I've been thinking about this for a while. Some of us on this site and elsewhere sometimes refer to trout that are 16 inches or longer as "hogs".
From what I've read from PAF&BC survey data over the years, 16 inch and longer wild brown trout account for about 1.5% of the total number of wild brown trout captured during those surveys. That's about the same percent as brook trout over 9 inches.
As I've said, when I calculate my stats, I count any trout of 16 inches or longer as big or a hog, regardless of species and if they are wild or stocked. I fish mostly fish wild trout streams and catch relatively few stocked trout. Any trout that is at least 16 inches that I catch in PA that is a brook or a rainbow is almost certainly a stocked fish. I don't know any stream in PA where you have a realistic chance of catching a 16 inch native brook trout. My biggest native brookie in PA was a little over 15 inches. I caught it in the 80s in a tiny stream where most of the trout are less than legal size.
There are few streams in PA that have wild rainbows and fewer yet where one has a chance at a 16 incher. Not counting steelhead of course.
So what is considered "big" for each species, generally speaking? I know it can depend on the size of the stream and how much food is in it. On some native brook trout streams I fish, a 10 incher is a real prize.
Looking at my stats over the years, only about 2 percent of the native brook trout I catch are at least 10 inches. The largest native brook trout I've caught in the last ten years was 13.5 inches.
The vast majority of the wild rainbows I've caught in PA have come from three streams. The largest rainbow I've caught in those streams was a little under 13 inches. I have caught one wild rainbow that was 16 inches in PA, which came in the Delaware River in 2007.
Of course, each year all of the wild trout I catch in PA that are at least 16 inches are browns.
Some would say that a 16 inch brown is not a hog. In some streams, a 16 inch wild brown is a real prize. In a couple streams I fish, a 16 incher is not unusual. Looking at my stats, about 35% percent of the wild browns I catch that are at least 16 inches are 18 inches or longer.
So what do you think? What do you consider a big wild trout in PA? What do you consider big for each species?
I’ve caught thousands of native brookies in the last 55 years. One in a hundred might go 8”. I might have caught five that went 9”. Last year I fished a stream I’d never been on, and caught an 11” native. The streams I fish are out in the big woods, not much water, or feed. The trout just don’t grow very big there.
Out of no doubt the thousands of native brookies I've caught, very few over 10". Largest was a hair over 14", in the fall, in a stream about 4 feet wide. That was about 40 years ago.
I would consider a 16" brownie or rainbow a nice trout in any PA stream. But in some of the larger streams, might have to be closer to 20" for me to consider it a true "hog".
I probably should have said what do you consider big for wild trout of each species.
As I said before, I think the stream size and conditions play a major part. There's a very scenic stream that has wild brooks and browns where the biggest trout I've caught there was a 13 1/2 inch brown. Most browns there don't reach 10 inches. The biggest brookie I've caught there was 10 1/2 inches.
In a larger stream with lots of food, I'd characterize a big PA trout as 18 inches. A 20 inch wild trout is still pretty rare.
Brown/Rainbow 20". Fish under 12" are scrappers, 12-16" decent, 16-19" nice ones. No Brookies get stocked in my area anymore, so my only Brookies are "natives". My biggest was just over 16". I get quite a few 7-9" fish and a few over 12" normally in the 2 mile section I fish. That creek has a 4' waterfall blocking fish movement.
I also think that although I don't measure it, girth comes into play when feeling like I caught a big trout, especially with some stocked brookies. I have caught some really thick, strong bruisers that I was surprised to measure at less than 16", but definitely felt like they were a big trout. I have also caught a few "skinny" 16-17" browns that just didn't give me that "I caught a hog" feeling.
And it can be a bit fluid based on what is normal for the stream. On my most productive freestone native brook trout stream I routinely catch several 9-11" in an outing, while other streams an 8" native is a big trout and rarity for the stream.
My best day for big trout wasn't in total numbers caught. I caught a 20+" brown, an 11.5" native brook, and a tiger trout one day in a stream last year. While I have caught more "big" trout in one outing, I doubt I will have many, if any, days that match it.
Were the trout on your best day all wild? Catching a wild tiger trout makes any day special, but a 20" wild brown, an 11 1/2 inch native brook, and a wild tiger in the same day is really amazing!
I think all the trout are trophies, regardless of circumstance. Its the joy we get from catching them that makes it worth the trip. I especially like how you take us along for the ride on your trips !! THANKS AGAIN for always sharing !!
I think all the trout are trophies, regardless of circumstance. It's the joy we get from catching them that makes it worth the trip. I especially like how you take us along for the ride on your trips !! THANKS AGAIN for always sharing !!
It's nice that many of us recognize the trout fishing bounty we have in PA. A friend of mine who lives in Connecticut moved to PA in the 90s. He told me that almost all the trout fishing in CT is for stocked trout. He has since moved back to CT, but may be moving to Vermont in the future. The trout fishing in VT and New Hampshire is apparently much better than CT.
At any rate, we have many miles of wild trout water that other states just don't have.
Yes they were all wild trout. It's a Class A C&R. I went back another day fishing a section about 1/2 mile downstream that is probably within a 1/2 of the mouth that goes into a very large stocked stream. That day I caught a 17 or 18 in stocked brookie that surprised me. It was behind an area with a cluster of camps and a few permanent homes, so could have worked its way up or been put in. As far as I can recall, it was the only stocked trout I caught in the stream. Needless to say I returned there last May. Water temps were still pretty low and I fished more than 1/2 of that section and came up with a big goose egg.
I've only caught a handful of what I was almost certain to be wild trout; a trip to Spring Creek in 2017 yielded a handful of wild brownies. The largest was 14".
Most of the trout that I have caught were stocked, either by the state, or a local club.
If I'm looking for a BIG trout, I'm looking 19"-20"+.
In keeping with what most of you are saying, If I'm going to fish non-stocked, or rarely stocked streams, I know that this measurement will differ.
I just enjoy catching trout. I don't turn my nose up at stocked trout but I don't get too worked up over a recently stocked "trophy" either. For me, my ultimate benchmark is a 20" wild trout on a flyrod. That's a trophy trout IMO. And any wild trout over 15" gets me excited (15" was always my big trout benchmark as a kid and I stick with it 🙂 )
I have been fortunate to catch at least one bonafide 20" wild Brown in a small PA stream, on a Red Quill dry fly and a 4wt. I have also caught a 19 9/10 inch wild Rainbow from the main stem Delaware and a 19 9/10 inch wild Brookie from a private wilderness pond in the Adirondacks. The Rainbow was on an Adam's dry fly and the Brookie was on a steamer. All 3 fish were the hardest fighting trout I have ever caught. And get this, after catching that big brookie I later hooked, fought and eventually lost a brookie that both my guide and dad saw before it eventually broke off and they said it was significantly bigger. I have NEVER had a trout outwork a 6 weight rod the way those big brookies did.
I have also caught a 20" Delaware river smallmouth bass on a flyrod. Another freight train of a fish.
I just enjoy catching trout. I don't turn my nose up at stocked trout but I don't get too worked up over a recently stocked "trophy" either. For me, my ultimate benchmark is a 20" wild trout on a fly rod. That's a trophy trout IMO. And any wild trout over 15" gets me excited (15" was always my big trout benchmark as a kid and I stick with it 🙂 )
I have been fortunate to catch at least one bonafide 20" wild Brown in a small PA stream, on a Red Quill dry fly and a 4wt. I have also caught a 19 9/10 inch wild Rainbow from the main stem Delaware and a 19 9/10 inch wild Brookie from a private wilderness pond in the Adirondacks. The Rainbow was on an Adam's dry fly and the Brookie was on a steamer. All 3 fish were the hardest fighting trout I have ever caught. And get this, after catching that big brookie I later hooked, fought and eventually lost a brookie that both my guide and dad saw before it eventually broke off and they said it was significantly bigger. I have NEVER had a trout outwork a 6 weight rod the way those big brookies did.
I have also caught a 20" Delaware river smallmouth bass on a fly rod. Another freight train of a fish.
You caught some very nice fish Ryan. A brown of that size on a 4 weight would be quite a fight. A wild brook trout of that size is really something, congratulations. All the 20" wild trout I've caught in PA were browns. The only wild rainbows I've caught over 20 inches were in Canada. I considered going on a guided trip a few years ago to Manitoba to fish for big brookies but never did.
I've never caught a 20" smallmouth. I caught two 19 inchers in the Susquehanna River years ago, fishing with a friend in August. The first one hit a spinner. We then waded out and got our fly rods in anticipation of the white mayfly hatch. The second one hit a #12 white mayfly dry. Both of those bass were drag-burners.
My original intent was what do you consider big for a wild trout? I think wild trout over 20 inches are pretty rare in PA since they have to endure hazards from the time they emerge from the redd that stocked trout don't face. They have to catch their own food and become much warier and harder to fool.
In small to medium sized streams, I consider a 16 inch wild brown trout to be big. In larger streams, for me, it probably needs to be 18 inches.
Club near me places big trout and I hit after they are done. Two years ago caught a 27 in and my son has caught 2 around 25. I heard they had several last year near 30 but never caught any. Most of the fish they stock 19 to 22. One day I caught 8 of those. It was fun. Never kept any onlythe 27 which I am looking at right now on my wall😀
Stockers....meh. Look at that yellow freak! Call up the taxi! This thing was swimming in a concrete pool BC (before corona) now we should mount it cuz it ates my powerbaits and is real big n'at
Brooks...most beautiful appetizers that ever existed
Personally, I don’t get excited about catching big stocked trout, especially absurdly fat ones stocked by clubs, as I don’t consider it very challenging. Lots of people enjoy it, which is fine for them.
Catching big lake run brown trout would be exciting to me.
Wild or stocked ? .. Fish stocked as fingerlings, stockies that hold over for a year or more, same for stockies that travel out of stocked creeks. Then you have stockies that migrate(either by swimming or floods) into lakes that are managed as warm water fisheries ? In most of those cases the fish will "color-up" and any raceway rash will heal over. If you "Gasp" eat one often the flesh will have that "salmon" hue to it.
Personally I think streambred fish have pretty good survival rates. Everything eats them but those that survive have passed down those survival genes through the generations reinforcing it. While most hatchery raised fish have never dealt with bigger cannibal trout, mink, herons or most other hungry critters
PS.... this is what the PFBC considers Trophy Trout.... first is C+R in inches, 2nd is SR(adult), 3rd is Jr(kids) both in lbs + oz's and last is the state record also lbs+oz's... they will even send you a nice certificate... LOL
It’s not always easy to tell a wild trout from a stocked trout, especially if a trout was stocked as a fingerling. I think the PAF&BC clips the caudal fin on stocked fingerlings to tell them apart from wild trout.
Hatchery trout often have stubby or damaged fins from the raceways and from other trout nipping at them.
Another way to tell is to look at the eyes. A trout’s eyes grow uniformly throughout its life. A large trout with small eyes is almost certainly stocked.
I've never seen clipped caudal fins on fingerlings in my area... did see it on adult trout a few years back for some study... not sure if they are still doing it or not(don't think so)
Yes freshly stocked trout will often have damaged fins and tails ...BUT most of that heals over time(of course not all will) so a hold over will look "wild".
Never heard the eye thing.... I used to judge by the head(stockies generally have a smaller head/body size ratio) but the area PFBC Biologist told me that is not fool proof either.
Basically the question of stocked vs. wild for big trout in PA comes down to brown trout almost exclusively. There are only a few streams in the state that have wild rainbows so if you catch a big rainbow, it’s almost certainly stocked, with very few exceptions. Almost without fail, a brook trout of at 16 inches in PA is stocked.
Unfortunately trout are commonly stocked over good wild trout populations in PA. The PAF&BC does it to some degree and it’s done a lot by private clubs. I would like to see that practice stopped, but realize it won’t be. Stocked trout have a place in PA, but in my opinion they should only be stocked in places where there is no significant wild trout population.
Hatchery trout are bred to feed more aggressively and grow faster. They are much less wary than wild trout and are genetically inferior. Since they are often larger when stocked than the resident wild trout, they often take the better holding areas. I would like to see stocking stopped in class A and class B sections. I know that in some instances, the PAF&BC continues to stock over wild trout populations on private property because the landowners sometimes threaten to post their land if stocking is halted.
I made 5 stops on Saturday. I was out for about 2.5 hours and only had 2 strikes. Here are the results:
That pig weighed 4.78 lbs. Yes, I kept him and we ate him that night. There were 6 FULL SIZE fish dinners from him! The "small one" went back in unharmed.
I'm late to the party but for me I don't consider a brown to be 'Big' until it's 18". I do keep track of fish above 16" though to keep things consistent in my fishing journal over the years. I just don't treat a 16" like anything out of the ordinary these days. Native Brookies don't excite me until 11". I get a few of those annually.
I agree. The only exception is that I consider a 16” wild brown to be big if caught in a small mountain freestoner.
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