The piers continue to report bluefish, speckled trout, and sea mullet. There are still some drum biting as well. Surf fishermen are hauling in spot, bluefish, speckled trout, puppy drum, and sea mullet. There have been multiple bluefish blitzes on the southern beaches. Inshore fishing has been productive for trout, pups, and a few big drum. Plenty of flounder are around, but the catch season is closed.
The piers continue to report bluefish, speckled trout, and sea mullet. There are still some drum biting as well. Surf fishermen are hauling in spot, bluefish, speckled trout, puppy drum, and sea mullet. There have been multiple bluefish blitzes on the southern beaches. Inshore fishing has been productive for trout, pups, and a few big drum. Plenty of flounder are around, but the catch season is closed.
DWR has started the 2024-25 trout stocking season. From now through May, catchable-size trout will be stocked into more than 200 waters throughout Virginia. Among all those trout to be released are some tigers – tiger trout to be exact.
What is a tiger trout?
A tiger trout is a sterile hybrid created with a female brown trout and a male brook trout. Although rare, tiger trout do occur in the wild where both wild brown trout and wild brook trout occur. Tiger trout have a brown/gray body with an orange/yellow underside and exaggerated vermiculation patterns, resulting in the name.
A voracious feeder, tiger trout offer an excellent sport fishing opportunity.
DWR is now raising tiger trout as an experiment to determine their survival and growth at Coursey Springs Fish Hatchery in Bath County. Different species of trout and even different genetic strains of trout may survive and grow differently in certain hatcheries. Hatchery managers may try a different species or genetic strain of trout until they find the best match for hatchery production. Tiger trouts’ disease-resistance and hybrid vigor allow them to grow efficiently. This could potentially increase production at the hatchery leading to more consistent annual stockings, which allows anglers’ license money to go further. In addition, tiger trout provide excellent sport fishing opportunities for anglers.
The DWR raised and stocked tiger trout decades ago. However, the egg survival rate with the methods at that time was very low, which led to reduced numbers of fish to stock.
Starting in the fall of 2020, Paint Bank Fish Hatchery began the process of creating the eggs for tiger trout. After the eggs hatched, they were then shipped to Coursey Springs Fish Culture Station in Bath County to determine their survivability and to be raised to catchable size.
Current results indicate that tiger trout enjoyed their stay at Coursey Springs in 2021, but now it’s time for them to make their way to some of Virginia’s Designated Stocked Trout Waters.
During the 2021–2022 stocking season some of the waters stocked by Coursey Springs will receive tiger trout mixed with other trout typically stocked by DWR. Most of the tiger trout will be stocked during the late winter and early spring.
Tight lines and watch out for the tigers.
