State-record tiger trout expected soon in Idaho

A state-record trout is swimming in Jim Moore Pond in southeast Idaho.

Last week, 3,600 catchable-sized tiger trout were stocked in the tiny impoundment near Roberts by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

The fish are the first of their kind in Idaho, which makes every one of them a potential state record, said Dan Garren, fisheries manager in the Upper Snake Region.

Tigers are a sterile cross between brown trout and brook trout.

They are voracious predators that have been stocked in other states, including Washington, to thin populations of fish such as chubs and perch.

The newly stocked tigers in Idaho are between 11 and 13 inches. They weigh roughly a half-pound, but they are expected to grow quickly – and grow quite large.

State records for tiger trout include:

• Montana, 4.04 pounds, Bear Lake.

• Utah, 7 pounds 9 ounces, Boulder Mountain Reservoir.

• Washington, 15.04 pounds, Roses Lake, Chelan County.

Garren hopes the tigers will feast on John Moore’s stunted perch population, thinning it enough to allow the remaining perch to grow larger. Larger perch should make anglers happy. So should large tigers.

“It is a win-win,” Garren said.

Catchable-size tiger trout eventually will be stocked in waters in Idaho’s Salmon and Lewiston regions, Garren said.

“That means we are going to have new state records,” he said.

Since they are new to the region, Garren said anglers will have a learning curve for catching them.

He suggests flashy lures and gaudy streamers.