]

Kid,

The Bighorn was something else. 20+ fish days every day and the average size was 17-18 inches. Amazing. Fish are packed in every inch of that river. Water was around 9000 cfs while I was out there, so we got to do little dry fly fishing. My next trip there will be in the spring for some hatches or later in the summer for the hoppers.

As for PA, I've come to learn that big fish do indeed like little meals. I've only taken FF seriously for a couple years now and most of those 20 inchers came last year on size 22 thread midges and 18-20 PTs.

 

[bam]

Here's the best looking fish colorwise. Came from the Lehigh Valley.. definately not the heaviest of them though. Most of the others are crappy cell pics

 

[Fishidiot]

I'm not sure. Been lucky to catch my fair share of browns and rainbows up into the mid 20 inch range but am not sure all were wild - most of these fish were from the Cumberland Valley or Spring Creek. I think when fish get large, especially brown trout, telling wild from hatchery fish is mighty tough. I have never caught nor seen what I would regard as an honest 30" trout in PA (have seen or caught a few in the upper 20s).

I'm confident in saying that as far as wild brookies go, the biggest I have ever caught was a tick over 11" - this is in over 30 years of fishing small streams. Perhaps a dozen, probably less... 10 inch mountain brookies have come to my hand in that time. Setting aside Big Spring Creek as a separate case in point where I've taken multiple wild brook trout up to 15+" with most of these in the last 3 years.

Now, those darn smallmouths? They always top out at 19.5" for me.

 

[Acristickid]

Dave- thought I would ask you since your an old salt. Did you catch these trout in a variety of ways or mostly streamers?

Posting alot today with my nervous football energy- bam nice fish and shirt- hee hee, how appropriate.

 

[pete41]

Speaking off footballs-I saw a bait caught 18 pound brown caught on the mighty mo.-they really do look like footballs.lol

 

[mute]

My most likely candidate for a football, obv no aftermarket parts.

 

[Fishidiot]

acristickid wrote:
Dave- thought I would ask you since your an old salt. Did you catch these trout in a variety of ways or mostly streamers?
.

Paul,
Caught 'em with a variety of flies. I'd hazard a rough guess that probably over two thirds of 20+" trout I've caught here in PA have come on nymphs and streamers. The 11" brookie fell for a nymph in a mountain stream in 1985 - wish I had a photo of him but he's one I'll always remember. I also don't have a photo of the largest trout I've caught in PA - a brown in Fisherman's Paradise (hatchery escapee) that was about 8lbs and also fell for a nymph.

 

[pete41]

When did the standard switch to inches and not pounds and ounces-just curious?

 

[skiltonian]

since we fish in PA.
I get this same crap from my michigan buddies.
someday, I'll live around great fishing again.....someday.


i guess this is the biggest one of 2010 that I have a picture of - over 17"