Fly Fishing for the Elusive Tiger Trout

Every April when the ice starts to breakup on the Cobleskill Reservoir, in New York State, the SUNY College releases hundreds of tiger trout along with rainbow, brown and brook trout into the resevoir. The Tiger Trout that are released range in size from 15 to 20 inches. This trout is an aggressive predator, that is used in many states to control the rough fish population.

This is one of the most exciting trout to catch on a fly rod. They are aggressive and will hit the fly hard and furious. In April and May, I will dismiss myself from my business at every opportunity in the morning and evening to do some serious fly fishing, to the dismay of my spouse.

I fly fish from April to very early July, and then I will retire my fly rod until September. These tiger trout are exceptionally vigorous fighters. I will fly fish for them with non weighted and weighted wooly buggers. Much of my winter is spent tying these woolly buggers (I usually try to have close to three hundred by April), in a variety of different colors and hook sizes, but mostly in the brown and black color range.

What is the Tiger Trout?

The Tiger Trout are a sterile hybrid of the brown female and the brook trout male, and they have the stripes of a tiger, a beautiful fish. . The tiger trout is extremely rare in nature, as it is a sterile hybrid. I have never caught a natural tiger trout, and I probably never will. The odds are extremely rare as the brook trout has 84 chromosomes and the brown trout has 80. This makes it next to impossible for it to reproduce.

Currently hatcheries raise these fish for sport fishing, which we should be thankful for, because the survival rate for these fish is increased from 5% in nature to 85% in the hatcheries.

So, if you ever want to find me in April or May, you know where you will find me.