THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

it is highly variable at a number of levels to the point where some would argue that full species
separation, or at least sub-speciation, has already taken place.
A prime example of this is the ferox trout, a term first coined by renowned angler Sir William Jardine
in 1835. Similarly, some of the other large cannibalistic variations found in a number of the larger Irish
Loughs.
RN Campbell (1979) offered a definition of ferox trout as being a long lived, late maturing, piscivorous
brown trout, which in Britain and Ireland are often present in large, deep, glacier formed lakes
containing arctic char or whitefish species.
Following a wide range of scientific observations and studies, others also see ferox as a separate species,
with the name Salmo ferox being suggested. I often think back to a statement made by Ferox 85 cofounder
and author of the excellent book Ferox Trout, Ron Greer, who in an audio interview we did
together said that in his opinion, all ferox trout are brown trout, but not all brown trout are ferox trout.
So make of that what you will. For me the jury is still out. But it isn't with regard to the sea trout, plus
the slob trout, lake trout, and river trout from the Irish record fish list, all of which are little more than
variations on the plasticity of Salmo trutta, none of which deserve separate status, either in the record
list, my bucket list, or for that matter any other list.
Associated audio interview numbers: 9, 15, 105, 125 and 130.
SEA TROUT Salmo trutta
Bucket List status – result
As this is the same species as the brown
trout discussed above, let me refer you
to that account for precise
identification information if required.
As will become apparent, I don't
subscribe to separate inclusion here,
but then again, that's just my opinion.
The one concession I will make is a
detailed look at separating sea trout
from salmon, if only for the case of
being able to correctly put a tick
against the Atlantic salmon.
In the salmon, the tail is concave at the
Sven Hille, Baltic Sea Trout
edge, or put another way, slightly
forked, whereas that of the sea trout is
square cut and straight. The 'wrist' or caudal peduncle just ahead of the tail also differs.
In the sea trout this is broader, and when used as a gripping point to pick the fish up will usually see it
slip free. Salmon on the other hand are narrower, and therefore easier to pick up in this way. Sea trout
are also often heavily spotted, some of which extend down past the lateral line, which is not the case
with salmon.
The maxilla, which is the bony plate along the upper jaw, extends beyond the eye in sea trout, which
again is not the case with salmon.
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