A trout angler might fish a lifetime without ever seeing a tiger trout in person. Tiger trout are extremely rare, except in locations where they are hatchery produced and stocked. They are a hybrid cross of brown and brook trout that display beautiful markings distinct from either species. Tiger trout do occur in the wild where the two species coexist, but it is an anomaly. Tiger trout are sterile.
Because they are sterile, tiger trout devote all of their energy to feeding and are known to be highly aggressive. They are stocked in some areas to control nuisance baitfish populations and grow quite large under the right conditions. The IGFA world record is a 20-lb., 13-oz. monster caught from Lake Michigan by Pete Friedland in 1978.
In December 2020, angler Gatlynn Mayes caught a 4.8-pound Idaho state-record tiger trout through the ice on Becker Pond in Idaho Falls. It measured 24 inches in length and topped the previous 2018 record of 4.04 pounds.
Mayes’ record is impressive, but it was made much more likely by the fact that Idaho stocks hatchery-reared tiger trout at numerous locations. If tiger trout are on your bucket list, Idaho is a good place to find one.