Wild Rainbow?

[Barleywine]

Fished the SB today many miles above the KLG, and started off with 3 small trout; a rainbow, brookie, then brown. Always nice to fish for the cycle. The brookie and brown were clearly wild, but I'm wondering about the rainbow.

Is this a wild bow? I'm inclined to say yes due to the size and the white edged fins. But I've heard that the state often stocks fingerling bows that can fool you.

Any thoughts?


This bow is clearly not wild. Butt ugly. That rope thing by its mouth is my camera strap getting in the way of the photo.


Drove to another part of the SB and caught this brook trout on a dry.

I'd say that this is a stocked fish but not butt ugly like that bow.


Something also happened today for the first time. I snagged my fly in a tree branch (that's happened before) pointed my rod at it and snapped it off, and saw a couple of leaves flutter to the water. One of the leaves floated like my dry fly, so I scurried over to it....

It takes a while to tie a fly (a Cinberg) this ratty looking. So I was glad to get it back.

 

[pduane44]

I would say it's wild. The coloration and spots on that fish look identical to tiny wild rainbows I've caught from the Merced River and its tributaries. Nice fish!

 

[flyI4]

that brookie looks wild too, white fins like that with the bright pink spots on that fish are too nice

 

[lightenup]

Either way..thats a good looking fish......

 

[Trouser Trout]

Compairing it to the standard that has been set by my wild VT bow it possibly could be wild, yet does not have nearly the beautiful markings as mine. Few do.:drunk: I would say 100 percent it is wild...Nice fish...all of them....

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Both your bow and that brookie are wild. I would venture to say that there are as many wild trout in the SBR as there are stocked fish. Depending on which section of river you're on, you can be more heavily into one species versus another, but all 3 trout have wild populations in the SBR. Some of the wild rainbows originated from state-stocked fish and some from club stocked fish. In fact, we're seeing more Kamloops wild bows which are now spawning that originally are stocked into clubs from the Musky Trout Hatchery. They're a lot more feisty than our state's genetics when it comes to rainbows! That's likely also true of the browns and brookies (some wild fish descended from state fish and others from private hatcheries). Sometimes it's almost a pool-by-pool situation as to which wild trout species you're most likely to encounter.

We had the Division do some electro fishing this past late summer/early fall and they found lots of wild bows. All above Califon by a few miles, but they spawn in at least two tribs in Califon as well as the main river itself.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

But I've heard that the state often stocks fingerling bows that can fool you.

Last time they did that in any northern NJ trout rivers, it was in the Musky and it was 3 years ago, BTW.

For unknown reasons, we have wild bows in SBR tribs like Flanders Brook, but not in the mainstem up in that area where wild brookies and browns rule. It is not until you get well below the Claremont TCA that you once again run into wild bows. And they persist down into the Gorge and likely onto Solitude Club property although I don't know if they are found below the Solitude dam or not. Based on the increasing numbers of wild bows I or my clients catch in the middle river, I'd say we're seeing that species increase its territory in this river. Some electro fishing efforts on the SBR were thwarted this year by high/off colored water around some of our late season rains. Next year may show more bows in new areas, but that is speculation on my part based on personal observations and discussions with other anglers. I know when I guide on Shannon's private water behind the Raritan Inn, we catch wild bows in ever increasing quantities.

 

[jcstikfish]

Hi Barley,

Your little bow and brookie are both beautiful and most definitely wild. In addition to everything that Brian said, they are also both under 6 inch fish, which is a very quick way to eliminate the stocked possibility in state stocked areas.

~James

 

[G Lech]

That bow is def wild.

The last two years I have been catching more of them in the SBR.

 

[Barleywine]

Thank you to everyone for all of the helpful responses. The knowledge on this board is nothing short of excellent.

I guess I was blind to the wild pedigree of that brookie. In that case, that one big bow was probably the only non-wild fish I caught.

Rusty, thanks for all of the informative details. The pictured rainbow was caught about 3/4 mile below the Claremont stretch. I had another small colorful rainbow that I didn't photograph in the open water alongside Vernoy Rd, about 1/4 mile below the Raritan Inn's private water. Feisty little guy; maybe one of those Kamloops bows that you mentioned.

 

[lightenup]

I believe thisis one of the wild rainbows from the south branch,,,sure hit and fought like a wild fish, fiesty and fast, and all of 6-7 inches long...this one came from the gorge in the spring...

 

[Rusty Spinner]

About the shortest fish the state stocks may go as small as 9.5". Most are over 10", but sometimes they raise a few runts. Anything under 9.5" is certain to be wild. Same for parr marks on bows. The hatchery's food source and other factors pretty much ensure the parr marks are gone by stocking day. If the wild bows are now often from the Kamloops stock and not the genetic mutants the state raises, that is a very good thing, IMO!

 

[jcstikfish]

View attachment 8305

I believe thisis one of the wild rainbows from the south branch,,,sure hit and fought like a wild fish, fiesty and fast, and all of 6-7 inches long...this one came from the gorge in the spring...

My vote would be for wild.

~James

 

[G Lech]

View attachment 8305

I believe thisis one of the wild rainbows from the south branch,,,sure hit and fought like a wild fish, fiesty and fast, and all of 6-7 inches long...this one came from the gorge in the spring...

I'd say wild BUT.....

Since YOU caught it, I gotta say small stocker.

 

[Trouser Trout]

View attachment 8305

I believe thisis one of the wild rainbows from the south branch,,,sure hit and fought like a wild fish, fiesty and fast, and all of 6-7 inches long...this one came from the gorge in the spring...

Not sure, compared to this perfect example yours looks like something that has been sitting on ice for a couple of days in the deli case.

 

[lightenup]

Not sure, compared to this perfect example yours looks like something that has been sitting on ice for a couple of days in the deli case.

Well, I guess you could say that, being yours came from crisp, cold, clean, Vermont water, and mine came from septic filled, worm container polluted, dog shit bag having, peed in, swum in, road dust filled, New Jersey gorge water....so I would say a few days on ice in a deli container is a compliment...
Thanks very much TT......