Ferox recapture

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

I dont know much about Ferox trout, you dont find many in sunny Cambridgeshire, I know they are a brown trout of sorts and they have a fish based diet, but if you were to catch a large trout, what would make you say that fish is a Ferox rather than a brown?

Cheers, Alan

[fergie68]

Normally in Scotland ferox inhabit the deep glacial lochs . They are a relic from the ice age sea going trout that were land locked along with sea going Artic charr. They developed into their own distinct populations.
Now as the ice caps melted then re froze these populations of fish could move to other areas . This all happened over thousands of years that's why some lochs as Bill says have trout that look different. Some of the Irish ferox share their DNA with ferox from Scottish lochs . Some lochs here have up to 3 distinct forms of charr in them. These fish live apart feed and inhabit different areas of the loch .
The ferox in these lochs seem to spawn in the out flowing rivers where the normal smaller trout run up the rivers and burns.
Although they are associated with the massive deep glacial lochs they seem quite happy in shallower lochs and it seems as long as there is plenty food they will thrive in the shallower lochs.
So to class a ferox rather than just a big brown trout (which a ferox is) I'd probably look at a decent sized natural loch or lake a good head of bait fish small trout,Charr or White fish .

There are articles online which will explain it better than I ever could Alan.
Or read Ron Greer's excellent book on the subject it has the right mix of science and angling .

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Thanks for that Fergie, the genetic identity and uniqueness of these populations is of great importance and stocking fish is very much a double edged sword. As an example the barbel in this country are basically all Trent fish from Calverton fish farm. Years ago you could make a very educated guess as to what river a fish came from just by looking at a photo but now the rivers populations have lost their identity, their uniqueness which is a shame.

Cheers, Alan

[fergie68]

Thanks for that Fergie, the genetic identity and uniqueness of these populations is of great importance and stocking fish is very much a double edged sword. As an example the barbel in this country are basically all Trent fish from Calverton fish farm. Years ago you could make a very educated guess as to what river a fish came from just by looking at a photo but now the rivers populations have lost their identity, their uniqueness which is a shame.

Cheers, Alan

Are Barbel a introduced species then Alan.
Not having them up here (allegedly) I know very little about the other than what I've seen on TV.

River ferox trout is a subject I'm very interested in. I had a article years ago I wish I could find it . About large predatory browns in our rivers . It seems virtually all the major rivers had a population of large predatory browns most were decimated or even completely wiped out by pollution or misguided river management.
The trout of the Thames were know to grow to huge sizes and were caught trolling deadbaits. The Clyde still throws up the odd monster brown but unfortunately has been stocked in the past.
On many of the salmon rivers the browns were persecuted in the same way the pike are and are still branded "smolt eaters" by some .

[Poots]

I tend not to hold them like pike anyway, it's not the easiest as they have a much shorter jaw. The depth/gassing thing is'nt a huge problem either as most that take bottom baits do so from 10-20ft and we also get a few on the drifter float fished shallow, just 4-5ft over much deeper water i.e 40-50ft.
They can turn up anywhere. This one was caught by a visiting English lad I met (hope he does'nt mind..). It took a float legered half mackie at the first bend, just a few hundred yards down from a slipway on the river, a spot I've often motored past at up to 30mph on my way to ''greener pastures'', miles further downstream... ...... .
14lbs+received_10211135170843680.jpeg

THAT is an absolute corker. Lifetime prize.

[Brian Carragher]

What a good read