Help identify this fish

[kylesw]

Hi all -

A little help identifying this fish. I caught it a few years ago out of Hyas lake (near lake Kachess, wa). Is it a dolly varden? It looks most like one, but the spots seem really close together. Thanks!

Kyle

[Big D]

It's a Dolly or a Bull Trout depending on where you're from...

[G-Man]

Kinda looks like a lake trout to me, definitely a member of the char family, a full body shot would help. Most bull trout/dollies I see come out of the lakes have a bit more olive color to them. If the tail was seriously forked, it was a laker.

FYI - I know a lot of us, myself iuncluded, were told we have dolly varden running around in our waters when in fact most of those fish are bull trout.

*edit* Silly me, I didn't expand the pic for the whole body shot. Not a laker, bull trout/dolly for sure.

[basser90]

That's a Dolly

[Teal101]

From Hyas Lake? Bull Trout.

Fisheries biologists contain Dolly Varden to coastal streams of the Olympics and Cascades, most commonly in the northern reaches of WA state. There are many lakes in the Hyas lake region that contain Bull Trout.

[kylesw]

Thanks for the help guys. I was doing a little more research and I think it may even be a Brook trout X Bull trout hybrid. According to wikipedia they "hybridize easily". Additionally, from what I have found it explains the "worming" pattern on its back. Check out the link below, 2nd image:

http://fwpiis.mt.gov/bulltroutid/traini ... ning16.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[G-Man]

I can see where that may be the case. I did notice that the dorsal fin on your fish had spotting instead of being "clear" like the rest of the fins.

[Matt]

For clarification, Bull Trout and Dolly Varden are the same species genetically speaking. The differentiation is between whether they are anadromous or not. Land locked forms are referred to commonly as Bull Trout, migratory fish would be Dollys.

[Teal101]

For clarification, Bull Trout and Dolly Varden are the same species genetically speaking. The differentiation is between whether they are anadromous or not. Land locked forms are referred to commonly as Bull Trout, migratory fish would be Dollys.

100% incorrect. Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma ARE genetically a different species than Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus. Both are Char, and both are closely related, but they are NOT the same species. Both Dolly Varden and Bull Trout are both anadromous species, Bull Trout being selective populations. Dolly Varden are restricted to the Olympic Peninsula and Northern Washington generally. Dolly Varden do not occur East of the Cascades.

[Matt]

Fair enough, I was misinformed. Until 1980 they were listed as the same species, and Dollies are generally only found in coastal regions and are often smaller. As far as anadromy, like their closely related salmonid bretheren there are landlocked forms of both species as well as all other species of salmon with the exception of Chum and Pink, I believe.

[Teal101]

Fair enough, I was misinformed. Until 1980 they were listed as the same species, and Dollies are generally only found in coastal regions and are often smaller. As far as anadromy, like their closely related salmonid bretheren there are landlocked forms of both species as well as all other species of salmon with the exception of Chum and Pink, I believe.

Correct, they were separated in 1978 as two species. Genetic analysis confirmed this later. Dollys are only found in coastal waters, or tributaries to coastal waters. All "freshwater" populations of Dolly are landlocked by manmade structures. There are no Dollys east of the Cascades. Bull Trout are generally larger as you stated. The state record Dolly is 10lbs whereas the Bull Trout is 22lbs.

They are nearly identical species. The best distinguishing characteristic is the branchiostegal ray count. The Bull Trout average a mean of 27 branchiostegal rays, while the Dolly had a mean of 22. This is the easiest form of differentiation, although not always accurate as studies show there is a 5% overlap in genetically identified specimens.