Q? Brown trout in the Ottawa River?

[Rod Caster]

Brown Trout have been stocked in the Ottawa River near Ottawa for the past 30 years or so; lately I've been hearing anecdotes about Browns being caught in the Mattawa area. According to my limited research, the stocking program is small and very few anglers target/catch them anywhere in the water system.

 

My questions to the panel are:

 

1) Is there a possibility that the browns are reproducing?

2) Fertile or not, would the browns follow their natural spawning/feeding habits? I.E. entering the rivers in the spring/fall.

3) Has anybody caught or heard of someone catching a brown in the system? The Mattawa area in particular.

 

Here's a video of large browns being stocked.

 

[BillM]

Think of all the stocked brownies on the southern shore of Lake O.. They go into the rivers to spawn just like the wild fish, no difference.

[Rod Caster]

Think of all the stocked brownies on the southern shore of Lake O.. They go into the rivers to spawn just like the wild fish, no difference.

 

 

That area/type of fish is mostly unknown to me, sorry.

Are they actually spawning or just going through the motions in Lake O? If indeed they spawn, do they require a specific stocking method, i.e. imprinting at birth and other complicated breeding/stocking methods?

I was under the impression that many if not all stocked trout ( in inland lakes) are infertile, such as the stocked speck, laker, rainbow trout lakes. I'd expect that to be the same for a smaller stocking program such as the O. River, but I'd like to be told otherwise.

 

Edit: Either way you've given me the answer to Q#2. Thanks.

Edited November 26, 2011 by Rod Caster

[BillM]

They still develop eggs, regardless if they are stocked or wild fish.

[misfish]

If Im not mistaken,most of ,if not all, browns caught on the the Canadian side are stocked by the USA. TALKING LAKE O HERE.

[kemper]

If Im not mistaken,most of ,if not all, browns caught on the the Canadian side are stocked by the USA. TALKING LAKE O HERE.

 

Lots of reproduction on the CAN side of the pond and some fairly strong wild runs. The closer you get to NY (West Lake O side) the more American stockies you will see.

[misfish]

Lots of reproduction on the CAN side of the pond and some fairly strong wild runs. The closer you get to NY (West Lake O side) the more American stockies you will see.

 

Yes they are reproducing here,but they are mostly stocked accross.I do believe they are the German browns.They were 20 years ago anyways.

[Steve]

Brian, Ontario stocks many Browns annually in Lake Ontario. In the Eastern end, there are a few different stocking programs, which I am less familiar with.

 

However, the south shore, my area, I'm much more familiar with. Approx 50K per year down this way. Hamilton, 50pt, Jordan, and Dalhousie all receive stocking...we also have minor natural reproduction as well.

 

But absolutely we stock Brownies, and boy do they get big. The largest of the species are male however, as the females don't get a chance to get big due to the harvesting off their eggs.

 

Browns are my single favourite species. If u want specific stocking numbers for each of the sites I mentioned, I can get my hands on them.

 

Steve

[misfish]

Brian, Ontario stocks many Browns annually in Lake Ontario. In the Eastern end, there are a few different stocking programs, which I am less familiar with.

 

However, the south shore, my area, I'm much more familiar with. Approx 50K per year down this way. Hamilton, 50pt, Jordan, and Dalhousie all receive stocking...we also have minor natural reproduction as well.

 

But absolutely we stock Brownies, and boy do they get big. The largest of the species are male however, as the females don't get a chance to get big due to the harvesting off their eggs.

 

Browns are my single favourite species. If u want specific stocking numbers for each of the sites I mentioned, I can get my hands on them.

 

Steve

 

WOW ,thats awesome Steve. Like I said,it was some years ago that we talked about the brown stocking.

 

Good to hear it,s strong.

 

Are the browns that are being stocked of the German strain?

[dave524]

WOW ,thats awesome Steve. Like I said,it was some years ago that we talked about the brown stocking.

 

Good to hear it,s strong.

 

Are the browns that are being stocked of the German strain?

 

The ones we want are the Seaforellen brown trout strain, they get bigger than Chinooks as of lately anyway

[Remastered]

Seaforellen, thats the strain they stock in high numbers at Milwuakee isnt it

 

I would like to see one of those 40lb browns in our creeks!

[craigdritchie]

Getting back to the OP''s original question, yeah, browns have been stocked in the Ottawa River for years. When I used to live there many moons ago, a few guys would catch them for a couple of weeks after stocking took place, then that was all you would hear of them till the following year when the hatchery truck returned. I don't know about the Mattawa area specifically .... the only ones I ever saw were near Shirley's Bay.

 

I honestly think most of the stocked browns were soon eaten by muskie, channel cats and large walleye.

[Gregoire]

Getting back to the OP''s original question, yeah, browns have been stocked in the Ottawa River for years. When I used to live there many moons ago, a few guys would catch them for a couple of weeks after stocking took place, then that was all you would hear of them till the following year when the hatchery truck returned. I don't know about the Mattawa area specifically .... the only ones I ever saw were near Shirley's Bay.

 

I honestly think most of the stocked browns were soon eaten by muskie, channel cats and large walleye.

 

Sounds like a good trolling bait pattern....I've often wondered if trolling trout paterns would be an effective technique for musky.

[Rod Caster]

Getting back to the OP''s original question, yeah, browns have been stocked in the Ottawa River for years. When I used to live there many moons ago, a few guys would catch them for a couple of weeks after stocking took place, then that was all you would hear of them till the following year when the hatchery truck returned. I don't know about the Mattawa area specifically .... the only ones I ever saw were near Shirley's Bay.

 

I honestly think most of the stocked browns were soon eaten by muskie, channel cats and large walleye.

 

Like your suggesting, I can't imagine there being any real numbers of Browns in the River, especially as far upstream as Mattawa. However, IF they are reproducing stock maybe there is a small population of fish entering the tribs in the fall or spring. I just find it interesting that there is a possibility of this.

 

Lots of hungry predators in the Ottawa, I can't imagine it would be an easy life for a brown.

[Oggie]

I live on the Grand River (Fergus) and they do reproduce in our area. It's not great reproduction in the main river so they stock yearly but they do reproduce well on the tribs of the Grand. I think there's a lake in the Mattawa area that receives a stocking of browns and I now parts of the Madawaska river (Barry's Bay area) had browns stocked.

 

Dan O.

[Guest chase4chrome]

Ii haven't heard of there being catches that far upstream, but then I've not lived in the area for a while. I was part of the brown trout stocking programme there (Ottawa River--I'll burn in hell for again naming the river I guess) and they are caught frequently upstream of Ottawa proper. There are numerous feeder streams (Quebec side) that offer brown trout possibilities.

[Guest chase4chrome]

Hey Rod-man:

 

I'm sitting here getting my kit together for tomorrow cogitating on the B-trout issue. Something occurs to me:

My wife and I took a few days at a cabin on the Mattawa a few years ago--that waterway is a prime funnel for predation holding huge Northerns. If there were any browns being caught there I would be surprised--but one never knows.

 

Just a pense,

Cheers Mate

[Rod Caster]

Hey C4C, thanks for the thought. Like Craig was saying, Mattawa is both a long distance from the stocking grounds and would be a true gauntlet for any traveling brown. The rumors of browns in Mattawa are stemming from the fast flowing waters beneath the Dam, not the Mattawa River, whoch also holds Lake Trout and some spring-time specks. There is a fair sized, cold-water trib near the dam that would make good spawning grounds if indeed they are spawning. This was the spot I was considering as the best option for attempting to catch one.

The odds are stacked against me and the trout here, but a man can dream.

[BillM]

Seaforellen, thats the strain they stock in high numbers at Milwuakee isnt it

 

I would like to see one of those 40lb browns in our creeks!

 

We don't need triploids here, leave those mutants to the guys in Western Canada and the yanks.

[Whitespinnerbait]

If your in the Ottawa area at any time during your stay, head over to the Alonzo Wright bridge over the Gatineau River. Rumour has it they've been stocking browns there for years.

[dave524]

We don't need triploids here, leave those mutants to the guys in Western Canada and the yanks.

 

As far as I know the Seaforellen strain are not genetic mutants but simply a strain that remains in the lake an extra 2 years before making their initial spawning run. Same reason Chinooks grow larger than Cohos. Also those extra 2 years they did not undergo the rigours of a spawning run which makes them even larger than a same year class fish of the more coomon strain.

[Guest chase4chrome]

If your in the Ottawa area at any time during your stay, head over to the Alonzo Wright bridge over the Gatineau River. Rumour has it they've been stocking browns there for years.

 

 

 

 

Indeed they have--there is some nice water there (though I'm happy to be back to my old steelhead stomping grounds.

[BassAsin]

I'm going to go with yes in the Mattawa area. i have caught them in a couplesmall rivers that lead into the ottawa around temiskaming. (all natural) none bigger than 12" but none the less only a 5 mile swim from where i was to the ottawa.

[BassAsin]

I'm going to go with yes in the Mattawa area. i have caught them in a couplesmall rivers that lead into the ottawa around temiskaming. (all natural) none bigger than 12" but none the less only a 5 mile swim from where i was to the ottawa.

[Rod Caster]

I'm going to go with yes in the Mattawa area. i have caught them in a couplesmall rivers that lead into the ottawa around temiskaming. (all natural) none bigger than 12" but none the less only a 5 mile swim from where i was to the ottawa.

 

 

Very interesting Bassasin. I know a few good brookie streams around Mattawa that connect to the Ottawa River...maybe they hold a few browns as well. I'll talk to some Mattawa locals next time I'm there.