Stocked Trout Behavior
Bumped into this post on stocked trout behavior over at a blog run by Jim Guida.
An interesting quote:
That is to say, hatchery fish behave differently than natural fish, in the wild (I’ll use the NOAA Fisheries terms for birth type: “wild” is born in the wild, “hatchery” is born in the hatchery, and “natural” is born in the wild of wild parents–hatchery ancestry is possible for all classes). Hatchery fish tend to school more, “hang out” higher in the water column, exert more energy pursuing food, and exert more energy while holding.
Considering the numbers of stocked trout most of us in this area fish for, it’s an important read. I know I’ll be considering this when I fish Oatka.
I haven’t met Jim, but it appears that he is a Gander Mountain pro (presumably in Buffalo).
