# Tiger Trout



## Shadowcast

So I have been cruising through some of the threads on here and viewing social media pics from The Fly Shop Co and have decided the Tiger is the trout I think looks the coolest.  How does one catch one of these guys on fly?  Is it possible to catch a rainbow/brown/brook/tiger slam in one day?  Down here in FL we are big into our regional slams.  In Tampa we go for the snook/red/trout slam....with a splash of tarpon if you are really good.  I'm not looking for any locations as I do not have a clue.  The only streams I've ever fished are in GSMNP near The Sinks....with no luck....yet.  Thanks!!


----------



## jigman29

It depends on if you want  a wild tiger or stock. A wild is the holy grail of trophies in my opinion for this part of the country. They are beautiful but the most rare of all. I have fished my whole life and never caught one. I only know a couple guys that have. But I heard they are stocking some in Cherokee, but not sure if this is true or not. Maybe hillbilly can answer that one. As for the other three on that slam I ave done it with deerhuntingdawg but its not the easiest thing to do but can definitely be done.


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman

What makes the tiger so rare is that it's a hybrid between a brown and a brook/speck.  Therefore, it has to come from a stream that has a population of both, and there aren't very many streams in Georgia that meet that requirement.


----------



## Shadowcast

jigman29 said:


> A wild is the holy grail of trophies in my opinion for this part of the country. They are beautiful but the most rare of all. I have fished my whole life and never caught one.



Leave it to me to aim high and go for the toughest one of all.  Makes me want one more!  How do you tell the difference between a wild and a stock.  Remember, I have one days experience trout fishing a mountain stream! LOL


----------



## jigman29

Shadowcast said:


> Leave it to me to aim high and go for the toughest one of all.  Makes me want one more!  How do you tell the difference between a wild and a stock.  Remember, I have one days experience trout fishing a mountain stream! LOL



LOL! Basically the wild troud have all their fins, are colored way prettier than their counterparts and don't usually get as big. Hard to explain but once you see a few of each you get it. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions and I will try to help without giving away to many secrets lol.


----------



## deerhuntingdawg

Jigman29,
Just a matter of time until we hit pay dirt and catch one!! And a 12 inch speck!


----------



## jigman29

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> What makes the tiger so rare is that it's a hybrid between a brown and a brook/speck.  Therefore, it has to come from a stream that has a population of both, and there aren't very many streams in Georgia that meet that requirement.



I know of one stream that has both but I have fished it at least 20 years and have never saw a tiger. Hopefully some day.


----------



## NCHillbilly

I have fished these mountain creeks for nearly fifty years, including several that hold both wild browns and native brooks. I have caught countless tens of thousands of trout; but I have never caught a wild tiger. Some years they throw a few doughbelly tigers in the delayed-harvest creeks, we caught a couple at Big Snowbird last year. 

And, yes, there is a world of difference between a stocker doughbelly trout and a real one.


----------



## Nicodemus

I`ve done it once when I was doing some fishing up in Avery County North Carolina. One morning I caught browns and rainbows in the Linville River and a 11 inch brook trout in Mill Timber Creek that afternoon. 

I never heard of a tiger trout until I joined this Forum.


----------



## Shadowcast

jigman29 said:


> Feel free to pm me if you have any questions and I will try to help without giving away to many secrets lol.



I may hit you up on that. I have lots to learn....and am willing to trade bow time down here in FL.


----------



## Fuzzy D Fellers

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> What makes the tiger so rare is that it's a hybrid between a brown and a brook/speck.  Therefore, it has to come from a stream that has a population of both, and there aren't very many streams in Georgia that meet that requirement.



I know of one.


----------



## WMA Man

In my limited experience relative to most of y'all I've found a few streams in NC that hold brook, browns, and bows in the same stretch. Though I'm usually fishing for specks.


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman

Fuzzy D Fellers said:


> I know of one.



I know of a few, but I've never seen a tiger.


----------



## NCHillbilly

WMA Man said:


> In my limited experience relative to most of y'all I've found a few streams in NC that hold brook, browns, and bows in the same stretch. Though I'm usually fishing for specks.





northgeorgiasportsman said:


> I know of a few, but I've never seen a tiger.



Yep, a lot of the creeks I fish have all three. I know one that only has browns and specks. I've caught untold numbers of fish out of them, but no tigers so far.


----------



## lampern

Utah stocks them and they grow big out there


----------



## jigman29

Shadowcast said:


> I may hit you up on that. I have lots to learn....and am willing to trade bow time down here in FL.



My new best friend lol.


----------



## Bream Pole

I appreciate you guys.  You keep me vicariously trout fishing.  I haven't waded a creek or river since the late 90's.  Last trip was very successful--limit of wild or stream reared rainbows 8-9 inches long. Ultra light spinning not fly rod.  But I live a long way from the mountains here in South Ga.  When I would go up camping new grandchildren would keep me at camp and now with legs unstable because of neuropathy think it would be dangerous to wade. But thanks to this section I get to enjoy from the chair.


----------



## jigman29

If youre ever this way hit me up. Ill set that camp chair on a creek bank where you can still catch a few trout and enjoy my mountains im so proud of.


----------



## Anvil Head

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> What makes the tiger so rare is that it's a hybrid between a brown and a brook/speck.  Therefore, it has to come from a stream that has a population of both, and there aren't very many streams in Georgia that meet that requirement.




Are you sure that's the "cross"? Browns are trout and specs/brooks are chars. Lot of genetic differences there for hybridization. Not challenging, just curious. Love to see docs on that.

I fished pretty much every foot of every trout stream in N GA and never caught or saw a "Tiger" trout. Not saying they don't exist, just always thought them a folklore myth. I was no slouch at catching trout either. Wasn't any big thing to trifecta a good stream back when I was a kid. Browns were the hardest to find back then, specs were everywhere there was fast water. I always targeted the hold-overs and stream born, just because (as mentioned above), they were much very colorful and better tasting for sure.


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman

Anvil Head said:


> Are you sure that's the "cross"? Browns are trout and specs/brooks are chars. Lot of genetic differences there for hybridization. Not challenging, just curious. Love to see docs on that.



Yep. Browns and brookies both spawn in the fall. More specifically, it has to be a female brown and a male brookie.  And like all hybrids, tigers are sterile, so there is no natural reproduction in the stream. Just to show you how rare they are, even in controlled conditions, survival rates of fertilized eggs reaching fry stage is only about 25%.  In nature, it's much less than that.  

Catching a wild tiger trout in GA is probably about the same odds as getting struck by lightning.


----------



## NCHillbilly

Anvil Head said:


> Are you sure that's the "cross"? Browns are trout and specs/brooks are chars. Lot of genetic differences there for hybridization. Not challenging, just curious. Love to see docs on that.
> 
> I fished pretty much every foot of every trout stream in N GA and never caught or saw a "Tiger" trout. Not saying they don't exist, just always thought them a folklore myth. I was no slouch at catching trout either. Wasn't any big thing to trifecta a good stream back when I was a kid. Browns were the hardest to find back then, specs were everywhere there was fast water. I always targeted the hold-overs and stream born, just because (as mentioned above), they were much very colorful and better tasting for sure.



Yep, they're a brown/brook hybrid. Different genus, but they're closely enough related to produce offspring. And they both spawn in the fall at about the same time. I have caught a couple of the stocked versions, and know a couple of folks who have caught wild ones. The wild ones are extremely rare.


----------



## NCHillbilly

Great minds think alike and type at the same time lol.


----------



## Buckman18

I've never caught a Tiger, but if I ever do I will be making a trip to Mr. Taxidermyman. I don't care if it's only 5 inches long.


----------



## Nicodemus

Buckman18 said:


> I've never caught a Tiger, but if I ever do I will be making a trip to Mr. Taxidermyman. I don't care if it's only 5 inches long.





I wish I had put that 11 inch brook trout on the wall.


----------



## Buckman18

Nicodemus said:


> I wish I had put that 11 inch brook trout on the wall.



I've caught a few 12's, and I wish I would've mounted one of them instead of eating them. This was in the late 90's - early 2000's before I had a family and I fished almost every day.  A couple years back, my wife caught a genuine 14 incher. It's mounted. It was in December, she was 7 month pregnant and we were about a mile from the truck. 

In the past 2 or 3 years, I've caught some 9's and a couple of tens. But the 12's are very hard to come by.


----------



## Nicodemus

Buckman18 said:


> I've caught a few 12's, and I wish I would've mounted one of them instead of eating them. This was in the late 90's - early 2000's before I had a family and I fished almost every day.  A couple years back, my wife caught a genuine 14 incher. It's mounted. It was in December, she was 7 month pregnant and we were about a mile from the truck.
> 
> In the past 2 or 3 years, I've caught some 9's and a couple of tens. But the 12's are very hard to come by.





Mine was in either 1976 or 77. I was fishing up there a good bit at the time, and figured I might catch one bigger. 

Oh well, that fish was delicious.


----------



## flyrod444

Caught this tiger trout about 5 years ago in a wild trout stream. It is the only one I've ever caught in the tens of thousands of trout that I have landed over the years. Most of the tiger trout I've heard of are small which made this one even more rare. It was around 14 ".
Jack


----------



## swampstalker24

Anvil Head said:


> Are you sure that's the "cross"? Browns are trout and specs/brooks are chars. Lot of genetic differences there for hybridization. Not challenging, just curious. Love to see docs on that.
> 
> I fished pretty much every foot of every trout stream in N GA and never caught or saw a "Tiger" trout. Not saying they don't exist, just always thought them a folklore myth. I was no slouch at catching trout either. Wasn't any big thing to trifecta a good stream back when I was a kid. Browns were the hardest to find back then, specs were everywhere there was fast water. I always targeted the hold-overs and stream born, just because (as mentioned above), they were much very colorful and better tasting for sure.



From what i understand when they grow tigers in a hatchery they have to "heat shock" the eggs before fertilization.  Has something to do with a brook and brown having a different number of chromosomes.... Not sure how it works in the wild tho.


----------



## jigman29

flyrod444 said:


> Caught this tiger trout about 5 years ago in a wild trout stream. It is the only one I've ever caught in the tens of thousands of trout that I have landed over the years. Most of the tiger trout I've heard of are small which made this one even more rare. It was around 14 ".
> Jack



That's the stuff of legends right their. That would be the pinnacle of my fishing career.


----------



## Bream Pole

Jigman I appreciate that.  I'm still in good shape except for the neuropathy in the legs.  You can stick pins in them all the way from the bottom of the feet to the knees and I won't feel it.  My feet aren't transmitting to my brain very accurately whats happening down there.  Not noticeable when I walk to anyone but me.  It causes me to proceed carefully getting in an out of my kayak or jon boat andto stay away from spaces requiring good stability.  I'd rather wade and fish than fish any other way. I love it.  Never used waders--water felt good.  I quit it down here a long time ago because the little narrow black water creek I fished was getting too many cotton mouths and the small river nearby, the Ohoopee too many gators to suit me.  Thanks again.  Probably won't happen, but I sure appreciate the offer.


----------



## Buckman18

Nicodemus said:


> Oh well, that fish was delicious.



4 minutes per side, baby!


----------



## Anvil Head

Well there you go, Believe I've caught one or two myself (after looking at a bunch of pics). Just thought they were goofed up browns or lake trout - actually pretty much right when you think about it. 
Went looking and was expecting to see tiger striped patterns but they look more lepordish to me. Thought it kind of funny that WA State Wildlife folks think it's male browns and female brookies, but most everyone else says just the opposite. Ahh the accuracy of govt. these days.....wish it was just limited to fish genetics.

Thanks for the enlightenment fellas, just didn't know what I was seeing at the time. Back then we ate them all....big family and a "Great Depression" Dad.


----------



## dgr416

I.just caught.a tiger trout should be a state record 24 inches 5.08'pounds .The dnr does not recognise them as a fish species but does the hybrids they make .This was a pure wild fish I am going to get it mounted .Hopefully.It.can be the new state record


----------



## burtontrout

dgr416 said:


> I.just caught.a tiger trout should be a state record 24 inches 5.08'pounds .The dnr does not recognise them as a fish species but does the hybrids they make .This was a pure wild fish I am going to get it mounted .Hopefully.It.can be the new state record


Pictures or it didn't happen.


----------



## The mtn man

dgr416 said:


> I.just caught.a tiger trout should be a state record 24 inches 5.08'pounds .The dnr does not recognise them as a fish species but does the hybrids they make .This was a pure wild fish I am going to get it mounted .Hopefully.It.can be the new state record


In ga?????


----------

