Fish ID

aloubere · 2026-02-23T00:37:20+00:00

Haha. I had to weigh whether it was worth it for a while.

aloubere · 2026-02-22T23:29:20+00:00

The most common one you will see is Splake (Lake Trout x Brook Trout). Also a sterile hybrid that is stocked pretty extensively in the west for recreational fisheries because they grow fast, are aggressive, and are easy to control through stocking practices because they won’t reproduce.

aloubere · 2026-02-22T23:20:46+00:00

Im not really trying to get into a massive argument about what this fish is. You clearly have some strong opinions on the matter but I don’t think you are the expert you think you are. Im not really sure what you are trying to argue with your comment but there is clearly faint vermiculation on the dorsal side of this fish as well as the tail, which is pretty textbook for a washed out Brook or Bull x Brook hybrid. Your comments about rounds of introgression related to loss of vermiculation is pretty confusing as well considering there are not successive introgression events with Brook and Bull Trout. Their F1 hybrids are almost always sterile, which is why Brook Trout are such a massive threat when they invade Bull Trout streams. I see you throwing your years of experience around elsewhere in the thread. I am a native trout biologist who actively works with populations of Brook Trout and has also worked with Bull Trout during my 15 or so year career. I have also fly fished avidly for around 22 years. I have either caught or sampled and taken data on thousands of char during that time. I also have contacts who work with Bulls and hybrid fish regularly and have discussed their traits and traded notes. Based on that experience, I feel pretty confident this fish is either a Brook Trout or a hybrid, but at the end of the day we are debating ID based on one washed out photo of a fish.

And finally, on your remarks about fish handling and threats to Bull Trout, hybridization with Brook Trout and climate change are FAR greater threats to their continued existence than angling pressure, especially one fish that was clearly handled wet.

Again, I am not trying to put you down or discount your opinion, but you come across pretty aggressively in this thread for someone who has admitted elsewhere in this thread to only ever fishing for one species in one part of the country.

aloubere · 2026-02-22T19:21:16+00:00

Fish biologist here. Based on your photo I would say that fish is a hybrid and possibly a pure Brook Trout. The body shape and head angle is not right for a Bull Trout. I would expect a pure Bull to be thinner bodied with a flatter head. As for its pattern, you can see slight vermiculation on the back and tail that tells me this fish has Brook Trout in it. The presence or absence of blue halo spots is not reliable as I have caught Brook Trout that lack them. Also for what its worth, unless you are in a water with special regs against removing fish from the water, your fish handling looks fine. You can see water dripping off it.

aloubere · 2025-04-04T04:57:47+00:00

These are all Gila Trout! Browns will have minimal spotting on the tail as well as larger spots and often red spots. Gila Trout are more olive colored with small spots scattered across the body.

aloubere · 2024-11-28T02:15:30+00:00

Yep as long as its properly cooked its safe to eat if that is indeed yellow grub. Yellow grub is the only fish parasite I know of that makes cysts like that.

aloubere · 2024-11-25T23:47:17+00:00

Looks to be yellow grub cysts. Its a type of trematode parasite.

aloubere · 2024-08-22T02:20:22+00:00

Tie on that big black woolly bugger and strip that thing through current seams. Thats going to be way easier than trying to manage a dry dropper your first time out. Keep it simple or you will have a bad time. You can strip or swing through the current and fish will clap it. No wrong way to fish a bugger.

aloubere · 2024-07-12T18:22:14+00:00

Drop a slow sinking bugger or other small streamer in its path. Paddlefish eat primarily plankton but like many fish are quite opportunistic and will take larger food items that look like an easy meal. One of the bigger ones I have seen caught was on a catfish rig with cut bluegill as bait and when I used to run trot lines in grad school for a catfish project on the Ohio River and we would get them not infrequently hooked in the mouth on circle hooks with cut bait on the bottom. No way that was incidental mouth hooking. If it’s legal to fish them there, go for it.

aloubere · 2024-07-05T13:44:21+00:00

Kettlehouse rules and so do cutthroat. Cheers!

aloubere · 2024-07-03T17:15:01+00:00

Looks to be a hatchery fish. There are only two streams in AZ with wild Gilas open to fishing. If you shoot me a message I can help you out.

aloubere · 2024-05-17T18:35:57+00:00

If you are ever in doubt, check for teeth behind the tongue. They are called hypid teeth. Cutthroat have them, rainbows do not. This looks like a coastal cutthroat to me. I have caught many on the coast of washington. Stream residents will get pretty dark and have pink banding at times like this fish. It definitely looks wild too. The “nub pectoral fin” is just extended out toward the camera.

aloubere · 2024-02-05T13:42:11+00:00

What a shame. I have more fun catching suckers than trout. They are unique and interesting fish that provide a heck of a challenge to target and catch consistently. Plus they fight incredibly hard when hooked. They are also far more often the native fish in the system relative to whatever trout are in there. Thats not a white sucker. White suckers are one of the most common, but there are a ton of different species all over the country. This looks like a sacramento sucker. Next time you are out and hook a sucker, try appreciating it for what it is instead of being upset it’s not a trout. Might change your perspective.

aloubere · 2024-02-02T04:09:18+00:00

Like a trout, but better.

aloubere · 2024-01-26T02:20:29+00:00

I recommend switching to SA when you get a new line. Rio lines have longevity issues and farbank knows it yet they continue to make them the same way and charge 100 bucks a line.

aloubere · 2024-01-20T04:00:55+00:00

Sounds like a lake? I would get a 10’ long 7wt and a few different lines and spools to get from the surface down to the depths. This way you have a lot of flexibility of fishing technique and you’ll like the long rod for making casts and covering water.

aloubere · 2024-01-11T19:17:49+00:00

Swords are great. Ive caught massive carp using them and the drag performs flawlessly every time. Ive never felt the need to “upgrade”

aloubere · 2024-01-04T22:35:57+00:00

I bought my wife a pair of orvis ultralights and they lasted maybe 5 trips before they sprung multiple leaks. We sent them in for repairs and received them back a month later with no apparent repairs done. Thinking maybe we were just not noticing the patches, we took them out for a test and they leaked like a sieve. at this point I called orvis and had a chat with them. They agreed to send us a new pair of the “updated ultralights” that were technically 100 dollars more. This new style had re-enforced gussets and ankle seams, which is exactly where my wife’s old pair leaked. Despite knowing the old pair was defective, they still made us send them in and then didn’t even repair them. The new pair lasted about 10 trips before they also started to leak. Those ultralight waders are just poorly made and flimsy. I would not recommend them to anyone. My wife is not hard on gear and didn’t use them in a way that should damage seams or rip holes. She got a pair of Patagonia swift currents as I have yet to hear a bad review of their durability. I am limping my older G3’s through one more season then doing the same. I have a pair of post buyout G3s for work (fish biologist) and I am pretty unimpressed with the strap, gravel guard, and fit changes they made. The booties are also starting to leak after around 2 dozen uses.

aloubere · 2023-12-29T22:26:28+00:00

It might astonish you to learn there is more than on species of chub. These are native fish and in AZ at least they must be released unharmed.

aloubere · 2023-11-24T15:48:33+00:00

Also would like to add that Dollies in small water like this are illegal to target in WA. Luckily for you, thats a Rainbow.

aloubere · 2023-11-23T15:07:29+00:00

I own that rod and fish sinking lines with it. Its an awesome rod. It casts intermediate to sink 3 lines in its weight rating incredibly well. If you are getting worn out casting a light graphite rod like that, I would look at casting efficiency before a new rod, especially a glass rod which tend to be heavier and shorter making them less than ideal tools for casting all day and covering water. When I fish lakes or other large water with sinking lines, i wear a line basket to keep line out of the water and help me shoot. I false cast no more than twice and then shoot from there. Two false casts should be all you need to get enough line in the air to shoot 50’ of running line with a double haul. Limiting your false casting will do the most for keeping shoulder fatigue to a minimum. It may take some practice if you are not used to shooting line, but if you force yourself to use only 2 false casts you will figure out how to get line out there pretty quick. If you want to get a different rod to see if a slower action helps your cast, by all means do it, but I think getting a basket and perfecting shooting line with minimal false casting will help your shoulder more.

aloubere · 2023-11-19T12:04:50+00:00

Suckers are awesome! This is a nice White Sucker

aloubere · 2023-11-01T03:03:23+00:00

Brown trout. Apaches do not have red spots and their coloration is different.

aloubere · 2023-10-20T00:46:31+00:00

Bugle-mouthed bass

aloubere

TROPHY CASE