Wild or Stocked?

[TheDuke44]

Hi all - I'm a lifelong bass fisherman who has finally caught the bug of chasing trout on the fly. I am starting to get the hang of things but still have A LOT to learn!

My most recent trip brought about my personal best - the brown seen below! With my lack of knowledge on the subject, I'd appreciate any pointers on how to better identify a wild fish from a stocked fish. While it was caught in a pretty well-stocked creek, holdovers and wild trout do exist in the area.

 

[TCWNY]

His fins look good, that's the first thing I look at. A stockers are often bent or worn down to nubs from rubbing the sides of the raceways

 

[wildtrout2]

Not the best pic to make a definitive ID, but looking at the spot pattern, it makes me believe it to be a stocked brown. Nice trout though.

 

[Tigereye]

Looks like a holdover.