Rainbow with bright orange bellies

[flocktothewall]

I fished a local yesterday and only in this particular drainage have I see these. I wish I would have snapped a pic, but they are wild rainbows, typical of the drainages in the SBNF area, but their bellies are BRIGHT Orange, like a brook trout. Never seen it in any other waters except one particular. Are they some sort of a hybrid? There are browns that thrive in those waters as well.

I'd think maybe spawning, but its usually the smaller ones with the brighter colors.

[The Steady Foot]

I've also noticed the orange bellies on our local rainbows, however, I've noticed rainbows with orange bellies on many SoCal creeks. Likewise, it seems to be a more prevelant feature of smaller fish. I'm sure I can find a photo if I look thru my cache.

As for the possibility of a hybrid, do you mean hybrid rainbows/browns or brookies? Rainbows cannot hybridize with those species and I am not aware of any goldens in SoCal, either historically or currently. A friend hypothesizes that the orange features, especially on the fins, are indicative of steelhead genetics of the native populations.

[Sasha]

I see them up here from time to time, especially on a spring creek that is about four hours east of here. One thing I noticed though, I have only noticed the orange on small fish (12in and under). I have never noticed the trait on fish in the 15 to 24 inch range up here. The funny thing is that although I have caught them, I always have had a camera/pic malfunction and the shot either sucks or it is not at all.

[briansII]

Flowers are blooming. Rainbow trout are spring spawners. Color variations are quite common.

briansII

[flocktothewall]

I know that Rainbows and Browns cant hybridize, but I've caught small fish in several streams but this one seems to be exclusive to me. Hearing others talk about them in other drainages must just mean its a growing thing.

How old do fish have to be to spawn? These guys are 6" at best.

[WanderingBlues]

They are coloring up for the spawn. And, as the old saying goes--- size doesn't matter... They are mature fish and their hormones are telling them to get busy. They bigger bucks will have a say in that matter, but they'll still want to try... And, we saw many local spawners this week. It's the silly season.

[Sasha]

Interesting thing is that I have also noticed this coloring outside of spawning time...

[Flux]

I may be silly here, but that thing looks like it has some Cut in it. Not just because of the throat, but the limited spots etc.

[Sasha]

I may be silly here, but that thing looks like it has some Cut in it. Not just because of the throat, but the limited spots etc.

That fish is in my sig. so it shows up on all of my posts, it is not the type of fish we are discussing in this thread


Yes you are quite right though, that fish is a Westslope cutthroat caught somewhere up high here in Idaho.

[Flux]

HA! I missed the little grey line and thought it was the fish in question.

I'll just slink away...................

[WanderingBlues]

Yeah, Sasha just likes to remind us down here how good he has it up there.......

[The Steady Foot]

I know that Rainbows and Browns cant hybridize

Yeah, I figured you knew that but the OG post was a little confusing to me the way it was worded, sorry.

Anyway, I went through an exhaustive search of my photos and came up with two not-so-great pics of orange bellied rainbows, both from the same creek, which may be the creek you describe.





The 1st photo is a better representation of what I've observed spawning rainbows to look like in small SoCal creeks. The second is certainly not. Also, the colored up bigger bow was caught in September, the smaller in April. I also have observed without a doubt fall spawn rainbows in SoCal, but on a different creek.

So, for me at least, the debate as to whether these are features of spawning rainbows continues. They could be spawning fish, but like Sasha and flocktothewall say, they seem too small/young to be spawners.

[flocktothewall]

Spot on. Bright orange bellies, like a brook trout would have. But only on a Rainbow.

[fly addict]

Looks like one of those brook/brown/rainbow hybrids that the Bud Light drinking, bait chucker’s swear live in our local streams!

Mark

[briansII]

Looks like one of those brook/brown/rainbow hybrids that the Bud Light drinking, bait chucker’s swear live in our local streams!

Mark

Probably a cuttbrown, or brownbow, rainbrown, or cuttyrainbrown..........

briansII