TIGERS have been discovered in The Heart Of The
Driftless Area. This species is know for its
aggressive behavior. I have lived in the area for 42
years and there has been a recent BOOM in their
population.
Male Brookie
Female Brown
Tigers are a hybrid of a male brook trout and a female
brown trout. They can NOT reproduce. They are the
MULES of the trout world.
Male Brookie
Female Brown
Tigers earned their name from their unusual color
pattern and their aggressive nature. If a brook and
brown and a tiger live in the same hole, the tiger
will be the first trout to be caught.
I have caught only two TIGER trout in my entire life.
Recently the tigers have become more plentiful. The
reason for the BOOM in the tiger population is the
improvement of the quality of trout water in
southwestern Wisconsin. Many states stock tigers. I
have contacted the fisheries managers locally and they
told me that tigers are NOT being stocked in the area.
They are occurring naturally as brooks and browns
mate.
A stream that has a popopulation of brooks and browns
is required. Brooks require a colder waterway to live
in. So when you go TIGER hunting…leave your gun at
home…take your thermometer with you. Brook trout
like water that is under 60 degrees.
I knew that sooner or later we would suffer havock due to the presence of that non-native species. What would TU say about it?:lol:
Well, seriously. What do you think is causing it? Any chance there some screwups at the hatchery? Maybe there were some screwups working at the hatchery? How can anyone stop it? Should it be stopped? What will the long term effects be if nothing is done?
it means there are randy browns and brookies doing their thing in close proximity :lol: . in some rare places you do get some overlap in the spawning runs of both fish. VERY cool!
natural tigers are rare … the brookies or browns are moving their turf.
Most hybrids, even natural ones, would be sterile. This leads them to having a voracious appetite, and resulting wicked growth rates. In stocked lakes up here they are seeing about 5 inches plus growth a year after stocking.
Could the more frequent tigers be due to over-population of brookies and browns in the streams ? Or has the habitat changed that might cause the browns to move upstream or the brookies downstream - hence more frequently overlapping their turfs ?
I could be all wet and wrong in my guesses (cannon fodder / food for thought) - either way - enjoy them and have fun.
How can anyone stop it? Should it be stopped? What will the long term effects be if nothing is done?