If you’re an avid angler, you’ve likely heard of tiger trout before. But what exactly is a tiger trout?

What sets it apart from other trout species? In this blog post, we’ll explore the origin and characteristics of the tiger trout and how to identify it in the wild.

What is a Tiger Trout?

A tiger trout is a hybrid fish created through crossbreeding brown and brook trout. It was first discovered in the early 1940s when some hatcheries in Wisconsin noticed that their brown and brook trout had begun to interbreed.

Hatcheries began intentionally breeding tiger trout in an effort to create a hardier species that would be more resistant to disease than a regular brook or brown trout.

Identifying Tiger Trout

Tiger trout can have different appearances depending on which parent species they are most closely related to.

For example, if the fish has more brown than brook traits, it will have more of an olive color with darker spots on its back, sides, and tail fin.

On the other hand, if a particular fish has more brook traits than brown ones, its body will be lighter with pinkish-red spots along its back and sides.

The tail fin may also be slightly forked rather than square-tipped like that of a standard brook or brown trout.

Where Can I Find Tiger Trout?

Tiger trout are not native to North America; instead, they were bred by hatcheries as part of a conservation effort. As such, they can only be found in certain areas where hatcheries have stocked them into local waterways.

They are most commonly found in lakes and streams throughout Wisconsin but can also be found in parts of Michigan and Minnesota as well as various states across the Midwest and East Coast.

Conclusion

In conclusion, tiger trouts are hybrid fish created through crossbreeding brown and brook trouts first discovered in Wisconsin during the 1940s by hatcheries who bred them for their hardiness against diseases compared to regular trouts’.

While these hybrids vary greatly in appearance depending on their parentage, they can generally be identified by their olive coloring and distinct patterning on their backs and fins.

While not natively found anywhere outside Wisconsin originally, hatchery-stocked tiger trout can now be found throughout much of the Midwest & East Coast of the United States making them an exciting target for anglers everywhere!