Wind Knots And Tailing Loops

Left Lordville yesterday intending to fish the afternoon sulfurs in Deposit and then drive back to Lafayette. Started raining on my arrival at the Troutfitter and after almost two hours of conversation with Troutfitter regulars, all waiting out the rain, I decided to head for home. Drove over the town bridge and couldn't see the water for the fog.

Greg T. - Wanted to know how to tell the age of fish. Fishery biologists count the growth rings on  the scales which works on younger fish. It is my understanding that on older fish, they have to be killed and an ear bone examined to get the exact age of the fish. Hopefully not many trophy fish are killed for this purpose.

 For us fishermen, aging fish is an inexact science at best. Growth rated vary from stream to stream and in the case of tailwaters, from the coldest water, (slower growth), to the warmer water. Here's the way I age them.

 Both browns and rainbows are usually born sometime in May. The first year they are fingerlings. On their birthday in May they become yearlings and are about 7/8 inches long. Rainbows grow faster than browns and most are 10 inches long early in September, most browns reach 10 inches later in the fall.

 The following May as two year old's, rainbows are a fat and healthy 12 inches long, browns average a good inch less. By late-summer two year old rainbows are around 13/14 inches while most of the browns are abut 12 inches long. In their third year  rainbows start out at about 14 inches and commonly reach 16 or more by years end. This spring most of the three year old browns I caught in the freestones were at least 13.5 inches long. When the trout get into the 15 to 17 inch  size range, where they live can cause size differences in fish that over lap year classes. Once they reach 17 inches I just call them adults.

  Most rainbows only live four years and top out at 18/19 inches. Five year old rainbows are usually in decline and their growth slows markedly. No matter how long your guide tells you your rainbow is, the odds of it actually being 20 inches are very slim.

 The browns at four and five years of age are just coming into their prime. Last year there were many of the 2018 year class in the Sulfur zone that were between 17 and 18 inches long, while fish down river and in the freestones were around 19inches long. This year I have caught numerous browns over nineteen and a few over twenty that, judging by their size, weight and general condition, I felt were of the 2018 year class. As browns age beyond six years it becomes impossible to guess their age, some of the older fish  lose weight and become long and thin. I caught a 20 inch fish three years in a row, (took pictures and matched the spots), and she grew a total of .25 of an inch in those three years. Caught what I thought was the same fish the next year but she was in such bad shape that I just released her without a photo. Browns can and some do, live a long time. 

Chris wanted to know how to identify hatchery trout. In the net it is easy. Look at the pectoral fins. The pectorals on wild trout are long, tapered and translucent. On hatchery trout raised in concrete tanks one or sometimes both pectorals are rubbed down to mere nubs by the rough concrete walls. Tanks with smoother walls, (fiberglass), reduce the wear on the pectorals but they are still shorter and thicker on hatchery fish. The Beaverkill hatchery fish seem to have the shorter, thicker but otherwise undamaged fins.

If you are trying to tell if you've hooked a hatchery fish while it's still on your line, there are several tells. Hatchery fish often porpoise when taking dries, they seldom turn when taking a fly, so the feel as you set the hook is softer. They rarely get out of second gear, and seldom jump. The bigger holdover hatchery fish will sometimes make good straight line runs but do not change directions as well as a wild fish. As a hatchery fish tires he will invariably come up and swim just under the surface. Many of these characteristics are caused by the injured or smaller size of the aforementioned pectorals. 

There are quite a few hatchery fish in the river from Hale Eddy up to Stilesville, mostly drop downs from Oquaga, but some may come from Cannonsville during spring spills. If you are fishing up river, especially from Oquaga down to the blue stone plant, pay attention and see if you can tell the difference between wild and hatchery fish.

Note to H-L-R - Drop it off at the Troutfitter, I'll sign it when I stop by.