Salomone: What is a tiger trout?
The offspring of a female brown trout crossed with a male brook trout is a rare trophy worth landing
Michael Salomone/Courtesy photo
The pattern was unrecognizable. The markings seemed irrational. A quick search for the familiar scarlett spots haloed in blue were nonexistent. The fish smashed a small streamer and fought with the tenacity of a much larger foe. Once the formidable opponent rested safely within the confines of a rubber basket, it was then that the anglers could study the fish with affection and awe.
Broken vermiculations melted down the sides of the fish. White-tipped fins flared out from the body like paper airplane wings. The lack of any definable spots puzzled the anglers as they tried to identify the beast in the net. From the back of the boat a voice offered one answer: “That’s a tiger trout.”
Tiger trout are the offspring of a female brown trout crossed with a male brook trout. The two species are fall spawners, so natural crossbreeding can occur, but rarely. Both species are very different and yet, hybridization happens. But, the conditions necessary for eggs to successfully develop into a viable fry rarely occur in the wild.
However, environmental conditions can be altered to enhance the development of the tiger trout. Heat can be applied in the hatchery to increase the survival rate of fertilized eggs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has created a higher success rate for hybrid egg development in their hatcheries. The resulting product is a sterile trout.
Tiger trout lean toward the brown trout’s ferocious demeanor, but are overly aggressive in comparison. These fish grow to maturity very quickly. Once adults, they become highly piscivorous, feeding mainly on other small fish. Their aggressive nature, feeding habits and inability to reproduce makes them frequent tools for controlling other species.
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Tiger trout stand securely as the highly prized unicorn of the trout world. Catching one is akin to scratching off a winning lottery ticket. But the odds can be increased when anglers ply the specific waters stocked by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Locating populations of tiger trout is easily accomplished through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website, CPW.State.CO.US, which includes stocking information and a list of specific waters where CPW-placed tiger trout can be found.
Any tiger is a trophy. The rarity of encountering and landing a tiger trout with a fly rod and reel elevates any example, no matter what size, in terms of fly-fishing accomplishments. Anglers targeting specific impoundments or reservoirs increase their odds of connecting with the highly coveted fish.
For opportunities close to Vail, Colorado Parks and Wildlife lists tiger trout as a stocked species in Sylvan Lake State Park south of Eagle. A beautiful impoundment nestled in red cliffs and fringed by mature pines, Sylvan Lake is perfect for winter fishing where a tiger trout could be pulled up through the ice.
The Colorado state record is a monster that was caught from a reservoir in Grand Mesa in 2017. A true trophy of a fish that weighed in at 5.3 pounds and measured just shy of 24 inches. The growth potential — paired with a significant food source — makes me think one of these Frankenstein-like monsters will surpass the existing record any day.
The state record for brook trout is 8 pounds, 9 ounces and the brown trout record sits with a fish that tipped the scales at over 30 pounds. Given the large size of the parental fish that spawn tiger trout, it is only a matter of time before a lucky angler tackles a new state record.
Anglers who desire a tiger trout tempt them primarily with streamers. Capitalizing on the fish’s feeding habits reinforces the use of large, articulated patterns that swim through the water. By altering the retrieve anglers present the illusion of weakness or injury. Tiger trout will take notice.
Small streamers work wonders, too, depending on the time of year. Spring and summer are the times when little streamer flies dart and sink with the look of a juvenile rainbow trout or a short, broad-headed sculpin. Black, olive or purple and black hold a silhouette in the depths that mimic the common forage food. Single hook buggers become bite-sized appetizers for ravenous tiger trout in still waters or rivers.
Tiger trout willingly take large streamer flies. Fly anglers hold high regard for the tenacity of tiger trout. Casting flies in waters where tiger trout are stocked increases the chance of landing a personal trophy.
