Weird trout

M
minnowmagnet
I caught this weird but beautiful trout in the mountains of North Carolina a couple of years ago. The stream was full of stocked rainbows, and this was the only fish I caught that looked different. Note the puggish nose. It was a little bigger than all the stockers too. I would appreciate an identification from one of you experts out there.
Thanks
 
  • wierd trout.jpg
D
Drew9870
Looks like a mutated hatchery cutthroat, that head shape is definitely not normal.
 
S
sherman
A speckled trout that is blind & been running into the hatchery wall too many times.
 
R
rippin fish lips
sherman said:
A speckled trout that is blind & been running into the hatchery wall too many times.

thats what im thinking.
 
GraphiteZen
GraphiteZen
Most of the fish I catch around the timber of Olalla have that snub nose, with the exception if the nose actually being rubbed raw. I would bet it has an affinity for larger pupa of some sort, the extra nutrition lending to it's size with the act of foraging being what banged up their noses.
 
GraphiteZen
GraphiteZen
Perhaps it fed on Helmigrammits. Digging around in the rocks wore off his nose and the bug giving it the darker color..
 
M
minnowmagnet
thanks for the responses. I have to admit, however, that I am not satisfied with the identifications I have received. The speckled trout, I believe, lives in the ocean, not 300 miles away in a small stream in the mountains. Nor does it look anything like this fish. I have a hard time believing it's a cutthroat either. Look how small the mouth is. The snub nose being a result of a particular style of foraging is quite plausible. Still, I haven't seen anything quite like this fish. Only 6 responses. I think we can do better than that!
thanks everyone. You all are great and I am happy to be a member of this forum.
 
troutdude
troutdude
I'm not sure what to make of your response. On one hand, you say thank you. Then on the other you slam us! I don't think that is a very good approach, at encouraging responses.

May I point out, that none of us currently lives in North Carolina. And most of probably never have. If your fish is native only to that state--then, it's logical than none of us has ever seen one before.

You're post has only been up, for some 28 hours. I know that a LOT of peeps have been out steelhead fishing, during the long holiday weekend. Many probably have not had time to spend on this forum either; as they are with family and friends. So, at least give peeps AMPLE TIME to reply (before you challenge everyone).

In the interim, take a deep breath and be patient.

P.S. I was about to mention, that another possibility is a cross bred fish of some sort. We have what we call "Cutbows" here. Perhaps it is something similar?
 
Last edited:
M
minnowmagnet
okay, I finally figured it out, and I was wrong, it is a speckled trout, though different than the one that lives in the ocean. The locals call it speckled but really it is a brook trout, and the only species native to north carolina. A type of char and relic from the ice age, I should have released it, but I ate it and it was way better tasting than the pellet-heads I was catching out of the same river. Live and learn, I bet I'm not the only one who has regretted retaining a fish out of ignorance.
 
C
ClearCreek
minnowmagnet said:
I caught this weird but beautiful trout in the mountains of North Carolina a couple of years ago. The stream was full of stocked rainbows, and this was the only fish I caught that looked different. Note the puggish nose. It was a little bigger than all the stockers too. I would appreciate an identification from one of you experts out there.
Thanks

That is a hatchery rainbow trout, just looks a little different thats all. I have seen many like that coming out of hatcheries.

ClearCreek
 
T
troutramp
I have caught a thousand brook trout and that is no brook trout it apear to be a rainbow that has a few more spots and has been in the creek a little longer but then again the pic is not "identification" quality .
 
B
beaverfan
ClearCreek said:
That is a hatchery rainbow trout, just looks a little different thats all. I have seen many like that coming out of hatcheries.

ClearCreek

I agree, we see ones like that here in OR in our hatchery bow's so I would think it's likely to happen elsewhere too.
 
M
minnowmagnet
First of all, I had no intention of trying to slam the forum Troutdude. Quite the opposite. Stocked rainbow, wow. You guys might be right about that. It sure looked 100 million times different than the others, though. I know you all aren't from the Carolinas. Most of you know a lot more about fish than I do, and that's why I posted this thread. That fish was always a mystery to me, and unlike 99% of my fish, I actually had a photo of it. Thanks again for all the responses.
 
GraphiteZen
GraphiteZen
minnowmagnet said:
First of all, I had no intention of trying to slam the forum Troutdude.

Indeed. Interpretation is 9/10ths of the law haha
 
B
beaverfan
There is absolutely no way that could even possibly be a brook trout. This is a brook trout.

Brook_trout_1918.jpg
 
D
Drew9870
And see the extra fin growing right by the top of the tail in the above picture, if that is missing, it was intended for someones frying pan, you aren't going to find many endangered fish swimming around without it.
 
GraphiteZen
GraphiteZen
Also Brook Trout:

2x05_30piney_brook.jpg
 
GraphiteZen
GraphiteZen
minnowmagnet said:
I caught this weird but beautiful trout in the mountains of North Carolina a couple of years ago. The stream was full of stocked rainbows, and this was the only fish I caught that looked different. Note the puggish nose. It was a little bigger than all the stockers too. I would appreciate an identification from one of you experts out there.
Thanks

Notice the white tips to the fins... The heavy spotting and the eyes matching the body color. All very indicative of Brook Trout.
 
S
Spydeyrch
Do you think that it could be one of those triple gene/chromosome hatchery bred trout? I can't remember the exact name of it. Basically when the eggs are fertilized in the hatchery, they are kept in a higher temp water than normal and this causes the fish to have 3 sets of genes or 3 sets of chromosomes in stead of the normal two. I don't remember the exact process or what it is that they have three of but due to have three of this gene/chromosome, it cause them to have a shorter body in comparison to other trout, bigger bellies (kind of like a pot belly), and one of the most defining features is it's short stubby nose.

To me, it seems like it would be one of those fish. Also, they are sterile. Oh oh oh oh, I just remembered the name. I think they are called triploid trout. And it is a third chromosome that they have. :) And Triploid is not the species, it is just the term used to distinguish between normal biploid fish and triploid fish.

As far as the species, I don't think it is a cuttie. It looks more to be a rainbow. I am pretty sure it is not a brookie.

-Spydey
 

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