# Tiger trout



## flyrod444

This is my first post on the flyfishing forum. I've been flyfishing WNC for over 40 years and guiding for 27 years and this was a first for me today. Started off slow but improved as the day warmed up and caught over a dozen nice trout. What made this mornings fishing trip special was catching the first tiger trout of my life. It was also one of the largest fish of the mornings trip. It was in the neighborhood of 14" which makes it very large for a wild tiger trout in this area. I took the pictures with my phone standing in water up to my chest. I was in a long deep slick that had no where to get on land to do a better picture. I hope that I catch it again some day.
Jack


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## GONoob

Wow, gorgeous!


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## TroutManJoe

GREAT FISH!!! Thought they only existed like that in my dreams. A fish of a lifetime for sure... replica is in order!


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## River Rambler

Amazing fish. Especially with the size. 
Lifetime trophy for sure.


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## suuntov

Totally awesome....!!   WNC = West North Carolina? 
What a pretty fish.


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## flyrod444

Thanks everyone, it really is something rare for me. I have fished most of the streams in my area and never saw one of these in person. WNC does stand for Western North Carolina. This fish was caught just a few miles from where this river runs into Georgia and South Carolina. Most should be able to identify the river from this description.
Thanks again,
Jack


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## fishndoc

flyrod444 said:


> This fish was caught just a few miles from where this river runs into Georgia and South Carolina. Most should be able to identify the river from this description.



Hmm...  sounds like NoTellUm Creek.  

Wonder if the Ga or SC (or NC) hatcheries have ever artificially produced these?  I've read that they can rarely occur in the wild where there is a very large Brookie population, but doubt that is the case where this one came from.


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## Resica

Nice Tiger!!    Thanks for sharing!


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## fredw

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocked some of those in the Chattahoochee River during the Delayed Harvest season last fall.  They created a bit of a stir.....some folks catching them and not knowing what they were.

Congrats on a fine fish!


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## flyrod444

"The Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocked some of those in the Chattahoochee River during the Delayed Harvest season last fall"

Fred, That must be where this one came from. Being that it was caught as far up the Chattahoochee in North Carolina as one can fish it had to travel around 20 miles of river to get there. Even if it was stocked truly a beautiful fish.
Jack


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## shakey gizzard

Cool!


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## fredw

flyrod444 said:


> "The Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocked some of those in the Chattahoochee River during the Delayed Harvest season last fall"
> 
> Fred, That must be where this one came from. Being that it was caught as far up the Chattahoochee in North Carolina as one can fish it had to travel around 20 miles of river to get there. Even if it was stocked truly a beautiful fish.
> Jack


 The one I referred to was below Morgan's Fall dam in the Atlanta area.  Sorry for the confusion.  I should have been clearer.


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## Nicodemus

That`s a purty fish, no doubt that.


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## Anvil Head

I believe you might be refering to a different river that starts with "Ch"......the 'Hooch's headwaters end well below the state line (most know that).
That is a truly nice fish. I've fished that same area many years (a few more than most, since the late '60s) but have only seen one like that. Figured it was a mutant brookie. One of those "ontogony recapitulating phylogony" things. Mostly focus on the big browns in the section below E's Rock.


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## jonleo

Nice Trout.  Agreed on the other Ch......... river.  Also, the hike from B....F...d is a turn off for many fisherman who choose to just fish from the bridge where they throw out the stocked trout.


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## flyrod444

Need to wear my glasses when reading even on my CPU I guess. I read delayed harvest and took it too be on the Chattooga River. I wonder if they stocked any in the delayed harvest on it as well.
Jack


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## TroutManJoe

Never heard of tigers being stocked... brookies... yes, but never tigers... I would make the run to Atlanta for a tiger!


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## Anvil Head

"Also, the hike from B....F...d is a turn off for many"
Maybe enough for the put/take crowd, but not enough for the day and overnight hikers that like to leave their trash all up and down the river. When I first started fishing there you litterally had to break rod, drop pack and drag to get through a lot of the trail above EF.
Now you can hold hands and carry the baby without having to even duck your head. Trout are still there, since most of the "trashers" have a hard time catching a cold. 
Still, can be entertaining at times...had a group of kids (6 or 7) step out on a rock and get naakt to try a little skin dippin...never saw me (but then few ever do). Wish I'd a brung my banjo.....


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## jigman29

Had a buddy that would tell of catching those when he was a youngun in transelvania county n.c.I had never heard of them before and until he brought pics. I thought he was a little nuts.We planned a trip for a few years to catch me one but I never made it.Wish I would have caught one for the photo album.


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## fishinbub

flyrod444 said:


> Need to wear my glasses when reading even on my CPU I guess. I read delayed harvest and took it too be on the Chattooga River. I wonder if they stocked any in the delayed harvest on it as well.
> Jack



The state of Georgia has never stocked any true tigers (which this fish is). They did stock some tiger-like browns int the Hooch DH, but they were not true tigers. To the best of my knowledge none of the states around here stock them (maybe NC does?), and I'm almost positive SC does not. I'm guessing this fish is wild, although I didn't know there were any brookies up there. Nice fish!


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## flyrod444

fishinbub, Thanks for the info. This leads me to think it is a wild trout. I know some people that care take for two of the Chattooga head water streams that are full of wild Brooke's, so the possibility is there for this to happen. I showed the picture to the retired US Forest Service law enforcement officer from this area and he had seen a few tiger trout caught from a neighboring river but not near this big. 
Thanks,
Jack


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## PastorRay

sweet fish


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