Actually 1/2 ounce short of 5 pounds but a beautiful fish never-the-less. 19 1/4 inches on a board. Already sold to a taxidermist in Massachusetts for $75.00.
This fish was having some equilibrium problems so I netted it from the pond. I've had three or four fish out of 125 that I planted have this happen. No idea why, but possible causes are parasites effecting the swim bladder, congenital defect, or constipation resulting in pressure on the swim bladder.
If this happens again I will put the fish in tank with one tablespoon of plain Epsom Salt per gallon to release colon contents. If it doesn't work I have nothing to loose.
Congratulations,, that fish has one of the highest Rw (Wr) body condition factors that I have ever seen 180 - Sumo wrestler category! A standard weight 19.25" BTtrout weighs 2.78 lbs. No question about it, you can grow a fish. It would be very interesting and educational for us to know how much less you could have fed this fish and still get the same growth rate and not the excess weight. Interesting MS thesis or PhD dissertation.
Maybe all that belly fat keeps trying to flip it over....lol
Maybe all that belly fat keeps trying to flip it over....lol
Male brook trout do beef up for spawning and get very high backs as you can see even on these large male brook trout from the Patagonia wilderness and Argentina.So it's not just a matter of overfeeding.
http://justanotherdayinpatagonia.com/tag/brook-trout/
Hey Bill what do you think the relative weight of this rainbow is?
A couple more pics of the same brook trout different perspective:
Cecil, how much profit is there in selling for $75. If you don't wish to share, I understand. Just seems like a lot of work to produce such an amazing fish...
Cecil, was the girth on that Brookie equal or larger than it's length??
Cecil, how much profit is there in selling for $75. If you don't wish to share, I understand. Just seems like a lot of work to produce such an amazing fish...
Actually quite profitable. More than taxidermy! What work? It's like throwing feed to chickens once a day!
Let's just say $7500.00 revenue from about 100 fish more than makes up for the purchase of yearling trout, feed, freezing, shrink wrapping, and the power to pump the well for 14 months if I harvest them after two years. If I harvest them after three years the price goes up. Keep in mind there is no feeding for a total of 8 months of those two years or 12 months of three years (ice cover).
My advertising is free (a worldwide taxidermy website) and my labor is free. I have people that can't wait to help me harvest the fish by hook and line that will weigh, measure, catalog whatever I want for me. I have a group of anglers I can trust.
That said I'd like to move it all inside where I can produce four species of trout and more pounds at an even lower cost using much less water. Using an airlift system to move water will reduce pumping costs considerably. Also UV to prevent any bacterial issues and morts.
Cecil, was the girth on that Brookie equal or larger than it's length??
Sorry no girth measurement. My flexible tape has gone missing.
Cecil, was the girth on that Brookie equal or larger than it's length??
Sorry no girth measurement. My flexible tape has gone missing.
Improvise! Got any string? Wrap around fish, mark where the string starts to overlap. Lay out on a tape measure or yardstick. Report back.
We can do a relative weight (Rw, Wr) for that tubby rainbow if you have a length and weight.
We can do a relative weight (Rw, Wr) for that tubby rainbow if you have a length and weight.
38.5 inches in length and a 34 inch girth. 43 lbs. 10 oz.
It was the world record until his brother caught a heavier one that is apparently longer but not as girthy for its length at 48 pounds.
I saw the typical whining on a fishing website that the first record rainbow was a triploid so it should be disqualified. However I question that as it is oviously full of roe and if that's the case it's no sterile triploid female.
Having personal experience with a potential record fish, it never ceases to amaze me the petty jealous anglers out there.
Okay for the tubby 38.5" rainbow trout of 43.625 lbs its Rw is 179. Your brookie of 180 beat the Sumo rainbow by 1 point. The trout was considered a lake run rainbow vs a stream dwelling fish.
Cecil, how much profit is there in selling for $75. If you don't wish to share, I understand. Just seems like a lot of work to produce such an amazing fish...
What work? It's like throwing feed to chickens once a day!
Now you are being exceptionally modest. That is like me as a farmer saying growing a corn crop is easy. Just throw some seed and fertilizer out there and you have it!
I would say your level of knowledge and expertise gained is not something "easy" for everyone to replicate.
You did a great job that few can likely do. Certainly not me.
Amazing C - you deserve way more than $75 for all your time effort and expertise. Good job, that's a breathtaking Brookie!
Cecil, was the girth on that Brookie equal or larger than it's length??
Sorry no girth measurement. My flexible tape has gone missing.
Improvise! Got any string? Wrap around fish, mark where the string starts to overlap. Lay out on a tape measure or yardstick. Report back.
19 1/4 length: 16 1/2 girth.
Amazing C - you deserve way more than $75 for all your time effort and expertise. Good job, that's a breathtaking Brookie!
Not that much time or expertise. Just run the well and feed them like chickens once day. Much more profitable than mounting fish if one considers the time involved and expense in mounting a fish, the finish work and painting it.
If I get the pole building up I can raise more pounds and more species on less water and less electicity. Also hatch my own. Found a disease free certified supplier for brooks, browns, tigers, and rainbow eggs in Utah. Shipped overnight via Fed Ex.
I respectfully disagree Cecil - you are too modest. Decades of experience and daily issue mitigation like water quality, predator management, feed quality/timing, etc. are not easy. You should feel great about your accomplishments - you set the bar high around here - and that's a good thing.
CB1 you have put in a lot of time and killed a lot of fish to get the experience that you now have. Good Work!
I agree Cecil, you produce some crazy fish!
CB1 you have put in a lot of time and killed a lot of fish to get the experience that you now have. Good Work!
Killed a lot of fish?
I've lost a tank of perch due to a drain failure and a cage of yellow perch one winter. Other than that I can't think of anything other than the usual small drip of normal mortality in ponds over time and a few here and there brook trout due to their sensitive nature. Am I missing something Bill?
I have had herons knock a few off too.
Cecil, how much profit is there in selling for $75. If you don't wish to share, I understand. Just seems like a lot of work to produce such an amazing fish...
What work? It's like throwing feed to chickens once a day!
Now you are being exceptionally modest. That is like me as a farmer saying growing a corn crop is easy. Just throw some seed and fertilizer out there and you have it!
I would say your level of knowledge and expertise gained is not something "easy" for everyone to replicate.
You did a great job that few can likely do. Certainly not me.
But it's fun for the most part or I wouldn't do it. Well... there is the profit motive too.
BTW the few brook trout I harvested are almost gone and I haven't even advertised on the taxidermy website yet.
Cecil, what about the PP in the pond a few years back??
Cecil, what about the PP in the pond a few years back??
OH yeah but it didn't kill them outright. Several came to the surface and I netted them. Could have made it but I netted them up just in case they went didn't and went to the bottom and died later. Turns out come spring I had about 25 that weren't effected a all.
Found out later PP is a bad idea in really hard water.
Still don't agree I've killed "a lot of fish."
And yes what about all the fish you harvested? They are not still alive. You killed them, just not by accident. As always - It all depends!
And yes what about all the fish you harvested? They are not still alive. You killed them, just not by accident. As always - It all depends!
I assumed we were talking about unintentional deaths when you said:
...and killed a lot of fish to get the experience that you now have.
Assuming often gets one into trouble. You were assuming the negative. Sometimes one can learn as much or more by successfully raising a fish then harvesting it (killing) than you can by the unintentional deaths.
I agree Bill!
How many people take a dead fish and cut it apart (and really look at it vs. cutting it apart to put in a pan)? If Cecil didn't do that to his dead fish, how would he learn about fatty tissue build up, etc.?
Observation, and thinking about what you observed is a huge part of all aspects of pond management. Pond management is also fish management, and I think Cecil has a very good handle on that.
Of course you guys are right. However I have a long way to go until I've killed as many fish as some I know. I try and cover all the bases and anticipate problems. You've got to think like a fish. My wife says I smell that way at times too!
Cecil, do you think that the winter cage kill was due to the old fashioned square cages you insisted on using?
Yeah I should have listened to the perch. They kept telling me they wanted cages like Bill Cody's!
Bob, I've overwintered fish in non-trash can cages and haven't really seen any morts that were beyond what I'd expect.
I've only had it happen once in about 10 years.
Bob, I've overwintered fish in non-trash can cages and haven't really seen any morts that were beyond what I'd expect.
How about the grass carp?
Bob-O likes poking with a 'stick'. LOL
Cecil, I had a few die in the cage, but nothing out of the ordinary. I expect to see a few morts here and there, it's the nature of the beast. Just like any species, some individuals die at all different ages, and I don't expect fish to be any different.
Honestly, I don't think we see many of the fish that die in the ponds due to the cleanup crew. We see more in cages because the cleanup crew is excluded.
Yeah, but Bob's stick isn't that pointy. (thankfully)
I guess my memory is faulty. I thought I saw not only several dead grass carp in the cage but several covered with fungus.
Cody said: ""Bob-O likes poking with a 'stick'. LOL""
Bill, in the eye if possible.
Cecil, there were a couple of dead ones. None had fungus. I've had a higher % of morts with BG in the cage.
