Wondering about record brown trout.

[Travis C.]

The current record is from 1988 out of the Clinch River.

Just wondering what people think, not planning no major trophy search or anything close. Heck I can't get a day off to chase the stockers.

[Steve H]

I voted for the SoHo. I think there are some pigs that are waiting to be caught in the river.

[MikeA]

Yep either SO HO or Obey. The Obey has much potential IMO for some very large trout and once held the state record. The Caney had potential too before a large majority of the large Browns got removed. 

[Travis C.]

The Obey has much potential IMO for some very large trout and once held the state record.

I am with you on that Mike. There used to be a BBQ place by my house that had the actual mount of that fish and plaque with its history. It is no longer a BBQ place and I always wondered if it is still there. I would love to have it and make it a garage wall hanger.

The Obey though has some hawgs in it and not just browns. I sat on a ledge and watched a Brook sit in what seemed to be a spawning lane a couple years ago. That fish was every bit of the state record 3lbs something or more.

[TWiles]

I would definitely cast my vote for the South Holston.  I've seen some giant fish that I wouldn't believe if I had only heard about them.  I know of two browns caught out of there that topped the 40" mark---both released one photographed.   Maybe I'll get one of them this Fall 
Generation has limited my outings...but I feel that's about to change.

[John M]

Travis you still fish for trout

[bd]

I cast my vote for the South Holston.  That river has a lot of potential.

I'm not sure about the Obey.  I think most of the trout records from the Obey came from before the 1970s.  Keep in mind that the Cordell Hull impoundment wasn't closed off until 1973.  Before Cordell Hull stopped the water and let it warm up, the Cumberland was cold enough to support trout as far downriver as Carthage.  I even have a sporting magazine where they were stocking the new Cordell Hull reservoir with trout and Atlantic salmon in the late 1960s, though when they closed the dam off completely, apparently the water got too warm and that was over for good.  Anyway, I suspect that most of those record trout in the Obey in the 1950s and 1960s were big bruisers that migrated in from the Cumberland.

Incidentally, one other "sleeper" source of record browns might be Dale Hollow Lake.  They haven't been stocking browns in Dale for long, and nobody knows how big they could get.  They have some potential, and very little fishing pressure.  I think the guy who posts here as Fishfindergeneral is the only person I know who is even fishing them consistently, and I believe he's already picking up a few in the 8 to 10 pound range.

bd

[Bfish]

...  They have some potential, and very little fishing pressure...

IMO that is key.  When the record is broken, it will be from some obscure stream or from a reservoir.

[bd]

I doubt an obscure stream will do it.  Extremely few of the freestone streams are as fertile as the tailwaters, so they just don't support a high enough growth rate. 

Dale Hollow has the alewives, so they've got some forage base.  It will be awhile before we know if the lake can grow a brown into the 20 lb. class though.  Late summer water quality could be a limiting factor; I'm not sure.  I'm not sure if there are any other reservoirs with browns that might compete with Dale.  Most of the trout lakes in East TN aren't very fertile.

Fishing pressure is a limited thing for big brown trout anyway - once they get above 10 lbs., their behavior is such that they are sheltered a little from the majority of anglers - except maybe during the spawn.  The SoHo has a closed season during the spawn which helps some.

bd

[Travis C.]

Dale Hollow could very well be a player in this. Dave is already catching some at least 5 pounds. They have only been in there maybe 3 years culd be wrong on that and there were both stocker size plus fingerlings dumped into the lake. The fish can eat almost year round with the amount of baitfish in there.

Be very interesting to see and to see if once they get big if they make spawning runs up the creeks that empty into the lake.

[bd]

I went up there last winter and looked around a couple creek arms for trout hanging out but didn't see any.

It was only one time, so maybe I missed them, or I was in the wrong creek.  Needle in a haystack though, for sure.

bd

[Bfish]

I doubt an obscure stream will do it.  Extremely few of the freestone streams ...

  Who said anything about freestone stream  
I am thinking more along the lines of pond escape to a fertile stream that has a refuge spring, very non-traditional trout water.

[Travis C.]

I doubt an obscure stream will do it.  Extremely few of the freestone streams ...

 Who said anything about freestone stream  
I am thinking more along the lines of pond escape to a fertile stream that has a refuge spring, very non-traditional trout water.

That is very possible too.

I also know of winter trout stocking place that has holdovers and could very well produce the next rainbow record or at least in the next few years as good a chance as any. They are already being snuck out of there around 10 lbs...in an "winter stocking."

[Travis C.]

I went up there last winter and looked around a couple creek arms for trout hanging out but didn't see any.

It was only one time, so maybe I missed them, or I was in the wrong creek.  Needle in a haystack though, for sure.

bd

Wouldn't they need to dump the fingerlings in the creeks that run into Dale for it imprint on them for a possible return? I believe they stock from boat out in the lake or at least the browns were.

[Bfish]

More likely that they stock from a truck on the ramp (Cheaper, easier, and they have trucks on hand at the hatchery).  If they stock from a boat, they tend to haul the fish to the ramp in a truck, transfer to a boat (who then makes multiple dumps).  If they thought dispersal or predations was a concern, they very well could have stocked from boats.