Ugly Trout

Yes, I know we love them, but I encountered a ugly trout last week. I was tempted to also count him a stupid trout, as he fell for my imitation, but then I recalled that he was likely very smart and it was only because my imitation and presentation were so damned good that he came to hand.

Yes, that must be it.

But I think you will agree, with his deformed pectoral fin, tattered dorsal and caudal fins, and kindergarten-grade finger paint spots, this is an ugly trout.



While I recognize the hideousness of this particular Brown Trout I do not fault him for it. He grew up in a cement pond and had likely been recently dumped in the Beaverkill River and likely was a bit confused and stressed. I'm sure his fins will come back to normal after he consumes a diet of caddis and March Browns.

Unless he ends up in a frying pan or stuck in an eagle's talons.

So why did I share a video of an ugly trout?

First, it's the only video of a trout I have from last week. But more importantly, isn't it cool how he holds position in a pretty good current with virtually no effort?

When I put him back in the water he initially was behind my boot but within about 10 seconds he moved to the position you see him in now. That little bump of a rock near his nose allowed him to hold with just the odd twitch of his tail. It's not something I would have thought as creating holding water. I guess even a ugly trout can tug the line and teach you a bit about the sport.

He seemed to hang out a bit longer than other trout. It probably helped that he sensed my catch-and-release ethos and was instantly calmed in the presence of such kinship and brotherhood.

Or maybe those crappy fins just make it hard to swim. He was probably tired.