10-31-2005, 07:06 PM
You can almost be 100% sure that ALL the rainbows caught were hatchery fish. The difference between the ones that have fins and the ones that don't is simply the size/age of when they were stocked. Trout stocked as fingerling will have good fins and the appearance of a wild fish; however, trout stocked as catchables will often have deformed or stubby fins. Yuba is a very unlikely spot for natural reproduction of rainbow trout because it lacks the habitat necessary for them...the Sevier River also has very little or no natural reproduction of rainbow trout. Also, a quick check of past DWR stocking records will reveal that both catchable and fingerling trout are stocked in Yuba.
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