Question about identifying a unique looking trout

[billy b]

It had excellent colors ... lots of spots ... beautiful tail ... about 2#
but was very dark ... had a hook jaw ... and a lot of red on the gills.

I think those last 3 identifiers have something to do with mating or spawning ???

[smokehound]

It had excellent colors ... lots of spots ... beautiful tail ... about 2#
but was very dark ... had a hook jaw ... and a lot of red on the gills.

I think those last 3 identifiers have something to do with mating or spawning ???for starters, where was it caught>?

[billy b]

Sorry ... didn't think that would make a difference

I caught it yesterday at Indian Creek Reservoir ... which is about an hour north of Bridgeport kinda along 395

THANKS

[cutbait]

It had excellent colors ... lots of spots ... beautiful tail ... about 2#
but was very dark ... had a hook jaw ... and a lot of red on the gills.



Sounds like my ex-wife

[P.A.W.]

Sounds like an Alpers to me?

[Ifishtoolittle]

Probably a brownie. Was the fish gold-like?

[billy b]

It was clearly a rainbow ... no spots like a brown ... no yellow or brown ... had the rainbow stripe ... he/she just had a dark shading. I think someone said the hook jaw can come at mating season?

[Ifishtoolittle]

Do you have a photo of it? This whole thing would be a lot easier if you did.

[Jimbow]

It would be called a Rainbow Trout.

[Sublime-Steve]

Sounds like a rainbow with a hookjaw...

[billy b]

I would assume it's a rainbow ... with a hook jaw. What I was wondering about was what's happening with the fish being dark ... and the red on the gills.

You're right IFishTooLittle ... didn't' think of a picture ... I already gave it to my next door neighbor after I cleaned it.

Please ... no incompetent remarks needed from the intelligent donkeys.

[gogreeenz4]

its was probly a male fer sure and could of been a rainbow brook trout hybrid beast thing hahahha but hookjaw is what males have most of the time

[hnscaddis]

Sounds like a rainbow. During spawning, the males grow a hook jaw, a their colors get brighter, and gill plates can get very red.

[RUSS13X]

Sounds like a cutthroat trout to me. They look similar to a rainbow. They do have the red marks on the underside their gills.

[billy b]

Thanks for the replies and help. I think it must have been a spawing male ... I seem to recall hearing the part about a hook jaw and the red on the gills. FWIW ... he seemed tired (I know the feeling). There were no red lines under the jaw ... so I'm guessing he's not a cutthroat. He had very good colors and full fin ... but sure was darkened.

[hnscaddis]

I've caught cutthroat trout with a lot of spots and their gill plates almost all red. I'm thinking it could be a cutthroat if you caught it in the fall when cuttroats spawn. All male trout grow a hook jaw before spawning, and it goes away after the spawn. Did it have the typical orange slash under his jaws that only cutthroat
trout have, if not, it probably is a rainbow?

[Skaguy04]

Sounds like a typicall spawning male rainbow. Its very common for them to develop the Hook-jaw and the bright red colors along the gil area.

[smokehound]

Even sterile males develop the hookjaw, albeit, like any Hulking-Steroidal Eunuch, develop really odd-looking hookjaws..