Trout pic. Bull or Brookie

I'm almost 100% sure this is a fat stream brookie, but I didn't think this stream had brookies. Browns and bulls I thought. This was my first fish from elk creek. Caught late August 2012 on a parasol emerger.

Can anybody confirm there is Brook trout in the creek?

[BeeGuy]

Bull Trout (S.confluentus)

[Flyfisher87]

Bull trout. No brookies in that creek at all.

No black put it back, 100% bull trout. Your picture clearly shows the dorsal fin is free of vermiculations.

[trooper]

Originally Posted by Flyfisher87

Bull trout. No brookies in that creek at all.

Yep a bull! No black, throw it back!

The stream is catch and release. As most are in the areas I fish.


He had a very square tail, like S. fontinalis. Yes the dorsal fin had no blakc spots like a brookie would have.


Thanks for the confirmation on bull trout, and not brook.

[Steve fly guy]

MMMmmmmmyup Bully, didn"t even have to look!

Originally Posted by Steve fly guy

MMMmmmmmyup Bully, didn"t even have to look!

I wish I didn't have to look to see things.

Just tried looking without looking. Doesn't work.

But thanks

Bull trout typically have a fork in the tail, right?

Do they interbreed with brook trout?

[Flyfisher87]

They do cross breed with brookies. I just can't think of the name off the top of my head, if there is one.

Originally Posted by Flyfisher87

They do cross breed with brookies. I just can't think of the name off the top of my head, if there is one.

Thanks


Sorry about all the questions. I'm new to bull trout and cutthroat trout.

Not too many of them back east.

[kritofr]

Originally Posted by Got2fish

Bull trout typically have a fork in the tail, right?

Do they interbreed with brook trout?

Bull trout have a square tail; Lake trout have the deep fork in the tail.

Not sure about the interbreeding with Brookies

Originally Posted by kritofr

Bull trout have a square tail; Lake trout have the deep fork in the tail.

Not sure about the interbreeding with Brookies

So what would you say this is, based on the tail?

A forked tail bull, thinking he's a laker?

[flyguyd]

Originally Posted by Got2fish

A forked tail bull, thinking he's a laker?

Na ,looks all bully to me

[TheLegend]

looks like a bull

[kritofr]

Originally Posted by Got2fish

So what would you say this is, based on the tail?

Bull trout

[fishpro]

Originally Posted by Got2fish

The stream is catch and release. As most are in the areas I fish.


He had a very square tail, like S. fontinalis. Yes the dorsal fin had no blakc spots like a brookie would have.


Thanks for the confirmation on bull trout, and not brook.

Don't worry about everyone saying to put it back, it wasn't them questioning if you did or not. The provincial motto for bull trout it "No black, put it back".

[FriendlyGiant]

Another way to tell is the white leading edge on the lower fins, that combined with the lack of black spots makes for an easy I.D. on bulls.

Originally Posted by FriendlyGiant

Another way to tell is the white leading edge on the lower fins, that combined with the lack of black spots makes for an easy I.D. on bulls.

White leading edges....like on a brookie?

Anyways thanks for the clarification on the first bull pic. Second one was from the Cline, and yes I knew that one was a bull. But the square tail on the first pic through me off.

Just to continue on the hybrids. If one were to catch a brookie/bull hybrid.....would it be considered a bull or a brookie when it comes to regs?


Just so people can sleep better tonight. I don't keep any wild fish. Just to odd brookie or bow from the put and take trout ponds. Like others, I do enjoy the odd stocked trout bonking.


Again thanks everybody. These were my first bulls ever. Nothing huge... But that will come.

[1/2 oz Bucktail]

Avoid using the tail for identification with the exception of a deeply forked tail. The best indicators are the vermiculations on the dorsal fin and overall head and body morphology. Once you get your hands on more fish you will notice the differences in head shapes and sizes. You will also get to the point where a bull is a bull and you will wonder how bulls and brookies ever get confused because they are such different fish.

[Jayhad]

Has anyone on here caught a brull trout (brookXbull)? I know it's possible, but it has to be pretty rare i would think.

[FriendlyGiant]

Originally Posted by Got2fish

White leading edges....like on a brookie?

Haha well I think any angler confusing a bull and a brook based on the lower fins alone has got way bigger problems than just fish identification!




I guess what I should have said is the white leading edge allows you to identify a bull over a brown trout, as those two are more likely to be confused than a bull and a brookie.

Some lakers and bulls could be confused as well based on markings. In that case a good indicator would be the deep forked tail on the laker, or as Bucktail mentioned head size and shape.

[npauls]

Originally Posted by FriendlyGiant

Haha well I think any angler confusing a bull and a brook based on the lower fins alone has got way bigger problems than just fish identification!




I guess what I should have said is the white leading edge allows you to identify a bull over a brown trout, as those two are more likely to be confused than a bull and a brookie.

Some lakers and bulls could be confused as well based on markings. In that case a good indicator would be the deep forked tail on the laker, or as Bucktail mentioned head size and shape.

There is a picture on the forum somewhere of a big bully that most anglers would think it was a brookie. It had all the same colorings of a brookie except the black spots. Some of the anglers on the forum did some investigating and research and figured out it was a bull trout in spawning colors.

Best indicator on which species it is would be the "no black, put it back".

[Flyrod1970]

There is a picture on the forum somewhere of a big bully that most anglers would think it was a brookie. It had all the same colorings of a brookie except the black spots. Some of the anglers on the forum did some investigating and research and figured out it was a bull trout in spawning colors.

I would be interested in seeing that pic. Of all the different species of fish I've caught, a brookie is probably the easiest to identify.

[Heavy K]

I've got a brook/bull hybrid before. But only once that I can be certain. The provincial fish biologists recommend NOT keeping hybrids. Apparently the dorsal fin vermiculations which are slightly different on the hybrids (light vermiculations on a dark background vs the dark vermiculations on a light background) are prone to fading once the fish are out of the water. You could potentially find yourself in a lot of trouble if you're stopped by F & W later in the day.

HK

[Heavy K]

Originally Posted by Got2fish

So what would you say this is, based on the tail?

You wouldn't make any conclusion based on it's tail. The fact that there are no black markings on the dorsal fin indicates that it's a Bull trout. There's a reason that tail shape, coloration, and white on the leading edge of fins are not used as distinguishing characteristics for the identification of trout and char. They are not specific to one species, ie white leading edges on fins can be found on Brown Trout, as mentioned above, and a forked tail, as seen in this picture, is present on a Bull.

HK

So what would you guys call this? No vermiculations, white leading edge....

[Bhflyfisher]

Originally Posted by Got2fish

So what would you guys call this? No vermiculations, white leading edge....

I still see more brookie then bull in that picture. In fact i dont see any bull at all...

[1/2 oz Bucktail]

Yeah, the bottom pic of fish partly in water is a brookie.

You wouldn't belive the number of guys in this area that use poor id skills as a justification for poaching. I have had poachers tell me that a 28" fish on shore was a brook. Really, can they even get that big? Would have to be a pretty fat brookie to hit 28" length.

Go out and catch a pile of the various char species and you will soon understand the differences between, with the exception of possibly dolly/bull and dolly/arctic char.