# 20 inch brook trout from a river.



## creekstalker (Mar 17, 2017)

Crappy pic cuz it was taken at dusk, had no flash, only realized days later that I keep a flashlight in my backpack.









Oh yeah, I caught this guy in the same river yesterday.
















22.75" Missing its adipose. I don't know where it was stocked exactly, but from looking at the records on the DNR website this wasn't put in anywhere near here. This fish swam a long distance to do battle with me.

Questions: how old do you think a Superior brook trout of this size is? (trying to determine how many years it'll have left and how much bigger they can get on the south shore, I know they get pretty big up near Canada).
What would be the equivalent size for a fish the same age that grew up in a creek/small river/larger river?

Also if anyone knows where a fish approximately this old (whatever the age is), with only a clipped adipose was stocked, please share. I'd like to know exactly how far it swam.

Also, does anyone know how the coaster restoration is actually going? Yeah, sure this fish (and maybe the 20 incher if it's also stocked from Superior) swam up this river, but will their offspring actually leave the river to get huge?

Story time:
I had cast my spinner about twenty times behind a decently large rock (a rock I named nofish rock because all the years I've been fishing there I've never caught anything impressive from behind it, even though it looks ideal. Now I call it twofish rock cuz I caught a nice brown from it earlier in the year) into a pretty nice little pool before this thing chased my lure out. "Damn, that's a nice brown," was running through my mind. Also thought if it didn't actually hit, it would just swim downstream, because once it's outside of that pool, the water is extremely fast. But nope, it just swam right back into the pool. Casted in there some more, it came out two more times, looked like a dolphin (fish) feeding on the surface the way it's head was cresting above the water trying to chase my lure down. That's neat in all, but hit my dang lure already. After that I didn't see it, I switched up spinners couple times, different colors and sizes and casted for about 20 more minutes, never saw it again, growing disheartened, thinking it left, I decided to try a totally different bait and threw on a rapala deep diving husky jerk. Second cast it nicked my lure, I got excited again knowing it was still there. Two more casts it latched on and when I saw what it was, I started yelling to my friend who was upstream "it's a ****ing brook trout! it's a ****ing brook trout!" He came running down and helped me corral the fish. I haven't been that excited for a fish in a long time. 

I released them both.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Nice fish! Nice first post as well.

As far as the adipose clip is concerned with the stocking, call the hatchery in Marquette 906-249-1611 . They have always answered any questions I've had.

Welcome to the forum.


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## zzcop302 (Jun 29, 2013)

creekstalker said:


> Crappy pic cuz it was taken at dusk, had no flash, only realized days later that I keep a flashlight in my backpack.
> 
> View attachment 276332
> 
> ...


Great post, pictures, and story.
Didn’t realize you were a new member until I read PunyTrouts reply.... there’s a fellow member who knows his trout and spinners !
Welcome to MS.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

Well done! Welcome aboard!

The MI DNR fish stocking database reveals all on where Brook Trout are stocked. I have never remembered to look for clipped fins when fishing Brook Trout but I definitely will in the future - Thanks! I think mostly they stock Brookies in lakes that are independent watersheds but I do know one stocking point for them that is open to Superior. 

As for where a Coaster comes back to, the Minnesota DNR believes they might select a stream based on volume of water, and water temps too, for timing, with most coming out of The Lake in October. I have a link to one of their studies I can post some day I'm not sitting in a remote gravel pit waiting out some showers to get back to work. There is also a thought that Coasters may be able to spawn on reefs without ever 'coming back in' but I don't know the current thinking on that. 

As Brook Trout are neither a Trout nor a Salmon, I have been wondering quite a bit on this mechanism. I doubt it is as strong as a Salmon for picking the stream of their birth. But then from what I have been reading, every stream connected to Superior now has a Coho and Steelhead run; many of which have never had a plant, ever - this includes Michigan's famous Coaster river, which a DNR Fisheries guy kindly confirmed for me. So I have to wonder how over-archingly strong and specific it may be, even for Coho.


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## brookies101 (Jun 23, 2008)

What I'm curious to hear, is if these fish were caught in one of the coaster restoration streams? Not asking for specifics, just wondering how the program is shaping up....

Great story, great fish!!!! 

Thanks for sharing


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

Found the study. Fishing trumps work every time. 
The MN DNR thinks > 20" would equate to six years old. I do not think they have found any seven year fish. 
Seems to me they could be updating this report eventually, I hope so. 
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/lakesuperior/brook_trout.pdf

Also, I believe there are considerable stocking efforts in Wisconsin, where US Fish & Wildlife has a hatchery just for Brook Trout. Maybe some day they could switch Pendills to that, just sayin'


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## creekstalker (Mar 17, 2017)

PunyTrout said:


> Nice fish! Nice first post as well.
> 
> As far as the adipose clip is concerned with the stocking, call the hatchery in Marquette 906-249-1611 . They have always answered any questions I've had.
> 
> Welcome to the forum.


Thanks for the number. Might call them this week.


B.Jarvinen said:


> Well done! Welcome aboard!
> 
> The MI DNR fish stocking database reveals all on where Brook Trout are stocked. I have never remembered to look for clipped fins when fishing Brook Trout but I definitely will in the future - Thanks! I think mostly they stock Brookies in lakes that are independent watersheds but I do know one stocking point for them that is open to Superior.
> 
> ...


I've checked the database already. There's a few spots they put them in directly in Superior, none are near me, and I think only one (Marquette iirc) had clipped adipose (with no other fin clips, sometimes they clip the adipose and a pec or vent fin) in recent years (I don't remember if the years fit into this fish, which I'm guessing is 3 or 4 years old, but I would like someone with actual knowledge to weigh in on that). But they do stock a lot of creeks and rivers I'm not familiar with, and I think a few had clipped adipose. There could be a possibility it was put in one of them, and swam out. There are no fin clipped brook trout put in any streams near me either, which is why I know this fish came some distance.


brookies101 said:


> What I'm curious to hear, is if these fish were caught in one of the coaster restoration streams? Not asking for specifics, just wondering how the program is shaping up....
> 
> Great story, great fish!!!!
> 
> Thanks for sharing


I don't think it is a restoration streams.


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## creekstalker (Mar 17, 2017)

B.Jarvinen said:


> Found the study. Fishing trumps work every time.
> The MN DNR thinks > 20" would equate to six years old. I do not think they have found any seven year fish.
> Seems to me they could be updating this report eventually, I hope so.
> http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/lakesuperior/brook_trout.pdf
> ...


Didn't see this post, thanks. I'll check that study out.


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## Teggs (Mar 20, 2013)

Nice fish. This is most likely a splake. Brook trout have distinct red dots with blue halos and a black mouth. Splake have a white mouth and no red dots. Have any tail shots? Splake also run the rivers this time of year. I also dont think they clip brooktrout, but i would imagine splake they do. Also splake get a antibody shot you can look for on their belly toward the tail. Also we dont stock the coaster strain of brooktrout here in the UP. You will have to call someone at the hatchery in Nipigon Ontario to get better info. Mqt hatchery doesnt clip rainbows brookies or browns as far as i know.


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Nice fish!

Good catch on the missing red Teggs.


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## creekstalker (Mar 17, 2017)

Teggs said:


> Nice fish. This is most likely a splake. Brook trout have distinct red dots with blue halos and a black mouth. Splake have a white mouth and no red dots. Have any tail shots? Splake also run the rivers this time of year. I also dont think they clip brooktrout, but i would imagine splake they do. Also splake get a antibody shot you can look for on their belly toward the tail. Also we dont stock the coaster strain of brooktrout here in the UP. You will have to call someone at the hatchery in Nipigon Ontario to get better info. Mqt hatchery doesnt clip rainbows brookies or browns as far as i know.


The red dot/halo has me question the type of fish as well. I've caught splake with the red dots and halos out of inland lakes, but they're fainter than a native brookie. I've never payed attention to the color of the mouth on either of these fish.

They do stock coasters in the UP, from Siskowit Bay and Tobin Harbor, in Baraga and Marquette. They do clip them. They have never clipped splake in either Lake Superior or any inland lakes in Michigan. You can learn that here.

http://www.michigandnr.com/fishstock/

BUT

I did talk to the Wisconsin DNR, and they have clipped the adipose on splake since 2014, so it's possible it swam from there. Now I'm leaning splake.


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## creekstalker (Mar 17, 2017)

Sent the DNR guy a pic, he just responded after my last post. He thinks it's a splake as well.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I believe currently the Ichthyologists have given up on the idea that only certain "strains" of Brookies will out-migrate. The Isle Royale strains are still used as brood stock however. From what I've read lately though, the thinking is that straight population pressure (and good habitat to create a high population) creates out-migration to the Great Lakes. 

The essentially closed-to-Brook-Trout posession "BTRA" streams (20" minimum, one fish limit) should give this theory a good test. This year would be the third such season for those streams. I haven't fished one yet but I am quite looking forward to it. Hopefully next year. 

I also haven't yet had a chance to try fishing for these fish from the beach along a creek mouth yet either; too much work and no helpers this year. But I have some beaches, and a point, picked out to try.


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

B.Jarvinen said:


> I believe currently the Ichthyologists have given up on the idea that only certain "strains" of Brookies will out-migrate. The Isle Royale strains are still used as brood stock however. From what I've read lately though, the thinking is that straight population pressure (and good habitat to create a high population) creates out-migration to the Great Lakes.
> 
> The essentially closed-to-Brook-Trout posession "BTRA" streams (20" minimum, one fish limit) should give this theory a good test. This year would be the third such season for those streams. I haven't fished one yet but I am quite looking forward to it. Hopefully next year.
> 
> I also haven't yet had a chance to try fishing for these fish from the beach along a creek mouth yet either; too much work and no helpers this year. But I have some beaches, and a point, picked out to try.


The population pressure idea/theory has been around for awhile and it might have some validity. I am aware of a couple relatively short streams on the south shore of the UP that have copious quantities of small brookies that for decades have had a few large fish entering the stream anywhere from late July to early November. The early ones seem to stay in the stream for a short time and then go back our into the lake. Seeing brook trout the size of pink salmon while bird hunting is really cool. FM


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## Rainbowjack (Jul 10, 2015)

gotta love those coasters


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