OCR Text |
Show Brown Trout Esteemed By Many Utah Anglers Salmo trutta Linnaeus by Jim Smedley Record Staff The brown trout, considered consider-ed by many anglers to be the wiliest of the salmonidaes, is held in high esteem because of its trophy size and excellence as table fare. Ii is generally considered the most difficult trout to hook because the bait m ust be presented in the most natural way and yet it has been hooked by the lucky angler who happens to plop his bait in the right place. The Utah record, which is also a world record for brownies, 33-pounds, 10-ounces, 10-ounces, set in 1977 at Flaming Gorge by Robert Bringhurst. Although larger browns have been taken, a 39.5-pounder in Scotland in 1866 and a 37.75 pounder from the lower impoundment of the Logan River in 1937, they were not taken on hook and line and do not count towards the record. The Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) stocked 164.000 browns in Utah waters this past season according to Glenn Davis, DWR program coordinator for fish management. Davis said the planting was done mostly in streams and in the past several years the DWR used to put the extra browns in Starvation Reser voir because of the 'rough fish' problem there. The brown can be very predacious preda-cious depending on the food circumstances of their environment envi-ronment and the stocking in Starvation was done to control the Utah chub and sucker populations abundant there. However this year Davis said the DWR moved away from planting browns in Starvation and went with the walleye which would also help curb the rough fish problem. The DWR likes the brown because it adapts easily to the conditions of new habitats. habi-tats. Although they prefer cool lakes and streams they are present in many lower elevation waters which are sometimes quite warm and sometimes even polluted. During mid-day they take to keep pools or go for the cover of undercut banks and deep snags or large rocks. In the morning and evening tncy move to the shallower water to feed. Food Habits The smaller browns, less than two pounds, feed on mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies. They will also go for aquatic earthworms, crayfish and freshwater clams. The larger brown trout readily feed on game and non-game fish. The higher proportion of game-fish game-fish present in their habitat the more gamefish the brown will eat. The brown is readily mature recognizable because of its overall yellowish-brown coloring. col-oring. It has a back of olive to greenish-brown and the lower low-er portions are often yellow fading beneath to grey or white. Yellow coloring is more likely to be found in mature fish especially the male during breeding season. sea-son. Somewhat large dark spots appear on the back and sides but are not developed on the caudal fin. Reddish spots appear profusely over the upper part of the body and have pale borders. Often the front edge of the pelvic fins and anal fin have a margin of yellow. In young browns the adipose adi-pose fin is orange without ua'l spots or margins and the tail fin is square, not toiked. The Brown is a fall spawner and in Utah will come in to shore on lakes or head for the gravel in streams to deposit their eggs in November to December. Females swarm from 200 to 6.000 eggs which hatch in 48 to 52 days in a constant water temperature of 51 degrees F. Some brown trout mature when they are two years-old but most mature at three to four years. Usually the bigger and older the fish the more eggs i' produces. |