Wisconsin Driftless Area Tiger Trout

  • LenH
    Wisconsin
    Posts: 2385
    November 25, 2009 at 3:42 pm #1319412

    Tiger Trout Wisconsin Driftless Area

    Written by: Len Harris

    Photos by: Len Harris

    The tiger trout is a sterile hybrid cross between a female brown trout and a male brook trout. The fish exhibits unusual markings found in neither parent. Tiger trout are rare in the wild, appearing only in areas where brook and brown trout share spawning grounds. Stream born tigers take on the appearance of their fathers (brook trout) Hatchery tigers look more like their mothers (brown trout).



    Female Brown



    Male Brookie

    Wisconsin has NO stocking program and ALL tigers caught in Wisconsin streams are “Natural” tigers.

    This interspecies cross is unusual, in part because each fish belongs to a separate genus (Salvelinus for brook trout and Salmo for browns). It happens rarely in the wild, but can be (and is) easily performed by fisheries biologists or hatchery technicians.



    Tigers are pretty fish. The normal vermiculations (wormlike markings) found on the backs of most brookies become enlarged and often contorted into stripes (hence the name ‘tiger’), swirls, spots, and rings. The trout also exhibit a greenish cast, which lets you know, when you hook one, that there is something different on the end of your line long before the fish is in hand.

    Naturally-occuring tiger trout generally appear only in streams that have higher brook trout than brown trout populations. And while they don’t appear often, they are becoming more commonly found in the Midwest and New England.







    *Few more photos and a YouTube Video on my site*

    http://lenharris.blogspot.com/2009/11/tiger-trout-wisconsin-driftless-area.html

    jigmup
    Chisago county
    Posts: 43
    November 25, 2009 at 4:09 pm #818408

    Thanks Len, Those are some beautiful fish and a learning experience was had by me, a non-streamer waving boater fisherman. I salute you!

    Steve Root
    South St. Paul, MN
    Posts: 5639
    November 25, 2009 at 4:20 pm #818411

    Learn something new every day. Thanks for sharing Len! And once again, great pictures.

    fishthumper
    Sartell, MN.
    Posts: 12081
    November 25, 2009 at 6:46 pm #818438

    I believe I caught one of these on the middle branch of the whitewater river a few years ago. Really cool looking fish. Had the one I caught been a little larger ( This one was only about 14″ )I may have thought about having it mounted. Great post.

    chomps
    Sioux City IA
    Posts: 3974
    November 25, 2009 at 7:24 pm #818450

    very nice pictures Len

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