Native Brook Trout

Netted (and released) three native (wild) brookies yesterday evening while trying collect greenside darters. It is amazing the size of a brook trout that can be caught from a mountain stream. This stream (should have photographed) is about 8-12" wide and 3-4" deep where I caught the trout..... this stream holds an amazing number of brook trout, greenside darters and some sculpins. I will get some habitat photos too...

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Those are the prettiest/coolest trout species there is. They should stock these instead of the rainbow, brown, and lake trout.

Those are the prettiest/coolest trout species there is. They should stock these instead of the rainbow, brown, and lake trout.

I think they're all cool, but brooks are the best. I had a brown trout that was about 4 inches long, but it jumped out of the bucket and killed itself. I even had a lid on the bucket, but it was loose because there was a airstone in it.

Those are the prettiest/coolest trout species there is. They should stock these instead of the rainbow, brown, and lake trout.

Don't say that to someone from the Rocky mountains! Brookies are not native in the west but have been stocked widely. They became established in some high elevation streams where they over populated and out competed the native golden trout. Some states have poisoned the streams to try and eradicate the brookies.
Here on the east coast we just wish we had some streams that're overpopulated with brookies.
They sure are pretty!

Don't say that to someone from the Rocky mountains! Brookies are not native in the west but have been stocked widely. They became established in some high elevation streams where they over populated and out competed the native golden trout. Some states have poisoned the streams to try and eradicate the brookies.
Here on the east coast we just wish we had some streams that're overpopulated with brookies.
They sure are pretty!

Oh yeah, I definitely agree. Being a native Californian, I will say that Brooks are great to see out here in Virginia, but if ever I found a wild, undisturbed mountain stream in the Sierra Nevada, I would be hoping to see Goldens instead.

Oh yeah, I definitely agree. Being a native Californian, I will say that Brooks are great to see out here in Virginia, but if ever I found a wild, undisturbed mountain stream in the Sierra Nevada, I would be hoping to see Goldens instead.

I will try to get some pics of the habitat - this size of the rifles these 6'-10" come out of is surprising....Funny thing was the big one came out of a riffle the size of a shoebox and the 2 little ones i caught came out of a 6' across pool - maybe 10" deep...

The coolest thing about these are - notice the insides of their mouths are black and how vivid red their their fins are with the contrast of the black and white edges...

I will try to get some pics of the habitat - this size of the rifles these 6'-10" come out of is surprising....Funny thing was the big one came out of a riffle the size of a shoebox and the 2 little ones i caught came out of a 6' across pool - maybe 10" deep...

The coolest thing about these are - notice the insides of their mouths are black and how vivid red their their fins are with the contrast of the black and white edges...

The cool thing is, those fish have adapted to the size of their environment. The one in the first pic looks like a sexually mature male coming into breeding coloration. I've also noticed in the past that the miniture adults retain their parr markings into adulthood. Those are the large oval shaped blotches on their sides that most salmonoids have as youngsters.

The cool thing is, those fish have adapted to the size of their environment. The one in the first pic looks like a sexually mature male coming into breeding coloration. I've also noticed in the past that the miniture adults retain their parr markings into adulthood. Those are the large oval shaped blotches on their sides that most salmonoids have as youngsters.

yeah this is about full grown for this creek...i have caught some a little bigger. But there is obviously a fairly sizable breeding population here because every late sprin/eraly summer there are fingerlings everywhere you look, but by this time of year the ones that have survived are much more elusive, usually you don't even know they are there until they show up in your net...