Are all hatchery fish clipped?

[Bob Loblaw]

I don't make a habit of fishing for stocked fish, but if they're right there, and I have a spare hour, I'm not too proud.

I caught this fish (the one in my avatar) in the East Carson a few years ago and always thought it was a hatchery fish. its nose was all scuffed up and its fins were a mess. It was also about the 15th fish I'd pulled out of the same hole in a couple of hours, so I assumed that I'd gotten there just after the DFW truck had left.

I just noticed it has a very intact adipose. Hope it wasn't a wild fish, I ate it.

10494

[berryessie]

Only hatchery steelhead are clipped. In trout only water like the E. Carson they do not clip the adipose fin. There is not distinction on keeping wild fish vs stocked fish for trout.

[TyV]

The telltale sign here in California seems to be what I like to call "tank tail". The tail fins are all rounded from scraping in the concrete tanks. I started fly fishing in Oregon and fished there for many years...all the ODFW planters I ever saw actually did have their adipose fin clipped. It was surprising to me when I caught hatchery fish here in Cali...I wasn't sure at first because of that.