Can you identify this fish?

[jbird]

As cool as browns are ( I love 'em!) I dont think they would coexist well in an environment with anadromous spawners. The browns are such ravenous eaters of fry. You would be adding fuel to the fire of a fragile ecosysytem. Then again, it might be similar to the northern systems that are full of dolly varden and salmon and steelhead. I think Dollies are as pisciverous as browns.

Jay

[David Lee]

You would be adding fuel to the fire of a fragile ecosysytem.

Not quite .

The American has about 26 miles of tailwater below Nimbus Dam . Both the King Salmon and Steelhead are hatchery , not native races . The native races of both species are long gone . The natives were fragile , the hatchery fish are not .

One might think (looking at our local fishing reports .....) that there are few Steelhead left in the river . Catching might be tough sometimes , but I'll bet the hatchery will spawn a load of them this season . I'll check w/ the folks over there and get back to you with the numbers ....

Like I said before .... I really doubt that DFG would ever plant Browns (or anything else) in the American , but I think they would be a fine Gamefish to have here . If you've ever fished a sea-run river between runs ..... you'd see there's little to chase here 'off-season' other than Stripes (and Squawfish/Suckers/etc.).

Look at the Trinity - the DFG stocked Browns way back in the 1960's - they had HUGE Brownies eating the hell out of everything in there untill they stopped stocking . Now , there's a small population of both residents and sea-run Browns in there that are another choice for anglers besides Salmon and Steelies .

Once again , just my opinion .

David

[bruce mace]

If it's not a Trinity brown that's made a run to the sea, I would be surprised. I once posted a photo to this board... the picture doesn't do it justice, but could you see the remnants of the red/pink dots on the ventral line? Chromed almost out of visibility? I have gotten 5 of those to hand on the Trinity, the largest going about 22".

[flycaster5]

It's definitely not a coastal cutthroat. It looks like a few browns I've caught, so that's my vote. Nice fish!

[Covelo]

I agree the lower American is already screwed up so much that introducing browns probably wouldn't add much to the mix, but what makes you think they would stay in the American. You still have many truely native runs of salmon and steelhead and probably rainbows on the Sac and its tributaries. You even have an endangered salmon run (winter) that might be impacted. There are usually more ramifications to introducing a non-native species than are considered possible in any pre-evaluation. BTW browns are native to Europe and are typically more tolerant of warmer water conditions. Just what we do not need below these heat sinks we call dams.

BTW I have seen some pretty big browns taken below the Lake Solano dam on Putah Cr back when I was attending UCD.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I sent a link to this post to several CA FD&G friends and sereral veteran fly fishing guides:

Repy from Ed Letrell - retied CA DF&G

All:

I'm not a member of Bill's board, so I"ll post here. Bill, or someone, please pass on this "fact."

It is a Fish and Game Commission policy to not plant catchable trout, which in this context would include brown trout, in salmon and steelhead waters.

So, no planting of brown trout in the American. Arden Bar Pond just recently got taken off the catchable trout planting schedule, as it overflows into the main American River, as is considered part of the river.

I personally saw two brown trout caught at the afterbay on the Feather. I've also heard the rumors of browns in days gone by in the American.

Many, MANY, years ago when I worked at Darrah Springs fish hatchery, I planted catchable silver salmon in the Smith River. The locals wanted a summer fishery, but the policy prohibited putting catchable resident rainbow trout in that anadromous water.

Ed

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Here is a reply from veteran full time Nor Cal fly fishing guide Alan Blankenship:

Hi Bill,

Looks like a nice Brown to me also.

By the way I’m headed over to the Pit tomorrow to check out the winter fishing with the new regs in play. I’ll give you a full report after tomorrow,

Alan Blankenship, Three Rivers Guide Service

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Here is a reply from fly fishing professional Gary Borger:

Bill,

I am assuming you mean the trout photo. From the looks of it , it is a marble trout, the strain of brown trout that occupies the southern European drainages that empty into the Mediterranean Sea. I have caught them in France. This is the same brown trout that is mentioned in the first written account of fly fishing in about 100AD in Macedonia. The "chum" like markings on the sides are characteristic and diagnostic.

My best,
Gary

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

When trout are not anywhere near spawning time and living in a big lake or ocean they will all be very silver and hard to distinguish.

I think it is a Brown trout?

[WinterrunRon]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for all your input and opinions. I initially didn't include any details so as not to contaminate the opinion pool, but would like to offer the following:

This fish was caught on the Trinity, had an intact adipose fin and was about 21-22 inches long. I didn't notice any aspect of red rings around any of the markings which would have made it an easy identification as a brown. My initial opinion is that it is a cross-breed, but if there is such a thing as a sea-run Trinity brown trout, that's my vote.

My friend caught what I believe is a sea-run cutt



and I caught this silver salmon



Both of these fish came from the Smith.

I find these three fish strikingly interesting, if for no other reason than their scarcity.