Striped trout spawning?

[Stick500]

Went for a great family hike at Willow Falls north of Hudson, WI last weekend and saw a bunch of big trout heading up the shallows to the falls. Funny thing is they all had a very distinctive wide, dark stripe on the side. Couldn't get a close enuf look for any other colorings but there appeared to be some pink and red in there too.

There were also some teens in the shallows chasing them and I wondered about the legality of that.

Any ideas on what I was seeing?

Also, a warning to anyone in the area woods right now- the deer ticks are horrible!

We had to have a strip-down to your undies tick check before we left and still didn't get 'em all.

[goblueM]

I would guess you saw white suckers spawning

did they look like this?

[Stick500]

That might have been what they were - they were pretty big though. I'm surprised I didn't notice the sucker mouth too, but that coloring is right.

Are any trout in this part of the country even spring spawners anyway?

[goblueM]

I'm fairly certain that is what you saw, the timing is right for them to be spawning. And your description. And added to the fact that the trout in the Willow River are fall spawners

[flyfisher03]

The only trout in this area that is a spring spawner is Rainbow Trout, and are generally considered a put and take fish. Meaning stocking for the sole purpose of catching.

[itchmesir]

and well.. for the most part.. Rainbows just do not spawn in our waters.. though recent finding have us wondering if rainbows are starting to take better to the DA waters and spawn

[OnAFly]

Thanks for posting that pick GoBlue. I saw some of those last year while wading a lake and had no idea of what they were. At first they looked like Koi that someone had thrown in there