NYC DEP Reservoirs

[jager61]

Thanks guys! Yes, all Browns despite the LLS appearance on some. I think there are two different variations of the Browns in Pepacton, pretty common in fact! Nonetheless, pretty looking fish with the minimal spotting! 😃

MK

[CHEZ2]

Great job.
Those females are cows.

[jager61]

Tough bait bite yesterday, fished from 3am until 9am, one small brown. Came back at 5pm with the trolling gear and prospects improved nicely! Got a decent male trolling 3 colors and a #35 Sutton flutter! 
MK

[taxid]

Thanks guys! Yes, all Browns despite the LLS appearance on some. I think there are two different variations of the Browns in Pepacton, pretty common in fact! Nonetheless, pretty looking fish with the minimal spotting! 😃

MK

From my experience raising browns to 12 lbs. the females have less spots than the males. Do you concur?

[jager61]

I never gave that any consideration until you just brought it up! Will look through my old pics! Wonder why?

MK

[bart]

jager61, that's a beauty! Curious what you come up with the spot theory...

[jager61]

After looking through a bunch of pics the only significant variation I noticed in spot patterns on the Browns were the ones that had minimal spotting overall but the spots were larger in general. Also, all of them were females! Ive been keeping a record of all the Browns I've caught since April 2012 and out of 311 fish, only 4 of them had the LLS appearance! And all from Pepacton. Perhaps a strain variation?
MK

[RIVERRAT2]

some great LOOKING fish,nice photos,thanks for sharing
 
RAT

[taxid]

I never gave that any consideration until you just brought it up! Will look through my old pics! Wonder why?

MK

Some variations between sexes in fish species. Not unusual. All my fish that were packed with eggs looked like the females in your pictures. Allegedly according to a text I have the anal fin is different between a male and female brown trout and can be easily seen when they are only a few inches long. Trouble is I keep forgetting to look and verify this.

The strain I reared was the Plymouth Rock strain. Any idea what strain or strains NY plants in the reservoirs? I know NY was the first to bring in the seeforellen strain that is endemic to some large lakes in Bavaria, Germany not to be confused with the meerforrelen. However last I heard NY no longer has the strain due to disease issues.

The thing to remember is the see in seeforellen actually refers to lakes while the meer in meerforrlen refers to sea run brown trout. Can be confusing.

As you all probably know brown trout are closely related to atlantic and landlocked varieties, hence their similar appearance. All native trout and char in  North America are not. Actually rainbows and other trout native to western North America are now considering salmon by taxonomists, and have had their genus name changed from Salmo to Oncorhynchus. And of course lake trout, brook trout, bull trout, dolly varden etc. are actually chars.

I'm sure you all knew this but just in case someone doesn't...

[taxid]

some great LOOKING fish,nice photos,thanks for sharing
 
RAT

X2!

I'll bet those fish are really cool looking in the fall!

[zwiggles]

The ones with very few spots like a LLS look like they are of the "Loch Leven" strain.

[RIVERRAT2]

The ones with very few spots like a LLS look like they are of the "Loch Leven" strain.

---  E.C.O. told me the biggest difference between a brown and a L.L.S some TIMES is the fine
 
RAT

[jager61]

---  E.C.O. told me the biggest difference between a brown and a L.L.S some TIMES is the fine
 
RAT

Haha, that's funny! 😆

[lowaccord66]

Upper lip extends past the eye and spots on the adipose = browns.

[zwiggles]

Upper lip extends past the eye and spots on the adipose = browns.

Aren't the teeth the only way to tell for sure? Browns have an extra row of vomerine teeth which salmon do not. Although your rule with the mouth/eye location is right most of the time there are exceptions which require verification via the teeth. At least that's what I believe to be true.