Tiger
TROUT
A Vibrant Hybrid: The Tiger Trout
Perhaps the most vibrant trout in Colorado, the tiger trout is a prized species among anglers due to its rarity and stunning appearance. A tiger trout is a hybrid of a female brown trout and a male brook trout, giving it the striking appearance of both the beautiful brown and brook trout. Tiger trout are rarely created in the wild, although wild tigers do exist in Colorado. Additionally, Colorado Parks & Wildlife stocks tiger trout in some of the state’s lakes and reservoirs because tigers are used to manage unwanted species like minnows and suckers. Tiger trout are known to be ferocious fighters and often grow over 20 inches in length, meaning that they are sure to give any angler a fierce battle when hooked. On this page, you will learn more details about the rare and prized tiger trout in the Centennial State.
Tiger Trout: A Beautiful but Sterile Hybrid
Because brook trout and brown trout have different genetic makeups, tiger trout are born sterile. Male brook trout are able to fertilize brown trout eggs, although the rate of successful fertilization is lower than the rate between trout of the same species. Tiger trout often do exhibit spawning behavior, which occurs in the fall like the brook trout and brown trout spawn, but they are unable to create viable offspring between other tiger trout or any other species. This is the reason that tiger trout populations are so low in Colorado, and why catching one is a rare and exhilarating feat.
Tiger trout are predominantly found in lakes and reservoirs but can be also found in a few of Colorado’s rivers. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife state agency stocks tiger trout exclusively in stillwater, which is why most tiger trout are found in large lakes and reservoirs. Tiger trout often grow very large in these waters; it is not uncommon for tigers to grow larger than 20 inches, and the state record was a 32-inch tiger, a true monster. Tiger trout can be both picky and aggressive eaters, like brown trout, depending on the time of year and the water temperature. Tigers have a diet of smaller insects when they are small, but once they grow to their adult size of over 20 inches, their diet consists almost entirely of baitfish. Anglers typically target tigers with larger baitfish or leech patterns, but dry flies and nymph rigs can be effective given the season. Throwing streamers to feisty tiger trout is one of the most fun ways to fly fish, especially in the early fall when tiger trout become more aggressive feeders. Once hooked, tigers are among the best pound-for-pound fighting trout and can challenge even the most experienced anglers on a 5- or 6-weight rod. Anglers catch tiger trout over 3 pounds every year in Colorado, and tigers over 7 pounds are not unheard of.
So, grab a high-weight rod and some sink-tip line and strip some streamers through your favorite Colorado lake or reservoir. If you have the pleasure of hooking up to and meeting a tiger trout, you will see why they are considered one of the most (if not the most) beautiful trout in the world. Tight lines!
