Some Photo's

[Phil Lilley]

I can ask MDC. Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery stocks most of the trout areas other than trout parks in the state. It's located here in Branson below Table Rock Dam.

http://mdc.mo.gov/areas/hatchery/shepherd/

[Brian Sloss]

There is McCloud blood in the river. Our stockers come from Montauk though. When they tried to let the trophy area go completely wild, they crossed Crane creek trout with hatchery trout, stocked them and let them be for 10-15 years. They continued to reproduce, but on a smaller level than hoped, thus annually stocking and clipping fins in the trophy area.

[ness]

I believe the bright color is a male in its spawning stage. But, I think the wild rainbows typically spawn Nov to Jan, so that's awfully early. And the parr marks make it a pretty safe bet that the fish is stream-bred.

Genetics play a part in color too -- with stream-bred or 'wild' fish being more greenish in color with a brighter red band and fins, as opposed to stockers being more gray with a purplish band. Diet and habitat will influence color some, but it's much more subtle than that.

I've seen a lot of casual commentary on the coloration of McClouds, but nothing real scientific.

[Tito Degiosio]

There is McCloud blood in the river. Our stockers come from Montauk though. When they tried to let the trophy area go completely wild, they crossed Crane creek trout with hatchery trout, stocked them and let them be for 10-15 years. They continued to reproduce, but on a smaller level than hoped, thus annually stocking and clipping fins in the trophy area.

guess should have just asked the boss huh hahaha but thanks for the info man did not know for sure

so there is McCloud blood in the river so I must have just caught one that has a stronger gene of the McCloud then others plus being a stream born trout

and what ever it's diet. is the reason for such strong Mcloud markings hope to see more of these but BUT BIGGER small is good too

Hopefully a sign of good things to come

maybe one day a new guy will bring the wrong truck and dump browns in this river but thats just a dream that will never happen

[superfly]

guess should have just asked the boss huh hahaha but thanks for the info man did not know for sure

so there is McCloud blood in the river so I must have just caught one that has a stronger gene of the McCloud then others plus being a stream born trout

and what ever it's diet. is the reason for such strong Mcloud markings hope to see more of these but BUT BIGGER small is good too

Hopefully a sign of good things to come

maybe one day a new guy will bring the wrong truck and dump browns in this river but thats just a dream that will never happen

Tito dreams can come true. Very nice bows. U must have a great coach. MR

[ozark trout fisher]

Maybe I'm totally wrong... But when I floated that river it really did look like a classic brown trout stream. I think the MDC should put some in, but I guess the forest service wouldn't go for it. Maybe they would be okay with it if they replace some of the rainbows with browns, that way there would be no more trout stocked in the end... I think they'd have the potential to grow pretty large, and if it hurts anything you could just stop stocking them, and I doubt if there would be a long term effect. But I don't know the river well at all, so I guess I'll keep my mouth shut on this one.

[Tito Degiosio]

Maybe I'm totally wrong... But when I floated that river it really did look like a classic brown trout stream. I think the MDC should put some in, but I guess the forest service wouldn't go for it. Maybe they would be okay with it if they replace some of the rainbows with browns, that way there would be no more trout stocked in the end... I think they'd have the potential to grow pretty large, and if it hurts anything you could just stop stocking them, and I doubt if there would be a long term effect. But I don't know the river well at all, so I guess I'll keep my mouth shut on this one.

they say it has to do with the hellbender becoming rare that they won't stock browns but There in other rivers that have browns so I don't understand it

plus theres a good chance that with just a stocking or two that they would reproduce since our rainbows can I would assume a brown could too since they have the spring branch to go up in with no fishing allowed there a good chance for them to make it to become bigger browns

I just wish they could figure out whats happening to the hellbender so they can move on with a brown stocking in the eleven point since thats what holding them up

Any how got out today and fished caught lots of great fish incuding my first two trout on a dry fly out of the eleven point

were both about 14 to 15 inchers

starting to notice a nice hatch going on some fish keying on the surface of the shallow still pools so I said what the heck tied on yellow stimulator and on the second cast I missed setting the hook only to follow through with the third cast landing a nice bow around 15

there was a long pause with no action and just as I thought it was over BAM on the swing another nice one couldn't beleive this

dry fly action on the eleven point and they weren't minnows will always remember this day not to mention I had a small Buck swim right to me with in 20 feet before it relized I was there

I took a pic of the deer and the first fish on the dry fly

by the way the fish was not foul hooked the hook came out while he was in the net so I just set the fly on him so everyone could see what I caught him on

didn't think to put it near to his mouth just didn't want him to die on me took me a moment to get my camera ready and was worried I had him out to long

but he recoverd very well with no need to hold him in the water as soon as I droped the net in the water out he came on his own

[ozark trout fisher]

they say it has to do with the hellbender becoming rare that they won't stock browns but There in other rivers that have browns so I don't understand it

plus theres a good chance that with just a stocking or two that they would reproduce since our rainbows can I would assume a brown could too since they have the spring branch to go up in with no fishing allowed there a good chance for them to make it to become bigger browns

I just wish they could figure out whats happening to the hellbender so they can move on with a brown stocking in the eleven point since thats what holding them up

Any how got out today and fished caught lots of great fish incuding my first two trout on a dry fly out of the eleven point

were both about 14 to 15 inchers

starting to notice a nice hatch going on some fish keying on the surface of the shallow still pools so I said what the heck tied on yellow stimulator and on the second cast I missed setting the hook only to follow through with the third cast landing a nice bow around 15

there was a long pause with no action and just as I thought it was over BAM on the swing another nice one couldn't beleive this

dry fly action on the eleven point and they weren't minnows will always remember this day not to mention I had a small Buck swim right to me with in 20 feet before it relized I was there

I took a pic of the deer and the first fish on the dry fly

by the way the fish was not foul hooked the hook came out while he was in the net so I just set the fly on him so everyone could see what I caught him on

didn't think to put it near to his mouth just didn't want him to die on me took me a moment to get my camera ready and was worried I had him out to long

but he recoverd very well with no need to hold him in the water as soon as I droped the net in the water out he came on his own

Yeah, I've heard it has to do with the hellbender as well.

On another note, I doubt if the browns would reproduce... Missouri spring-water is just too warm at the brown trout spawning time. Their eggs grow so fast in the comparitively warm water that the eggs cannot support themselves, and they die. Rainbows can sometimes successfully spawn because they spawn when the water is colder. Or so I've heard anyway.

[Tito Degiosio]

Yeah, I've heard it has to do with the hellbender as well.

On another note, I doubt if the browns would reproduce... Missouri spring-water is just too warm at the brown trout spawning time. Their eggs grow so fast in the comparitively warm water that the eggs cannot support themselves, and they die. Rainbows can sometimes successfully spawn because they spawn when the water is colder. Or so I've heard anyway.

did not know that thanks for the info