[Guest]

We have been seeing some different browns in Blue Mesa the past few years, I have been told they are a locklaven strain of browns. They are real silver with the typical browns spotting. There are also the normal yellow colored browns also. Anybody, cutthroat or clackaram familar with this strain of browns?

 

[Chief Nocatchum]

I have caught them out of 11 Mile and Antero when it was still full. I have a picture somewhere of a 22"+ one out of 11 Mile that Scubapig caught, When I get a chance I will try and scan it, I may be able to post it that way. They do look quite a bit different then the Germans, silver w/ brown and dark orange like spots.

 

[clackaram]

Bob,

I cannot say what/when the DOW has stocked into Blue Mesa over the years, but I would doubt that true Loch Leven(Scottish) or von Behr  (aka German Browns) would be present.  When the various strains of brown trout were stocked into the US starting in the late 1800's there could have been some dinstinction.  But their genetic lines have become so muddied over the years that anything in the US today is a "mutt" brown anymore.  

That being said however, the browns you are catching could be exhibiting a phenotypic or visiual characteristic of Loch Leven browns that is still expressed.  Silvery color is a recognized trait of Loch Leven browns, but this characteristic could also be caused by other dietary factors (i.e. eating too many hatchery reared rainbows).  Another characteristic that is exhibited by Loch Leven fish is a blueish dot about 5 mm (1/4") above the eye.  I have never noticed this in any browns I have caught in CO.

If you are interested in this subject there is book by James Prosek "Fly Fishing the 41st."  This is the only book of his I have enjoyed, but it is kind of a cool account of his travels around the world following the 41st parallel North fishing for trout, with some emphasis on Browns and their geographic historic range from Europe to the Stans in Central Asia.  I have travelled and fished in many of the areas in this book so maybe that is why it kept my ineterest.  

I hope this helps.

 

[1eyered]

Hey, Chief.... Would your impressive brown from Chatfield count as a different strain of brown trout? Just curious because it does look pretty off-colored compared to the smaller german browns I'm used to... Or do they just turn out like that after growing to that size?

Thanks,
1eyeReD

 

[jamiehughes]

i agree that they must be a different strain of browns as all the browns we catch at the delaneys look alot different. here are a couple of examples.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v714/jamiehughes/shanee4.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v714/jamiehughes/shanee3.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v714/jamiehughes/matt9.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket">

 

[Chief Nocatchum]

Great info. ClackaRam, the fish I caught at Chatfield looks to be a Lockleven Brown and I know they stocked some in Chatfield about 10 years ago, we caught them in the outlet, a lot of 8" browns that got sucked through from the lake. I dont think they stock Browns at all anymore. Late!

 

[Neal/CO]

I would think Chatfield would get natural recruitment from the Platte? I know Eric caught caught a couple of 5lb Browns there ice fishing two years ago.