Brown Trout

[pastor norm 125]

Here's pictures of a brown trout I caught on Lake Superior three days ago.  7 lbs 8 oz.  Excellent battle on light tackle.  Excellent on the BBQ.  As beautiful as this fish is, it`s competing for the same spawning beds and feeding habitat as brook trout, my favorite native fish.  I had no problems dispatching it.  Caught while trolling for salmon using a silver salmo minnow.   Obviously the fish was eating smelt. 

I have caught browns trolling and pier fishing on Lake Michigan.  In the pristine waters of Lake Superior, they taste clean and similar to brook trout.  

 

 

[brookiebuster 117]

The third big superior brown I've seen bonked this year.

[Zackcorbin1401 542]

Beautiful fish

[Jelly Belly 86]

Nice! I got one 3 years ago here in marathon but was only in the 3 pound range.

[RN54 3]

caught one years ago 3-4 lb range in Lake Nipigon talked with MNR found out they are native too that lake

 

[Some Old Guy 968]

Browns might be established in Lake Nipigon. But they are originally stocked as they are from across the Atlantic. 

 

Roger

[mad scientist 140]

41 minutes ago, RN54 said:

caught one years ago 3-4 lb range in Lake Nipigon talked with MNR found out they are native too that lake

 

 

Brown trout aren't native to anywhere in North America.  It is native to Europe and Western Asia.  They were first introduced to North America (New York and Michigan) in 1883; the first stocking in Ontario waters was 1913.

[smokerscully1 16]

Grand Trunk Railway stocked Browns in the Whitesand river of Lake Nipigon sometime in the very early 1900’s.

Every few years someone catches one, so they must be reproducing in very limited numbers.

i know a commercial fisherman who had a 7 lber show up in a whitefish net. I caught one close to the mouth of the Blackwater river several years ago that weighed less than a pound.

[pastor norm 125]

Sheesh... they ARE stocking browns in Lake Superior:

 

 

[mad scientist 140]

Wisconsin and Michigan have stocked browns into Lake Superior every year since at least the 70s...

 

http://www.glfc.org/fishstocking/rangesearch.htm

 

[pastor norm 125]

Have the MNR scientists discussed this with authorities in the states?  

Seems like dumb idea.  Or do you feel the brownies are no threat to native species?  The 5 fish limit seems to suggest you have no wish to conserve the brown trout stocks.

[toma-hawk 44]

I guess it all comes down to what are the authorities managing the lake for,ie. native fish, more fishing opportunities, quality of fish, quantity of fish, and different species of fish,and all the other things that are in the lake. I remember a fish derby at the water front about 20 25 yrs. ago a brown was brought in to get weighed and no one knew for sure, if it was a brown trout,the organizers contacted JG from  the mnr to identify it, just some trivia for you.

                                            Rick 

                                         

[pastor norm 125]

Tomahawk.. you are right.  It depends on the priorities and goals of the fishery management.   I for one believe that it's important to keep our waters free from invasive species, no matter how "naturalized" they might become.  A steelhead spawns in the spring and doesn't compete directly for a position in the redds.  A big brown would spawn in the same gravel beds and at the same time as brook trout.  They grow larger than brookies on average and are aggressive when defending spawning sites or feeding stations.  

 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270726558_Competition_Between_Brook_Trout_Salvelinus_fontinalis_and_Brown_Trout_Salmo_trutta_for_Positions_in_a_Michigan_Stream

 

For this reason I wouldn't want any conservation of brown trout in north shore Superior water and tributaries.  Just like putting Atlantic salmon in Pacific waterways is a threat to native stocks on the left coast,  these fish should be killed when caught. 

 

The brown trout fishery is a wonderful fishery and worthy of conservation.  But not here on the north shore. Lets  not make Lake Superior a fantasy aquarium such that our terrific coaster and brookie stream fishery get threatened like they are in Michigan.  I know that browns are swimming in the Arrow River  and have special regs to allow the fishery.  But their offspring are going to swim down into the Pigeon River and into the Lake, which is what I suspect happened to the fish I caught.  The bottom lobe of its caudal fin looked like it spent a lot of time finning over a riverbed.

 

[mad scientist 140]

13 hours ago, toma-hawk said:

I guess it all comes down to what are the authorities managing the lake for

                                

                                         

 

All of the government agencies with a stake in the Lake Superior fishery are signatory to the Fish Community Objectives for Lake Superior, and have a senior manager who sits on the Lake Superior Committee, which is responsible for cross-jurisdictional management issues.  The Fish Community Objectives includes an objective for Pacific Salmon, Rainbow Trout, and Brown Trout:  Manage populations of Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, and brown trout that are predominantly self-sustaining but that may be supplemented by stocking that is compatible with restoration and management goals established for indigenous fish species.

 

The full document is linked below; the bit about non-native salmon and trout begins on page 44:

 

http://www.glfc.org/pubs/SpecialPubs/Sp03_1.pdf

 

[pastor norm 125]

thanks for the link