urbanangler
6/30/2015 3:04:00 PMNice report. Thanks for posting. Those fish you are holding look like redband trout, a special type of rainbow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redband_trout
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redband_trout
Lotech Joe
6/30/2015 4:32:00 PMNow that's the kind of reports I like to read. I wish my legs were up to the trek, I'd be right there with you.
jonb
6/30/2015 4:35:00 PMIndeed they do look similar and perhaps they are, but they were caught on the west side of the mountains in a ps river, im in inclined to be doubtful of that due to the location, i believe they have parr marks due to them being young trout, which causes them to look like a redband, but ive never caught a redband that i knew of so who knows. Thanks for reading.
AJFishdude
6/30/2015 5:23:00 PMGreat report. Just the other day I caught a rainbow on the Sultan that looked very similar to what you have pictured here. When I first pulled it out of the water I thought it might be a redband, but figured it was probably a rainbow.
jonb
6/30/2015 8:25:00 PMAfter doing some research these fish EXACTLY match the descriptions of redband trout, size is exact, the white tips on the fins the shape of the parr marks all indicate that these are in fact redband trout. The only thing that deters me from confirming it, is that they are not from a columbia river tributary, but the white fin tips seem to be a dead give away... the average coastal rainbow doesnt have that... if this is true i may have stumbled onto quite a find. Thanks for the link urbanangler!
Mike Carey
7/1/2015 6:38:00 AMjonb, I did some looking into this as well. The range of the redband trout is more than just the tribs of the Columbia. There is a map of their range at this link. You're location is within that range. Further, I too found fish ID pics of redband and they are identical. It "could" be a steelhead smolt, but it looks a whole lot more like a redband. Can't be a salmon smolt D/T the spotting on the tail. http://wildtroutstreams.com/natives/redband-trout
jonb
7/1/2015 10:35:00 AMDefinately not a cutt or dolly also not a steelhead, this was well above nf sauk falls no anadromous fish are present in this stretch of river. No hyoid teeth, no red slash under chin, im 100% certain these were not cutthroat and look nothing like dollys/bull. They must be redband rainbow trout.
leo
7/1/2015 3:13:00 PMI have caught a lot of these in south fork stilliigwamish river, I don't think they are redband, but just rainbow trout,
jonb
7/1/2015 4:13:00 PMRedband is a subspecies of rainbow trout. They are a rainbow trout, Just a special variety of them. I think they are, the description and geographic distribution matches perfectly.
joetucker803
7/1/2015 6:56:00 PMRedband, I pulled some identical looking trout last year in the Little Naches River and fish and wildlife confirmed they were Redband Rainbow Trout.
jonb
7/1/2015 8:35:00 PMIm agreeing with you joetucker, im convinced that these are redband trout, i remember looking at them that day and noticed they didnt quite look the same as the average coastal rainbow trout, but even more beautiful.
Shrimper
7/2/2015 3:44:00 PMNice catch jonb!
My family has been fishing this stretch of river for 75 years; I am the third generation, my son soon to be the fourth. These are Redband rainbows confirmed by my grandpa the local "expert" 50 years ago. There have always been rumors this strain was planted above the falls but my grandpa was never able to confirm it. There is a small group of very dedicated anglers, myself included, that cherish this stretch river and it has remained a rather zipperlip area.
We used to keep and eat these trout, the best table fare of any trout I have ever had, bone white meat too. Since the rules changed we are unable to do that, it is a shame. Never the less they are still fun to catch. The biggest Redband I ever caught was fifteen incher about 25 years ago out of this river.
Thanks for taking pictures and sharing your experience, it brings back many memories about my dad and I doing the same thing.
My family has been fishing this stretch of river for 75 years; I am the third generation, my son soon to be the fourth. These are Redband rainbows confirmed by my grandpa the local "expert" 50 years ago. There have always been rumors this strain was planted above the falls but my grandpa was never able to confirm it. There is a small group of very dedicated anglers, myself included, that cherish this stretch river and it has remained a rather zipperlip area.
We used to keep and eat these trout, the best table fare of any trout I have ever had, bone white meat too. Since the rules changed we are unable to do that, it is a shame. Never the less they are still fun to catch. The biggest Redband I ever caught was fifteen incher about 25 years ago out of this river.
Thanks for taking pictures and sharing your experience, it brings back many memories about my dad and I doing the same thing.
jonb
7/2/2015 7:17:00 PMShrimper, thank you for your imput.
Im glad this river is catch and release and selective gears rule, it should help preserve it and keep it the special place that it is.
I very much appreciate your imput and everyone else who shared comments.
Im glad this river is catch and release and selective gears rule, it should help preserve it and keep it the special place that it is.
I very much appreciate your imput and everyone else who shared comments.