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Tiger Trout Of The Boulder Mountain
Tiger trout are found in many of the high elevation lakes and beaver ponds on southern Utah’s Boulder Mountain and the Aquarius Plateau. Initially stocked by the Utah Division Of Wildlife Resources [UDWR] into a few lakes and secluded beaver ponds here in the early 1990’s to provide diversity for anglers and as an experiment to control over population by brook trout. This has turned out to be very successful in both regards as these hybrids have shown a willingness to attack and eat other fish and have also become quite popular among anglers.
The tiger trout that are stocked by UDWR are a hybrid cross between Brown Trout [Salmo trutta] and Brook Trout [Salvelinus fontinalis]. These two species would not normally hybridize in the wild. Hybridization between these two species in the wild has occurred, but would be a very rare phenomenon as brown trout have 80 chromosomes and brook trout have 84 chromosomes. The Splake is a hybrid cross between the male Brook Trout [Salvelinus fontinalis] and the female Lake Trout [Salvelinus namaycush]. Both of these hybrids are sterile and as such are unable to reproduce naturally in the lakes of Boulder Mountain.
Splake show many of the same characteristics as the tiger trout when it comes to eating other fish. They are often stocked along with tiger trout in many of the lakes to help control brook trout populations.
The stocked tiger trout and splake have responded well to the high elevation, nutrient rich waters of Boulder Mountain and are showing dramatic growth rates. They are often easy to catch due to their aggressive behavior and are very good eating as well. They have become very popular with anglers and are now widely stocked over much of the Boulder Mountain and in many other natural lakes , reservoirs and beaver ponds throughout the state of Utah.
The tiger trout have assumed some of the physical characteristics of both the brook trout and the brown trout. The spot pattern of the brown trout is obvious near the head, with the vermiculated pattern of the brook trout increasing and becoming exaggerated towards the tail of the fish. The leading edge of the fins will usually show the white stripe common to both brown trout and especially brook trout. Color varies widely with males showing the most color and females being more drab.
Female tiger trout like the one shown above have a more subtle coloration, leaning more towards brown and tan with a bit of gold. There is quite a lot of color variation among female tiger trout as well. Some are darker brown with no gold showing, while others are lighter brown with prominent golden hues.
Males will become bright as fall approaches. They will turn very orange to red on their undersides, with much color present in the area of the fins and tail. As the male tiger trout mature, they develop a kype or hook on the lower mandible or jaw. This characteristic is also very noticeable in mature male brook trout and brown trout.
Many anglers will confuse splake with brook trout. They may think they are catching brook trout in one of their favorite lakes where they had previously caught them for years. When the brook trout have been removed and replaced with splake it is sometimes easy to confuse them since they look similar. Even if you are confused by the similar spot pattern, the tail is the dead giveaway.
Besides the difference in vermiculation and spot pattern, the most notable difference between them is that the brook trout has a prominent square tail above and the splake below definitely has a forked tail.
The tiger trout takes on some of the characteristics of both parent species. Both their coloration and body structure are influenced by the brown trout and also the brook trout. The tiger trout also has a noticeable fork in it's tail below.
Brown trout, lake trout and brook trout are fall spawners and the same is true of the splake and the tiger trout. They will congregate near rocky shoals and inlets as well as springs percolating from the bottom of lakes in the fall of the year through early winter. Their urge to spawn is just as strong even though they are in fact sterile.
Both browns and brookies will eat anything that swims, crawls, or flies into their domain. They will lurk beneath cover such as deep undercut banks, floating weed beds and logs along shorelines of small lakes and beaver ponds, waiting to ambush their prey. And so it is with the tiger trout. These aggressive hybrids will attack and swallow whole any frog, salamander, young fish or water snake that happens by. When they are not lying in wait, they will cruise the shorelines slurping caddisflies, emerging damselflies and mayflies. They are known to leap several feet out of the water at hovering dragonflies, which they are occasionally successful at catching. Dragonfly nymphs, damselfly nymphs and scuds also make up much of their normal diet. Examination of the stomach contents of a mature tiger trout has revealed it was feeding on a variety of invertebrates as well as brook trout young of the year and fingerlings up to four inches in length. They are also eager to feed upon the other species of trout that are stocked as fingerlings such as Bonneville cutthroat [Oncorhynchus clarkii utah], Colorado River cutthroat [Oncorhynchus clarkii plueriticus], splake and even recently stocked tiger trout fingerlings.
Observing tiger trout in the lakes of Boulder Mountain is not difficult. Considering the small size of most of the remote lakes and beaver ponds here it is not hard to spot them cruising or holding along shoreline cover. Casting to them can be tricky and sometimes very frustrating to the novice fly fisher. Shorelines on these high mountain lakes are often steep treacherous rock slides on at least one side and lined with dense stands of spruce and aspen everywhere else. Finding a clear area for a decent back cast is usually tough if not impossible. The caster must improvise and find a way to get the fly to the trout. Specialty casts such as the roll cast are necessary some of the time. The ability to lean out and false cast sideways when trout are down the shoreline to your left or right is a definite plus when there is nothing but steep rock slide and timber behind you. When these trout are holding tight to cover they will pounce on whatever they perceive as suitable prey, provided you have not spooked them with a bad cast. The particular fly that you choose for your first cast is not as important as your casting ability. Given the variety in their natural diet, there are many different patterns, both wet and dry, sinking or floating that are suitable. Whichever fly pattern you choose, if your fly is presented to them correctly in the first one or two attempts they are likely to take it. However, repeated rough casts will definitely put them down and no amount of casting thereafter will persuade them to bite. Tiger trout are known to be aggressive, but they are not dumb! Just like their parent species, the brown trout and the brook trout, the tiger trout can also be very selective feeders at certain times.
Watching these big trout cruise around very close to the surface slurping insects is exciting. That excitement turns to frustration eventually though if you are unable to identify just what it is they are feeding upon. A good knowledge of entomology will come in handy, especially if you have the correct match in your box. If you don’t have the correct match, pattern and size to what is currently hatching you could be in for a tough day. By the time you have realized this, at the end of several miles of the worst road you have ever seen, and still more miles of rough trail before you reach one of these remote lakes, it is too late to run down to the fly shop.
Always come prepared. Bring a good comprehensive collection of small dry flies and small bead heads. Streamers like weighted matuka muddlers that imitate small salamanders and leach patterns like buggers in black, olive, green and brown are a must have. Leaders are also very important. No matter what fly you choose, fluorocarbon tippets are usually the best to fool large wary tiger trout in the crystal clear waters of Boulder Mountain.
Finding these fish is not as difficult as fooling them. It can take many trips to Boulder Mountain to learn where these trout are and how to catch them with a fly rod. If you have the time and energy to go for it on your own, then good luck! If you would like to shorten the learning curve considerably, then perhaps a guided trip will work for you.
If you like this Tiger Trout Slide Show, You can download it from the Shopping Cart. This Slide Show is formatted to play on 3GP enabled cell phones, Blackberry and MP4 for iphones. The Slide Show will play on your mobile device with a smooth transitional effect. Amaze your friends with the fantastic Tiger Trout of the Boulder Mountain!
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