Brookie Or Bull?

[robertboyce]

The recent paper by mr. Stelfox is of great interest. I did not know that the extent of hybridization of Brook trout with Bull trout is as severe as it is. In any case, I have noticed an increase of brook trout on a small stream that I regularly fish, namely Fish creek. I have caught and removed a few brook trout in the past few years, from places which only have contained rainbow trout in the past. I have never caught a cutthroat trout from upper fish creek. I presumed that they must have been displaced by the Rainbows many years ago.

 

Hi Bowflyman. I've fished Fish Creek in the McLean Ck OHV area for 3ish decades. As a boy the main fish I remember catching were cutthroats (and some nice sized ones) followed by the odd rainbow. The old timers tell me that they caught the occasional brown as well but I don't recall ever seeing one. As time went on rainbows were more and more of the catch with some fish that looks like crosses appearing. I didn't know what they were at the time but as a kid I remember wondering why the rainbows had a slash and feeling sheepish that I couldn't tell the cutts from the rainbows at times.

 

Then one day I recall catching a brookie and thinking that it was nice to have another species to fish for in the stream....this was long before education and experience helped me understand that brookies (and rainbows for that matter) are a wonderful fish but that a misplaced brookie is not a good thing for my beloved WCTs. Eventually upper Fish Creek went from being a nice cutt stream to a nice small-brookie stream with the odd little cutt x rainbow/rainbow thrown in. I've not caught a proper looking WCT in this stream for a very long time. Just guessing but the last real cutt looking fish I caught was likely in the early to mid 1990's...a bit sad in a way.

[DonAndersen]

Taco,

 

You're a lucky guy. As far as I can recall there have been only 2 other nature raised tiger trout found in Alberta. Mel Kraft, the regional fisheries guy for Central Alberta now retired got one from Stauffer Creek in the late 60's and a bio who worked for the Alta Govt [ If I recall correctly it was Wayne Roberts with the Alberta Museum] got the other maybe in the early 70's.

 

 

And the browns in the Crow didn't jump the falls. I heard they escaped from Allison Springs hatchery > Allison Creek that flows directly into the Crow.

 

But browns flying up the falls makes a much better story.

 

 

catch ya'

 

 

Don

[robertboyce]

Taco,

 

You're a lucky guy. As far as I can recall there have been only 2 other nature raised tiger trout found in Alberta. Mel Kraft, the regional fisheries guy for Central Alberta now retired got one from Stauffer Creek in the late 60's and a bio who worked for the Alta Govt [ If I recall correctly it was Wayne Roberts with the Alberta Museum] got the other maybe in the early 70's.

 

 

And the browns in the Crow didn't jump the falls. I heard they escaped from Allison Springs hatchery > Allison Creek that flows directly into the Crow.

 

But browns flying up the falls makes a much better story.

 

 

catch ya'

 

 

Don

 

 

Hi Don..there may have been one in Canmore. Sometime in the mid 90's the Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery Volunteer Society would attend various outdoor oriented events and setup a booth with fish on display for education. There was an event in Canmore where the local biologist at the time (Brian L.?) electrofished one of the local creeks (Policeman's) for a few specimens for the display. I think one of the fish he captured was a Tiger. I seem to recall a lot of buzz about this because they're so uncommon.