Beautiful brook trout mount out of one of my ponds

[taxid]

Mickey Bowman of Oklahoma got a first place in the coldwater division of the National Taxidermy Association competition in Salt Lake City recently with a brook trout he purchased from me. I'm sure you can agree he did a beautiful job.

This fish was swimming around in my trout pond a couple of years ago.

For those of you that don't know, I'm a fish taxidermist that also raises several species of fish to trophy size in my ponds and tanks, and sells them whole frozen to taxidermists for competitions, their showrooms, replica fish, and schools. I've shipped fish as far away as Hawaii.



IIRR this fish was in the 5 lb. range and only 3 years old. I should have 2 year old fish this big this time around by hatching my own in the basement, and setting the temp at ideal growth rate in the tank. This gives them them a head start by the time they go into the outdoor pond. Presently they are growing up to 1.5 inches per month in the pond. Some may be 15 inches by fall and not even a year old yet.

This even surprises me as previously I purchased then as 1 year olds at 6 to 8 inches.

[Fish Farmer]

Nice mount and awesome growth rates.

Our Rome strain brookies usually grow a half inch at month at 47 degrees.

[taxid]

Nice mount and awesome growth rates.

Our Rome strain brookies usually grow a half inch at month at 47 degrees.

Wow that's cold water! I'm sure if the water temp was in the upper 50's like mine, they would grow faster? But then fast growth isn't always wanted or needed. I believe my fast growing fish don't have the life spans of slower growing fish. With my last group of male brooks of 5 to 6 pounds (had six over 6 pounds), they started croaking at spawning time at 3 years of age. Not all of course, but wasn't sure if I should take the chance of keeping some another year so I harvested them all.

On really hot days in the middle to upper 90's air temps, the water temps in the pond can reach 62 F. from top to bottom, but usually it's in the upper 50's in the summer. My well water coming into the pond @ 45 gpm is 51.6 F. I mix the water column 24/7 with a diffuser so temp is the same from top to bottom and there is no anoxic layer. Pond is about 100,000 gallons and 55 by 89 feet. Max depth 11 or 12 feet in the center. Very steep sides to keep the water temps down.


The above fish was a Lake Nipigon X Eastern Brook Trout strain from Michigan. The strain of brook trout I have now are some eastern brook trout from NY orignially but not sure which. Could be Rome strain? Got the recent eggs from this hatchery in Utah:

https://coldspringstroutfarm.com/activities/live-trout-egg-sales/

(Just noticed the site seems to be having problems with pictures.)

 

[TightLinesMaine]

That is a very fine brook trout mount

I've read somewhere ideal temperature for brook trout growth is around 55*F

[taxid]

That is a very fine brook trout mount

I've read somewhere ideal temperature for brook trout growth is around 55*F

I've seen that too but OTOH I've see all kinds of temperatures listed. Only common thread is brookies seem to grow better at colder water than the browns and rainbows. Be wary of those that say trout, especially brown trout can do O.K. in water into the lower 70's or above. I don't buy it. I would be concerned if my pond temps climbed into the upper 60's. Trout start stressing and suffering from ubiquitous pathogens when the water gets too warm long before they die. Vigorous aeration helps but has it's limits.

[Fish Farmer]

Wow that's cold water! I'm sure if the water temp was in the upper 50's like mine, they would grow faster? But then fast growth isn't always wanted or needed. I believe my fast growing fish don't have the life spans of slower growing fish. With my last group of male brooks of 5 to 6 pounds (had six over 6 pounds), they started croaking at spawning time at 3 years of age. Not all of course, but wasn't sure if I should take the chance of keeping some another year so I harvested them all.

On really hot days in the middle to upper 90's air temps, the water temps in the pond can reach 62 F. from top to bottom, but usually it's in the upper 50's in the summer. My well water coming into the pond @ 45 gpm is 51.6 F. I mix the water column 24/7 with a diffuser so temp is the same from top to bottom and there is no anoxic layer. Pond is about 100,000 gallons and 55 by 89 feet. Max depth 11 or 12 feet in the center. Very steep sides to keep the water temps down.


The above fish was a Lake Nipigon X Eastern Brook Trout strain from Michigan. The strain of brook trout I have now are some eastern brook trout from NY orignially but not sure which. Could be Rome strain? Got the recent eggs from this hatchery in Utah:

https://coldspringstroutfarm.com/activities/live-trout-egg-sales/

(Just noticed the site seems to be having problems with pictures.)

 

There are a couple of less domestic strains of brookie in NY that they use as well as a lot of different browns. Rome Hatchery is currently playing with a back crossed Rome brown with a feral(wild) Orisakany River brown. They are calling them "Romiskanys".

Our Rome brookies don't last long in the hatchery and it seems the wild as well. I never hear of many huge holdover brookies in Vermont. Our male brookies are done by the third year, either fungus, parasites or kidney failure takes them out. The females can last to the spring to be stocked out.

The 47 degree well water can be a blessing or a curse, we are one of the few who can raise lake trout broodstock and incubate eggs at those cool temps. We've loaded up federal hatcheries in Vermont and Pennsylvania with our laker eggs destined for the Great Lakes restoration programs.

[taxid]

There are a couple of less domestic strains of brookie in NY that they use as well as a lot of different browns. Rome Hatchery is currently playing with a back crossed Rome brown with a feral(wild) Orisakany River brown. They are calling them "Romiskanys".

Our Rome brookies don't last long in the hatchery and it seems the wild as well. I never hear of many huge holdover brookies in Vermont. Our male brookies are done by the third year, either fungus, parasites or kidney failure takes them out. The females can last to the spring to be stocked out.

The 47 degree well water can be a blessing or a curse, we are one of the few who can raise lake trout broodstock and incubate eggs at those cool temps. We've loaded up federal hatcheries in Vermont and Pennsylvania with our laker eggs destined for the Great Lakes restoration programs.

Sounds about right for the brookie life spans. Apparently they just don't live that long except for the Canadian strains that mature later. I'm just wondering if I get my present brook trout to 4 or 5 pounds in 2 years if they will make it another year and get even bigger. Could be the exceptionally fast growth may burn them out at 2 years.

I've heard that most hatcheries with brook trout test positive for IPN but the fish seem to tolerate it? Do you think that's true?

OTOH I've had my brown trout live for 6 years to 12 pounds and they appear to have been able to live even longer. I've had some reach 7 lbs. in three years.

Here's a brown out of the pond that also won a first place at the national level by a taxidermist in PA. (Frank Kotula of Wilks Barre.)  This was a few years back.



Do you do any rearing of trout in earthen ponds? If so how do you gauge maximum carrying capacity? I was using 11 pounds per gpm of flow in the past, but another trout farmer told me they go up to 16  lbs. per gpm of well water inflow.

[Fish Farmer]

We raise in raceways, but do have one settling pond, never put much in there anymore since the osprey train their young on the pond. We would loose about 1,000  2 yr rainbows over a summer, so we only put a few in there for the visitors to feed.

When we dumped our 4+ yr browns in the pond they would last for a few years. I believe some were approaching 15 lbs.

I think maturity plays a big part, since our males die much sooner than the females. We lighthouse our broodstock, so we are collecting eggs from brookies right now. They will be 1 year next summer, the males could be mature next fall. We spawn them in the fall the following year(2 yr+) and then spawn them again the following summer at 3 years. So the males have three spawn cycles on them and the females only 2.

We haven't had an IPN positive test here since the 70's. We only test positive for bacterial furunculosis and that is usually on a couple of samples. We haven't had major outbreaks of furunculosis since we got rid of the OWHI strain of brook trout about 20 years ago.

[lowaccord66]

Cool stuff guys. The brookie looks awesome!

[taxid]

interesting reading. amazing how they grow like that.  are you guys feeding them protein shake dough balls or something.  lol  very cool jobs you guys have.

We feed them commercial trout pellets which have the required nutrients, vitamins, protein etc. It's amazing how fast and large trout can grow if they get what they need.

I know I sound like a broken record but if only the Oliver Lake chain here in Indiana had a coldwater forage. Zooplankton and invertebrates can only get a trout so far.

[lowaccord66]

Ive ready 70 percent of a wild trouts diet is forage fish!

[taxid]

Ive ready 70 percent of a wild trouts diet is forage fish!

Trout over 15 inches from what I've read. And of course browns are the most piscivorous.

[taxid]

We raise in raceways, but do have one settling pond, never put much in there anymore since the osprey train their young on the pond. We would loose about 1,000  2 yr rainbows over a summer, so we only put a few in there for the visitors to feed.

Lines run over the pond from stakes would not have been effective?

When we dumped our 4+ yr browns in the pond they would last for a few years. I believe some were approaching 15 lbs.

Amazing what a different fish brown trout are vs. bows and brooks. They seem to have a much longer lifespan and get huge. Here's a freaky 12 lb. fish I caught on a kastmaster spoon in the pond. That's my neighbor that got off his lawnmower and manned the landing net.

I think maturity plays a big part, since our males die much sooner than the females. We lighthouse our broodstock, so we are collecting eggs from brookies right now. They will be 1 year next summer, the males could be mature next fall. We spawn them in the fall the following year(2 yr+) and then spawn them again the following summer at 3 years. So the males have three spawn cycles on them and the females only 2.

Makes sense. I'm impressed that you do photoperiod manipulation. Not many trout famers do, or do they?

We haven't had an IPN positive test here since the 70's. We only test positive for bacterial furunculosis and that is usually on a couple of samples. We haven't had major outbreaks of furunculosis since we got rid of the OWHI strain of brook trout about 20 years ago.

Furunculosis seems pretty common I guess. I've had some brooks die (very very few) for no apparent reason especially around spawning time. (But they were 3 year old fish) No clinical signs of disease on the outside, so wonder if it may have been furunculosis. This pig between 5 and 6 pounds at 20 inches was having trouble at spawning time and I scooped him up. Could have been a fatty liver too. Getting away from the Purina Mills Aquamax as I can feed half as much as directed and still have obese fish. Picking up 6 bags of Zieglers brood stock astaxanthin enhanced feed today a couple of hours away in Anne, Ohio.

[Gatorliberator]

Wow! Now that thing is a dang freaky looking football! Very interesting topic and reading fellas, thanks for sharing.

[taxid]

To be clear the older male brook trout get those high backs at spawning time even in the wild if food is abundant. Here's one I found on the Internet that was caught in Patagonia. I hear remote Patagonia has some monster trout of several species. Pretty much a wilderness from what I hear.