Assistance with a few stream/river fish identification

[Coefficient13]

Went on a trip last weekend and caught a lot of fish. Three of them I'm not sure on proper Identification of species/strain or whatever. Any insight would be appreciated.

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh570/Coefficient13/IMAG0956.jpg

This guy has a stripe, but the splotches are dark black and the hue of the rest of him seemed a bit off for a rainbow. Not sure, but the picture is exactly what he looked like, not bad shading or anything.



http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh570/Coefficient13/IMAG0959.jpg

This guy's spots that were not the red ones below are actually blue and blue circled before the dark ones up top. I don't normally see that much color in the spots on any trout.


http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh570/Coefficient13/IMAG0944.jpg

This guy was thin but muscular, has kind of an upper-lip (pink thing in it's mouth is the trout worm), and the top of his head is a bit flat and bulged. I don't know of a blue striped fish this guy could be, and he's not very trout like.

Thanks!

Edit: every single fish caught that weekend released, and barbless.

[midgettosser1]

1) I'm guessing (depending on where you were), that it's a native rainbow.
2) brown trout
3) SQUAWFISH! everyones favorite. AKA pikeminnow.

[fishfnatic]

The first one is either a coastal rainbow or a red band rainbow trout. Natives to California.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Fishing/Recognition/HTC/HTC_Trout.asp

[Coefficient13]

Those were my guesses on the first two. I caught a lot of other rainbows of two basic looks, but none with quite that look, someone suggested it was a halfie of some sort. But rainbows do vary a lot. The other browns had less color than that one.

Nice to know what that last one is. Much more varied life in the upper Kern than the smaller creeks I fish. Lamprey and something else also caught, but no pics, lulz.

Thanks, guys.

[ucangler]

1) Wild Rainbow For Sure
2) Brown Trout
3) Squaw

[Piss on Myspace]

1) I'm guessing (depending on where you were), that it's a native rainbow.
2) brown trout
3) SQUAWFISH! everyones favorite. AKA pikeminnow.

...ditto

that 1st rainbow sure is purdy. If fishing the upper stretches of the kern, possible hybrid?...either way, AWESOME!!!

[midgettosser1]

Ah I knew it was Kern. That would be a kern river native rainbow I believe.

[Marley]

.... Lamprey and something else also caught, but no pics, lulz.

Thanks, guys.

There's lamprey in the Kern River? I always thought they were an east coast/Great Lakes deal. Are they parasitic?

[midgettosser1]

There's lamprey in the Kern River? I always thought they were an east coast/Great Lakes deal. Are they parasitic?

Maybe it was just a sucker fish?

[rel]

#1 little kern golden trout #2brown hybrid #3 mountain whitefish

[Coefficient13]

That's what he said, Shrugz. Perhaps he mistook it for a different suckerfish?

I bass fish and hit some creeks, if I catch a fish that isn't a trout in a creek it tends to be a sad little bass, I don't know what all these things are. Time to learn them, so I appreciate the help.

I will have to do the same from now on when I surf fish (rarely) and catch fish that aren't one of the very few I know.

They're pretty hard to identify online. The squawfish pics on the species page had no blue line, etc. Makes it hard when that's the main defining feature I see. I'm doing a much better job with my bird book. There were a lot of other varied rainbows caught, very pretty, and saw a mountain lion cross the river in the morning right by me where I was casting. Pretty nice area.

[FSHNLIC]

Kern river rainbow
Brown
Pikeminnow

Nicely done sir

[Skyler]

Kern river rainbow
Brown
Pikeminnow

Nicely done sir

FSHNLIC is correct. The last one is a northern pikeminnow, formerly (and incorrectly) classified as a northern squawfish. The first one is a native rainbow but looks to have some genetics from a Little Kern Golden. The have interbred extensively for years. It is nearly impossible to find a pure Little Kern Golden trout anymore. One of the indicators is the length of the pectoral fins. A true Golden has over sized "wings" compared to a rainbow.