Tiger Trout

[Colweb78]

I was reading an article about the Tiger Trout hybrid yesterday, and how pfbc dabbled with them until 2005.

Beautiful fish (if biologically redundant) and was wondering if i'm ever likely to come across any around Centre county? Anyone caught the species recently?

 

[Fishidiot]

The topic of wild tiger trout has been discussed a good deal here on our forums (try Advanced Search at the bottom of the page to hit these threads).

As for catching them, I've managed quite a few stocked fish from various sources, but in nearly forty years of fishing in PA I have never caught - never even seen - a wild tiger tout. They're very rare. There does seem to be some consensus that they are, relatively speaking, somewhat more prevalent in north central PA and that certain streams seem to produce 'em. Needless to say, tiger fans are tight lipped about these creeks.

Whether you can craft a game plan to catch a wild one is debatable. It would be a fun quest, but speaking personally, I wouldn't make success too important. Go in expecting to fail and just enjoy the fishing. Focus on mid sized freestoners with mixed brook/brown populations. With that said, some folks here on PAFF have caught wild tigers early in the FF careers and some particular fish have been caught multiple times by different forum members.

 

[wildtrout2]

Not recently, but I caught my one and only wild tiger trout about 6 years ago. I would put the odds of catching a wild one up there with winning the lottery (not the daily number). There are still some stocked one's swimming around I would think. A wild one is basically a once in a lifetime catch.

 

[Colweb78]

Thanks Fishidiot, ill use the advanced search, really interested to read up on them more
Wildtrout2 that is beautiful! Would love to see one in the wild, even if on the end of someone else's line!

 

[Swattie87]

All you can really do is try to put yourself in places where you're MOST likely to run into a Tiger. Other than that it's just dumb luck if one the fish that decides to take your fly happens to be a Tiger. There really isn't a method (fishing technique wise) to specifically target Tigers.

I agree with what FI said...Try to focus on small to medium sized forested freestoners that have known populations of wild Brooks and Browns in them. I tend to like fishing these streams in general anyway because they're normally in a pretty setting, the Brookies usually provide fairly consistent action regardless of conditions, and there's always a chance of running into a relatively larger Brown. Generally the greatest concentrations of these kinds of streams are in the NC region. I caught my Tiger in this area, Potter County. I was also fortunate enough to be fishing with Sasquatch when he caught his Tiger. It came from Mifflin County, maybe 30 minutes from State College. That being said, there really wasn't anything special about these two streams that sets them apart from countless others in PA. They had wild Brooks and Browns in them...that's all the recipe for a Tiger calls for. Best thing to do is just go out there and fish in these types of streams. Worst case scenario is you just catch some Brooks and Browns.

 

[troutbert]

I think the PFBC has quit raising them.

The ones that occur in the wild are rare. Any stream that holds both native brook trout and wild brown trout has the possibility of a tiger trout. And there is an enormous stream mileage in PA that hold both species.

But I don't think it makes sense to try to "target" tigers, because they are just too rare. Just enjoy fishing the freestone streams. If you happen to catch one, fine. But don't have that as an expectation.

 

[IdratherbePhishing]

Caught a stocked one and witnessed a wild one on the same stream in dauphin county. The wild one was in a culvert pipe literally off a road. Blew my mind.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I have caught about a dozen stocked tigers. All but one were caught the same year in the same stream and were stocked that spring(2006) in Union County by the PFBC. I did catch a very nice heavy 18 inch tiger in mid October from Little Pine Creek(Lycoming County) a couple of years ago and found out later it was stocked privately that spring. I have been fortunate and caught two wild tigers. Both were from the same stream in Clinton County and caught multiple times over a time span of two years in 08 and 09. The tiger in my avatar is the second one. He was caught twice about a year apart. The first time he was 9 inches, the second he had grown to 11 inches. My first wild tiger I caught twice in 2008 He was 12 inches in length. I caught him again 11 months later in June 2009 and he had grown to 14 inches. He was by far the most beautiful trout I have ever caught and the largest wild tiger I have heard of. As others have stated you can't really target them as they are very rare in the wild. Just fish wild streams that have natural reproduction of both species and who knows you may one day catch one........ or two if you are really lucky. ;-)

 

[afishinado]

I have never caught one (wild) or seen one caught. They are very rare in the wild. In fact, if in your lifetime you actually catch two, you get to use the moniker "WildTigerTrout".... :lol:

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Can't target them, and you never know where they'll show up. First wild one I ever saw was on a tiny little brook...err....gemmie stream in northern Lancaster. This is a stream that neither I nor the person I was fishing with ever caught a brown out of (though I did catch a brownie in it since, but this was miles below where the tiger was, close to where the stream empties into a bigger stream that does have wild browns). The one I caught was on a very well mixed stream. So who knows where they'll show up.

The thing is, I've fished North Central PA a lot for most of my life (and have fly fished it for close to 20 years) and I NEVER saw one up there. Yet I know the streams where some of the dudes here have caught them.

It's a lightening strike. You just can't try to find them. It's either gonna happen or it ain't.

 

[phiendWMD]

I've never caught or seen one in person. Just pictures on the internet. I'm thinking they are really an elaborate photoshop joke.

The other day I was talking to someone else fishing and he said he heard 25 tigers were stocked. He wasn't anyone official. I am not sure if he knows someone or it's just a rumor swirling around.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

afishinado wrote:
I have never caught one (wild) or seen one caught. They are very rare in the wild. In fact, if in your lifetime you actually catch two, you get to use the moniker "WildTigerTrout".... :lol:

I'll second that. Hey that one is already in use! 🙂

 

[pcray1231]

I have never caught a wild one, though twice I was with someone who did.

Yeah, they exist. But yeah, they are very rare. If you wish to catch one, target streams that are primarily wild brookies but have the occasional wild brown. Fish those exclusively for the next 30 years or so. And in that time, I'd put your odds of catching one at about 50/50.

Targeting stocked ones is a little easier. I don't know if the PFBC still raises them or not, but some private clubs do. Go around visiting PFBC and co-op hatcheries, find out who raises them. Find out where they'll be stocked. And fish there!

 

[SBecker]

I dunno. I caught mine in a stream with a higher brown trout population.

 

[CaptainHook]

A guy on another PA fishing forum posted this photo of a catch he said he made last week. I'm not a trout expert - not even close. I didn't fish for them until I moved to PA in the 80's. This one looks strange to me - long and skinny.

Do you think it is a wild one or stocked? He posted it in a wild trout section of the forum so I assume he believes it to be wild. I think he said he has caught others. He fishes up north in Schuylkill County.

Maybe he is on here too and will tell us more about it.

 

[wildtrout2]

The spot pattern and color look consistent with it being a wild tiger, but that loooong skinny body has me wondering. Very strange. Maybe someone else can give their thoughts.

 

[pcray1231]

I'd guess it to be stocked based on size alone, but I'm not at all sure of that. If it is wild, it's by far the largest wild one I've ever seen a picture of.

That said, growth characteristics can be strange with tigers, or any hybrid for that matter. They have what is termed "hybrid vigor". i.e. they are more aggressive and grow faster.

 

[wildtrout2]

I think that tiger is around 12"-13" based on the position/spacing of the hands holding it. I also think the tiger in WTT's avatar is at least that big, perhaps bigger.

 

[FarmerDave]

Brown trout egg, and brook trout sperm.

I'm guessing they are even rarer in the wild than most people think.

Typically, hybrid fish have hybrid vigor. They tend to be more "aggressive" then either of their parent species. True with tiger musky, hybrid stripers, and hybrid sunfish. More aggressive and therefore more likely to be caught.

I don't know if that is the case with tiger trout, but it would explain why many have been caught many times even by different people.

I've never caught one or even seen one outside of pictures, but most of the wild trout fishing in my past was predominately brook trout.

The reason they stopped stocking them is likely the cost. They are genetically far enough apart that survival of the fertilized egg is low.

 

[JF_]

So........how do you tell if a tiger trout is stocked or wild? Can you? Or is it just a guess?