Rainbows spawning in potholes?

[Mat]

Up until the other day i was under the impression the rainbows could not spawn in bodies without moving water. I was fishing muir the other day and we caught a few lunkers that did not have the right pectoral fin clipped. I thought that the stockers get their fin clipped and thats how you could determine whether or not they were a stocker. I am not still completely convinced and this theory has not much research behind it but i would like to hear a few other theorys and maybe solve this mystery.

[Trey]

i thought it was the adipose fin that was clipped. i know the do that on salmon that are hatchery fish

[Sundancefisher]

Up until the other day i was under the impression the rainbows could not spawn in bodies without moving water. I was fishing muir the other day and we caught a few lunkers that did not have the right pectoral fin clipped. I thought that the stockers get their fin clipped and thats how you could determine whether or not they were a stocker. I am not still completely convinced and this theory has not much research behind it but i would like to hear a few other theorys and maybe solve this mystery.

Rainbows can not spawn without flowing water. Most stocked fish don't come fin clipped unless they are doing some study. That costs money to clip fins with no value... They clip salmon so that they can protect wild salmon over stocked salmon. They don't protect any rainbows in Muir.

Brook trout can spawn in a clean gravel lake bottom if there is a Spring. Cutts and Bulls and Browns need flowing water. Lakers can spawn in clean shoreline rocks.

Often people mistake minnows for baby trout. What you have seen...is just a stocked rainbow.

[DuckBrat]

Rainbows can not spawn without flowing water. Most stocked fish don't come fin clipped unless they are doing some study. That costs money to clip fins with no value... They clip salmon so that they can protect wild salmon over stocked salmon. They don't protect any rainbows in Muir.

Brook trout can spawn in a clean gravel lake bottom if there is a Spring. Cutts and Bulls and Browns need flowing water. Lakers can spawn in clean shoreline rocks.

Often people mistake minnows for baby trout. What you have seen...is just a stocked rainbow.

All true, good info, however you will find stocked trout going through the spawning motions in the spring and fall depending on the species of course.

[Braun]

Great info. nice work sundance.

Seeing as i was going to make a thread for trout info to ask a few questions i midas well use this one. just a bunch of general questions. I could research it all myself but i doubt that all the info would be in one place and im sure it would be interesting to others as well:

What type of year do rainbows(or any trout) typically spawn? and does every female spawn every year? does it take a full year to develop their eggs? ( im asking this question cause i caught a little rainbow today and went to clean it and it seemed like it had a string of eggs beginning to form. definitely not anywhere close to ripe but it struck my curiosity.) At weight age do rainbows/ browns typically start spawning? approximately what size will they be at that age? What is the easiest way to tell sex of fish without the obvious(cutting them open)?

[AxeMan]

All true, good info, however you will find stocked trout going through the spawning motions in the spring and fall depending on the species of course.

Yes, they sure do go through the spawning motions in the spring. Here is a pic of a stocked rainbow doing the spawning ritual that I took in the spring at the stocked pond that I contribute to.

[Sundancefisher]

All true, good info, however you will find stocked trout going through the spawning motions in the spring and fall depending on the species of course.

Actually some like rainbows can go through the motions both Spring and Fall. As this is brought on by photo period...many hatcheries actually like Fall spawning rainbows. I have caught Fall spawning rainbows in the Crow after the hatchery had a ill timed loss due to flooding if I recall.

But even for triploids... Males often still go through the motions versus females that don't./

[Sundancefisher]

[QUOTE=Braun;620281]Great info. nice work sundance.

Seeing as i was going to make a thread for trout info to ask a few questions i midas well use this one. just a bunch of general questions. I could research it all myself but i doubt that all the info would be in one place and im sure it would be interesting to others as well: Researching it may add additional information to your question that others may miss. Worth doing a web search...

What type of year do rainbows(or any trout) typically spawn? charr spawn in the Fall and trout spawn in the Spring. Trout are Cutts and Rainbows... Char are brookies and bulls, dollies and arctic char. Lakers spawn in the Spring and does every female spawn every year? In bulls I studied often they don't spawn every Spring. Other species like rainbows and cutts probably but may depend upon the food resources etc. does it take a full year to develop their eggs? ( im asking this question cause i caught a little rainbow today and went to clean it and it seemed like it had a string of eggs beginning to form. definitely not anywhere close to ripe but it struck my curiosity.) Yes...females once mature develop eggs over the year. An immature fish may have the gonads...but not ripening yet. At weight age do rainbows/ browns typically start spawning? Not a weight...it is an age...can't remember off hand...what those ages are. Internet would tell you but there is a range based upon location and food and genetics. approximately what size will they be at that age? [COLOR="Red"]Many variables determine size such as growing conditions, fishing pressure, temperature, food availability, genetics etc. What is the easiest way to tell sex of fish without the obvious(cutting them open)? Outside of spawning time...too hard for you to tell accurately.

[Braun]

you rock sundance. i said weight instead of what(typo). you classified trout and char.... am i to assume browns fall under trout? all this info is prime for the fish profiles i am slowly making over time...... problem is im making them very slowly and lately instead of working on profiles if been fishing.

[Sundancefisher]

you rock sundance. i said weight instead of what(typo). you classified trout and char.... am i to assume browns fall under trout? all this info is prime for the fish profiles i am slowly making over time...... problem is im making them very slowly and lately instead of working on profiles if been fishing.

Browns are from Europe...can't remember if they are different than that...

[Alexey]

Browns are Trout (Salmo trutta) but spawn here in Fall if remember correctly

[Sundancefisher]

Browns are Trout (Salmo trutta) but spawn here in Fall if remember correctly

Correct. Just wondering if there was another term for them generically. They are trout but a different genus and they are all introduced from Europe. They are not true native trout and as such don't spawn in the Spring but rather in the Fall. The biggest redd I ever saw was the size of a volkswagon bettle by the Calgary Zoo. I have done many redd counts and they are by far the easiest to spot due to their often large size.

[Braun]

Redd?

[Sundancefisher]

Redd?

http://www.thestyx.org.nz/content/images/173/640x640normal/trout_redds.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/4029721201_9c8203c3e8_o.jpg

[Mat]

all very good info, thanks everyone. I didnt think they could spawn in still water and i had an arguement with a friend so i will show him this and hopefully we can clear things up.

[jono88]

hmm not to sure about this matt sounds a little fishy to me:thinking-006:

[jono88]

so if these fish are capable of going through the spawning actions what is it about moving water that is so imperative to the success of the spawn and with out it it is not successful. In my opinion it still seems that there is a small chance that Rainbows can spawn as long as they are not a triploid but a fish that is capable of natural reproduction. They go through the motions so there must be sperm and eggs present what's the missing factor? Any one know? because i have not really read anything in this thread that explains why they don't successfully spawn without flowing water. It kinda sounds like hear say a bit. Everything said here is great info but it doesn't fully answer the question. My bottom line is that if you have the sperm from a rainbow trout and the egg from a rainbow trout why does this not create off spring.

j

[Braun]

well, i am sure sundance will post for you some of the details but i'm sure it has to do with the nature of the fish. there are certain requirements that are needed for a species of fish to spawn and it varies for each fish. Throw one thing off balance and it can alter things drastically. Take a look at sturgeon for example. they typically (before dams) lived in the ocean and came up into lakes and rivers to spawn. dams were built, now sturgeon are trapped in some of our lakes and rivers and for the most part have alot of difficulty spawning naturally at all. they clearly can eat to survive and are in their native spawning grounds but cannot naturally self sustain their own population.

although the case of the sturgeon is probably completely unrelated to why bows and browns cant reproduce in a standing lake, but i would assume it would have to do with it just not being an adequate environment for that particular breed of fish to spawn.

[jono88]

Keep in mind i am not making the argument that rainbows spawning without moving water is a common but that it is not impossible.

[TUFFBUFF]

I think it has something to do with silt snuffing out the trout eggs and they don't hatch, moving water keeps em clean, moving water generally has more dissolved oxygen too
Most pothole lakes have a dirt bottom, they need fine gravel, you will see rainbows in these lakes in the spring at gravel boat launches in a foot of water doing their thing, seen it couple times.

Maybe some pothole trout spawn but the percentage of sucessful hatching would be near 0.

[thunderjet]

Sundance

Very good post, in your reply to Braun, you stated that Lakers spawn in the spring? I have fished Lake Athabasca and Peerless several times in the fall when they are in shallow assuming it was spawn or post spawn. Do northern lakers spawn at different times than lets say lake trout in cental and southern regions such as Cold Lake?

[Sundancefisher]

Sundance

Very good post, in your reply to Braun, you stated that Lakers spawn in the spring? I have fished Lake Athabasca and Peerless several times in the fall when they are in shallow assuming it was spawn or post spawn. Do northern lakers spawn at different times than lets say lake trout in cental and southern regions such as Cold Lake?

Sorry... I was thinking one thing and wrote another. Lakers spawn in the Fall but are very active in the Spring. If I was to fish for lakers it would right after break up. They all spawn at the same time.

Thanks for noting my error.

Cheers

Sun

[Sundancefisher]

I think it has something to do with silt snuffing out the trout eggs and they don't hatch, moving water keeps em clean, moving water generally has more dissolved oxygen too
Most pothole lakes have a dirt bottom, they need fine gravel, you will see rainbows in these lakes in the spring at gravel boat launches in a foot of water doing their thing, seen it couple times.

Maybe some pothole trout spawn but the percentage of sucessful hatching would be near 0.

Rainbows need flowing water for the eggs to survive... even if the females dropped eggs and if a male fertilized them. As flow water never occurs in a pothole lake... spawning never happens in a pot hole lake...you are right TUFFBUFF... rainbow spawning in a pothole lake is impossible. There is no maybes in this instance.

While rainbows that want to spawn will bunch up...maybe try digging a redd...if even doubt many will drop eggs.

So in summary...rainbows need flowing water for oxygen...otherwise...they will not spawn successfully.

Cheers

Sun

[Pikebreath]

To a rainbow, a pothole lake is the equivalent of a birth control pill.

[Sundancefisher]

To a rainbow, a pothole lake is the equivalent of a birth control pill.

lol