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[HereFishyFishy]

Hi all,

How do you tell the difference between wild rainbows and the ones they stock the lakes with? Is there a way?

[TrophyHunter]

wild rainbows fight like lil steelhead!!!  the stocked fish seem to come in a lil easier... I aint no expert though

[Sterling C]

The stocked fish taste like pellets 

Actually, in the LM you can usually tell the a hatchery fish from the fact that they typically have short ratty fins, and very blunt noses. Another way to tell is to consider the body of water you are fishing, if it has no inlet/outlet stream then the fish will be hatchery.

[Rodney]

Most of the trout in the lakes around the Lower Mainland are stocked. These trout are known as Fraser Valley rainbow trout, at catchable size (~250g in weight, or 10 to 14 inches in length). Unlike hatchery raised salmon, hatchery trout are not marked, so there isn't a physical difference that can be used to distinguish the two populations in a lake. However, as Biff Chan has mentioned, hatchery rainbow trout do have some physical attributes that allow you to identify them more easily. Because they are raised in ponds/pens, the fins of the trout tend to be chewed up due to the amount of space that they can swim in. Their colours are not as appealing as wild trout, the spots are not as prominent and abundant. The flesh is not as coloured, and tends to be pale/creamy in colour. You are allowed to keep any trout in lakes, which are managed differently to rivers where wild trout/salmon are required to be released.

As Rick has mentioned, Catchable rainbow trout in the Lower Mainland do not fight as well as wild fish because of the environment where they are brought up. On the other hand, interior lakes are stocked with trout at a very small size (fingerlings) and by the time they grow to catchable size (several pounds), they are semi-wild and the fight is remarkably strong.

[HereFishyFishy]

ty =)

[troutbreath]

The hatchery trout taste remarkably close to pike minnow. Which means smoke them or a strong sauce smothering them does'em justice. I'm drooling right now thinking about (insert drool icon)

[druid]

Most of the trout in the lakes around the Lower Mainland are stocked. These trout are known as Fraser Valley rainbow trout, at catchable size (~250g in weight, or 10 to 14 inches in length). Unlike hatchery raised salmon, hatchery trout are not marked, so there isn't a physical difference that can be used to distinguish the two populations in a lake.

I'm confused.

The Freshwater Regs clearly state that, at least in the LM, ONLY "hatchery" trout can be taken from streams and sloughs. So - if they aren't marked, how do we tell? (Well, THAT one didn't put up much of a fight - BONK!) I assume the vast majority of "hatchery" trout in streams and sloughs were originally stocked in a lake, since I've never found ANY stocking info on "streams and sloughs".

druid

[druid]

streams and slough are not lakes so anything you hook in them if it has the adipose fin must be released. not hard to figure that one out 

It would be...IF THEY HAD THE MISSING ADIPOSE FIN! See Rodney's post: apparently they do NOT snip the fin on hatchery trout.

I suppose it could be like the dolly "fishery": you're allowed to keep "hatchery" dollies, but they're not stocked, so...

druid

[Rodney]

Druid, let's see if I can make it even clearer for you.

Lakes - Hatchery trout are not clipped.

Rivers, streams and sloughs - Hatchery trout are clipped.

The only trout species in rivers, streams and sloughs that are supplemented by a hatchery stocking are coastal cutthroat trout and residualized rainbow trout (juvenile steelhead that do not undergo smoltification and remain in the river permanently).

[druid]

OK, I was under the impression that a significant number of "hatchery" trout in the Fraser system (including the sloughs) were from lakes (eg Hicks/Deer, which empty into Harrison lake via Trout creek). This would mean a significant number would be hatchery. But if the only "hatchery" trout you can keep are ones that have been sepecifically put in streams and sloughs, and since I haven't seen any stocking data and assume there's little or no stocking of said streams and sloughs, I guess trout fishing in streams and sloughs is effectively C&R.

Sort of like dollies: If you DO catch a "hatchery" one, you can keep it, but Good Luck finding one.

druid - hasn't caught a trout in streams or sloughs in 35 years...

[Reservoir Dog]

I was out at Sasamat yesterday, I have a portable fish finder with temp reader. the reader head is on a 50' cord, and on the walkway the water temp was a warm 6c. No wonder the Trout werent biting much...