David discusses a relative newcomer to Australian trout fisheries – and its potential for waters in NSW and Victoria.

Mitch Elkins, the manager of the Gaden Trout Hatchery near Jindabyne, is like a proud dad sloshing around a small holding pond with a large net, chasing tiger trout. Each one he pulls up to show me is broad-shouldered, fat in the belly and big. Yet amazingly, these fish are only 2 to 3 years old. He’s excited, I’m excited, any angler should be excited. But what does the future hold for these seemingly perfect trout?

At its core, Australia, though blessed in places with great populations of wild, self-sustaining brown and rainbow trout, is not awash with viable trout habit. Global warming in an already harsh climate, land degradation and frequent droughts, all contribute to a rise and fall in the quality of the trout fishing from one season to the next. You also don’t have to look far to see the devastating effects redfin and carp are having on trout fishing. Obviously, in both New South Wales and Victoria, there is habitat work to improve stressed waterways for both natives and trout, but is it enough to counter climate change and invasive species?

In my own time trout fishing in Australia, I’ve seen clear declines in the quality of the trout rivers of the central-west of New South Wales. I used to fish there most weekends when I lived in Sydney, yet I rarely fish the area anymore. Some of the lakes I spent many days on in the early 1980s like Lyell, Oberon and Pejar, are now, in my opinion, only shadows of their former selves. That said, I don’t want to spread doom and gloom and I am aware of some dedicated fly anglers who still scrape some decent sport out of these areas. I just can’t see it returning to its prime.

So how do tiger trout fit into the future?

Anthony Forster, the manager of inland fisheries for the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA), tells me, “Tigers provide an exciting and spectacular-looking alternative to both rainbows and browns. They’re aggressive feeders, grow fast and are incredibly catchable compared with other trout. Even with our modest stockings to date, they are very well represented in the catch of recreational fishers.” Anthony goes on to say, “In the USA, over the last decade or so, tigers have been increasingly used to complement native trout fisheries. As hybrid fish, they don’t breed and therefore don’t compete for native trout spawning habitat, and their populations can be carefully managed through fish stocking programs. The fighting qualities, growth and colourful appearance have surprised and delighted many recreational fishers.”

Meanwhile, back at Gaden, Mitch rates tiger trout for their growth rate. At stocking size, they are typically at least 25% larger than comparable hatchery reared browns. He continues, “From a stocking manager’s perspective, a 16-20cm tiger is much bigger than a brown of the same age, and therefore much less likely to be lunched on by a redfin in its first moments of freedom.”

The research is not complete, but I also hear that, given tigers grow fast and eat plenty, they might be a useful control for redfin, and possibly even carp.

New South Wales Fisheries, looking to enhance angling opportunities in more inland impoundments, are experimenting with tiger trout as a possible replacement for, or addition to, browns and rainbows, where stocking of the latter two has proved hit and miss in recent times, based on returns from regular angler surveys. Mitch tells me, “Tiger trout have so far been a part of a three-year pilot study in Lake Lyell, Lake Wallace and Thompsons Creek Dam in central NSW, near the township of Lithgow. Researchers, led by Fisheries Scientist Dr Nathan Miles, are monitoring these trial stockings to determine the future of tiger trout stocking in NSW.”

Mitch adds, “Continued stocking will depend on a thorough assessment of their success and impact, taking into account environmental and socio-economic factors. If the pilot study proves successful, tiger trout may be introduced to additional regions and impoundments in NSW.”

Back in Victoria, VFA’s Dr Taylor Hunt, explains that “In 2020, the VFA, in partnership with the Lake Purrumbete Angling Club, Australian Trout Foundation and VRFish, commenced a 3-year trial stocking of tiger trout into Lake Purrumbete. The trial aimed to evaluate whether this hybrid species could provide another high value target for anglers, due to the tiger trout’s reputation for being highly aggressive, visually attractive, and large growth potential because of hybrid vigour.” (This is where cross-breeding between different species or populations can create offspring which are genetically fitter than their parents.)

Dr Hunt continues, “The trial has been a tremendous success, with excellent angler catches of tiger trout, evidence of fast growth, and positive feedback from anglers. In 2021, we expanded the stocking trial to Lake Bullen Merri and the results have been similarly impressive. To date, we’ve seen many tiger trout caught across both lakes, up to 10 pounds. It seems only a matter of time before some seriously big double-figure specimens are landed.”

Making tiger trout

Tiger trout are a sterile hybrid cross between brown trout and brook trout. Individual fish can lean more or less between the longer, narrower build of a brown, and the more brick-like brookie. In general, tigers are more solid across the back than either, and certainly heavier when the same age. Also, because they don’t pause their normal growth to, um, chase some tail, tigers grow right through the season.

In looks, tiger trout are quite striking. While their home water affects colouration (as with all salmonids), many exhibit a mottled green striped top that has some resemblance to the markings of a Murray cod, while the bellies can be vivid orange and gold.

The yearling tigers that Mitch breeds have a blueish tint that looks almost pelagic – like a saltwater fish – but still with the distinctive tiger stripes. All up, tigers are certainly a photogenic fish and given their growth rate, I would expect to see lots of them in photos.

And further to Mitch’s comments earlier, he has found tiger trout to be “fantastic to raise in both indoor and outdoor ponds and tanks, as well as in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems. They are extremely fast growing, have shown to hatch at rates of 80-90% (using wild brown trout eggs and hatchery-bred brook trout milt), and they take pellet feed readily.”

Mitch also likes that, “They are a wary species, but without being as temperamental about light exposure, movement or feeding regimes as brown trout can be. And tigers will take both floating and sinking feeds. They can be run in high densities in tanks or ponds if required, and travel in aerated transport tanks with ease.”

He reiterates that, “As a hybrid fish, tiger trout are sterile. This means any populations will be wholly supported by fish stocking, ensuring sensible fisheries management will be key in establishing and maintaining populations of these magnificent sportsfish”

How to catch a tiger

To have a look firsthand at fishing for tiger trout, I took my well-travelled fishing buddy Bob ‘One Fly Guy’ Norris, on a road trip to Millbrook lakes near Ballarat in Victoria, to fish with longtime guide Philip Weigall, who, after a few years at it, is gradually learning the best ways to catch these similar but different fish on fly.

We showed up on a very cold and very windy winter morning with even worse weather closing in, so got straight to work at Cabin Lake where tigers have been stocked since 2020. Philip had Bob onto a good fish within a few minutes of casting. What eventually came to the net (they are dogged fighters) was quite amazing, with its vivid palette of colours across a very fat body.

Philip, who started off a tiger sceptic after seeing unimpressive results from stockings of other non-brown/ rainbow species at Millbrook, admits to still learning his away around them. However, he’s come around fast, and now says, “They have all best features of brookies and browns, and very few of the bad. They can be moody, but not as much as brookies, and on a good day, are probably more catchable than rainbows (which are in turn statistically more catchable than browns). Even on the worst days, they’re still catchable. In other words, they rarely seem to be completely ‘doggo’.”

And he adds with relief, “They don’t have that infuriating habit of some impoundment brookies of ignoring surface food. They’ll eat midge, mayfly and beetles off the top with the best of them.”

While noting his tiger-catching observations are generalisations (aren’t they always with trout fishing!) Philip says they do exhibit some distinctive traits. For one thing, although they can be easily spooked just like a rainbow or brown, they seem to develop extreme tunnel vision when feeding hard, and that includes when homing in on a fly. Philip tells the story of how he and a client once had to work very hard to scare an attacking 4lb tiger away from a hooked 2lb rainbow that was caught in some weed, and unable to respond to the tiger’s territorial cues! In the end, the tiger was literally biting the poor rainbow, and Philip had to wade in to chest-deep water to scare it away.

From a practical flyfishing viewpoint, all this means that tiger fishers should look very carefully for follows, and be ready to tease a take – even at the rod tip, or by casting again at a departing tiger that’s run out of room. This predatory focus can also translate into a liking for ‘escaping’ flies pulled fast, and some days, even a bit of plop, flash and colour. Not, says Phil, that they can’t be as finicky as a wily brown trout sometimes. Just be ready to capitalise on their extra level of aggression at times.

Back to our fishing day at Millbrook with Bob, and unfortunately, soon after midday we were finally blown off the water by wind and sleet straight from the South Pole. But Bob was undeterred by the long drive for a short day’s fishing. He was stoked with his first few tigers. Bob’s thoughts? “The gentle take, followed by the way they use their weight in the fight, set them apart from browns and rainbows.”  He also really liked their look, noting it as, “Very interesting, with a marked difference between a hen and a buck (despite being sterile, the males and females are distinct), and with similar colours across the back to a trout cod.” We’re already planning a trip back to Millbrook when it’s likely to be somewhat warmer!

Catch one yourself

In Victoria, Lake Purrumbete and Lake Bullen Merri west of Melbourne have been stocked with tigers since 2020, and are caught regularly.

As per the NSW tiger trial described earlier, Lake Lyell, Lake Wallace and Thompsons Creek Dam near Lithgow west of Sydney have been stocked. If the rumours are to be believed, you can catch one yourself – although the numbers are still limited. While it’s early days, in the next ten years, Mitch tells me, “Tiger trout have the potential to play a significant role in the future development of trout fisheries, not only in NSW but across mainland trout regions.”

And as Bob discovered, the private Millbrook Lakes fishery in Victoria also has several waters stocked with tigers, and they’re now a regular catch there amongst the big browns and rainbows. (Visit the website for more information)

My own opinion? Tiger trout are most exciting because they’re new to Australia and have the potential to really add weight to a day on the water. The thought of an aggressive trout species, which grows fast and looks good, is hard not to get excited about. Although it’s early days, with plenty more research required, the idea that the tigers may also help control redfin in some waters (maybe even carp) could add to their potential benefit to trout fishing in more marginal areas.

No, I’m not in the room when the big decisions are made by our state fisheries managers, but I do know many of the people involved and have seen firsthand their dedication. If they think tiger trout are a fit in Australia, they certainly fit for me.