Opening day tiger trout (4/9/16)

[JDTuna]

Headed out to the Musky for opening day with a few of my fly fishing buddies. Ran into Eddie at a convenience store on the way to the river. Ended up arriving at the spot early, and began the long, painful wait for 8am. While we waited, I scouted up and down the stretch for some holes.

The day started out slow. One of my friends caught a couple of rainbows early on, but they were the only fish we saw caught. I tried a few different lures with nothing to show for it, then I settled on the tried and true spinner.

I decided to take a cast in one pool I had fished earlier. Just as I was ending the retrieve and about to take the lure out of the water, a nice trout shot across the pool and grabbed the spinner at my feet. After a spirited fight all over the pool, my friend slid the net under a very nice, fat trout. The fish was clearly not a stockie, and by its condition had been in the river for a long time given its beautiful condition. We quickly took a picture and released the fish. It was great to watch the fish swim strongly back into the pool.

Originally, I had thought brown trout but looking at the pictures it was definitely different than any brown I ever caught, and I began thinking it looked like a tiger. I sent a message over to Mark B at the NJDF&W and he confirmed it was a tiger trout, my first at that. Another species crossed off the list!

[NJSquatch]

Awesome! Tiger is on my bucket list

[NorthJerzyG]

Nice fish man!! Prob still a stockie, just not a state stocked fish. Either way, looks like a beaut!!!

[FASTEDDIE29]

Beautiful fish Tuna man! It's nice to see other NJFers out and about on opening day! Tigers are AWESOME looking! I know where that one as well as a few of it's friends live! Congrats on he catch!

[buzzbaiter]

It is a tiger but looks like the private club/hatchery variety not a wild one. Wild ones a) are more colorful and b) generally are less than a 10". I've caught a few stockie tigers in the SBRR that came from the Anglers Anonymous Club stockings.

[henro]

Beautiful fish!

[CadiShackFishing]

Nice C & R.

[HerringKing]

Its on my must catch list.

[River Renegade]

Sweet tiger!!!! And respect on the CPR well done!

[JDTuna]

Originally Posted by buzzbaiter

It is a tiger but looks like the private club/hatchery variety not a wild one. Wild ones a) are more colorful and b) generally are less than a 10". I've caught a few stockie tigers in the SBRR that came from the Anglers Anonymous Club stockings.

Sorry, I should have clarified my point. I wasn't saying it was wild, I meant it wasn't a state stocked fish. And judging by the condition of the fins, may have been in the river a while.