Wild Bows

[Richie27]

hey guys post your pictures of wild bows

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b135/trout-master/fishinghunting036.jpg

[Richie27]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b135/trout-master/fishinghunting034.jpg

[TreeFrog]

Here's one i caught this past monthhttp://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b135/trout-master/fishinghunting038.jpg (http://photobucket.com)

[mb90535im]

A couple caught by the wifey on our favorite little stream in Murray County:

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/500/10225bow2100204.jpg

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/500/10225Bow100204.jpg

[TreeFrog]

when you can get your wife out on the stream to do some fishing.... :D

[finless brown]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/bhc3/4.jpg

This snake came out of a stream that can be jumped across in the right spot. I've caught bigger fish (this one was about 17") but this is hands down my best trophy (well... best digital trophy, I put the fish back)

[Richie27]

I've never seen a rainbow snake before...haha...awesome fish

[TreeFrog]

nice fish, finless brown. believe you have the award for best wild bow pic so far.

[mb90535im]

My dad caught a snake like that one (except much more skinny) on Hassler's Mill Creek in Murray County many years ago. He had fished way up the creek and that was the only fish he caught all day. He said it was 17" and was in a hole on a section of the creek that he could step across. Amazing that a rainbow will grow to that length in such small water.

[Richie27]

this was the first big fish I landed on a fly rod...I caught her on a para. hopper...in the middle of the summer. The fish was 17.5 but the picture doesn't do any justice....but it was awesome...nothing like catching a big bow on a dry


http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b135/trout-master/img008.jpg

[bamapatriot]

OK... I'm still new to this. How can you be sure it's a wild bow vs a stocker?

- Eric

[Speck]

Do a search on this topic in the archives. The consensus seems to be that there is no consensus.

From what I've read here, there are only two certain ways to know if a trout is wild. 1 - if it's less than 6", and 2 - if you do a DNA test.

There are several indicators that a trout MAY be wild. Extreme color and extremely remote locations are both good indicators. Remember too that Georgia hasn't stocked brook trout in many years.

Recently stocked trout are less colorful and often have rubbed-off gill fins. Some folks (me included) think they are likely to have more rounded snouts as well.

The real difficulty comes when you catch a holdover stocker. Depending on the time since stocking and the location of the catch, holdovers can apparently gain some color with time in the stream, which makes it a little more difficult to determine if it is wild or stocked.

Clear as mud?

[S.Trutta]

A agree with Speck, there really is no definitive way to say a fish is wild or not...at least streamside. The main thing to me is location. If you are fishing backcountry type creeks, especially ones that don't recieve stockings, you can more or less be assured that the fish you catch are wild. When fishing stocked waters, you will occasionally run across some very small fish that are more colorful than the rest, and many times those are wild fish that have entered the stream from a feeder creek etc. One other way is if you catch a non-stocked species in a stocked stream. I have one creek I found last year that is stocked very lightly with bows, of which i caught a few. The more i hikes upstream the fewer I caught, until I came to a beautiful run that produces a beautiful 13.5 inch brown, which i claim to be wild. My last time there in the same hole i caught that fish again, and i think he was a hair longer.

Rich

[spinboy]

that you can usually rule them out as wild if they have nubs but you probably knew that...

[Speck]

that you can usually rule them out as wild if they have nubs but you probably knew that...

Yeah that's what I meant by rubbed off gill fins. I'm sure there's a better name for those fins if someone wants to chime in ...

[oscarflytyer]

I fished for Steelies in CA. They clip the fin of the hatchery raised Steelhead, so it is easy to tell on them. Even have different bag limits on hatchery vs wild fish. Something like 2 vs 0, as I recall.

Only thing I ever look for here is the pelvic fin (one one the belly) being rubbed to a hard, rounded knub (hatchery fish; from rubbing on bottom of cement tank in the hatchery, I am told) and a smooth, flat normal fin (wild). Not ever sure this is always accurate, tho.

[Richie27]

the rubbed fin is a good way to tell, but yeah all the guys are right when they say if a fish is in the water for a while she will color up, and make it harder to tell but the longer you fish the easier it becomes. But also its easy to tell if the height of the fish doesn't change much from the head to the tail giving the fish a snake look....long and skinny. Hope this helps

[S.Trutta]

they do the same thing for the steelies up in michigan. The fins are clipped on the hatchery steelhead, makes it very easy to tell if they are wild or hatchery when you catch the grown ups. The neat thing is that is the only way you can tell, the hatchery fish look identical and act just as wildly as their wild brothers. With the being said, you catch more hatchery fish than wild fish, and a big wild steelie is the true trophy.

Rich

[finless brown]

If you catch it, it is probably wild- if your fishin' buddy gets it, its most likely a stocker. :D

[oscarflytyer]

they do the same thing for the steelies up in michigan. The fins are clipped on the hatchery steelhead, makes it very easy to tell if they are wild or hatchery when you catch the grown ups. The neat thing is that is the only way you can tell, the hatchery fish look identical and act just as wildly as their wild brothers. With the being said, you catch more hatchery fish than wild fish, and a big wild steelie is the true trophy.

Rich


I found the same. Just because it was a hatchery fish didn't mean it didn't know how to give you a run for your money. You just never could tell until you landed it. I watched/listened to a number of guys swear they had a wild fish based on the fight, only to land a hatch fish. Let's face it, they all went to live in the ocean and had to keep from gettin' et by fur backs (NASTY **** seals) and stripes, etc, just to survive and make it back up river (over 100 miles!) to spawn. After all that, you would have an attitude too if you got hooked in the lip, no matter where you were hatched!!!

[Steelheadpyc]

I'm new to posting on this site, but have been reading for about 2 months. I graduated from high school in Georgia, but am a Michigan native who enjoys getting back down there as much as possible. Which may be in April.
I used a fly rod for the first time at Smithgal Woods (1st class facility) after taking a class at Unicoi in Helen 2 yrs ago and thought you guys might be interested in pics of stellies a couple buddies caught this past weekend on the Pere Marquette here in Michigan. Unfortunatly I wasn't able to go on this trip, but I'll get'em next time.
After reading the posts on this thread, I thought the pics would be appropriate.

Thanks,
PYC

[S.Trutta]

Hey, are those some of the pics from Fred Steubers page (www.silversideguide.com)? I know Fred pretty well and he has guided my father and I down the Muskegon on a number of occasions. What part of Michigan are you from? My parents currently live in Kalamazoo. Definetely love the PM, what a beautiful stream to fish year round. I am excited about heading up there this summer to go after some of the resident browns...if im lucky ill get up there in the spring too and fish the steelie run. Have you ever fished the king salmon run there in the early fall.....totally insane!!!!
Here's a nice summer run steelie from the PM flies only water, i post this one all the time but i love this shot, this fish came while fishing fro resident browns on a click and pawl reel!!!!

http://i1.tinypic.com/nqee6q.jpg

Rich

[Steelheadpyc]

I don't know if those pics are on the site your taking about or not. I work w/ both those guys and got the pics from the guy with cigar. He's basically rubbing my nose in it.
I currently live in Pontiac, MI and fish mostly on the east side of the state. I did live in Gainesville for a year after Graduating from Commerse High school in 88. I really think those N. Georgia Mountains and the job everyone is doing down there regarding management is awsome.
The ultimate would be to own a stetch of land on one of the rivers in N. GA. for the winter and a stretch of river in MI during the summer.

btw - nice fish!

[TroutTackler]

If it has three or four chicks hangin' around and has a few cans of brew sitting behind a rock, it's a wild one. Also, if you catch one and it has a syringe hanging out of it's pectoral fin, it's really wild. If you catch a female, and she doesn't have a top on and she shakes around a lot like she's trying to show off, you can bet she's wild and her parents are ashamed they ever laid that egg and fertilized it.

[baldea]

If it has three or four chicks hangin' around and has a few cans of brew sitting behind a rock, it's a wild one. Also, if you catch one and it has a syringe hanging out of it's pectoral fin, it's really wild. If you catch a female, and she doesn't have a top on and she shakes around a lot like she's trying to show off, you can bet she's wild and her parents are ashamed they ever laid that egg and fertilized it.


Too funny!