Variation of trout colours, and AJ's first fly session

Friend of OAA AJ has fished with us a few times now, but it was time to enter the world of fly fishing!

She did a great job, getting the hang of roll casting very quickly, and with a breeze, it was all that was needed most of the day.

Looking through the photos though, it was a great example of how the colour of wild brownies can vary within a single water, or a single bay within a water! All of these were taken on small surface flies too, so it wasn't like they were even in different feeding modes. None were kept- all released, so we wont know if they have a main diet of something different.

A bright silver brown trout is often the result of the environment it has recently occupied. Trout that spend time in open water, large lochs, or the sea-run trout develop that silvery appearance that reflects light and helps them blend into their surroundings. Even fish living in clear, limestone lochs with pale gravel beds may appear lighter, as their pigment cells adjust over time to better match the background. This silvery sheen gradually fades if the fish remains in darker freshwater habitats, where different camouflage becomes more advantageous.

First up, a very silvery light fish, which almost looks like a sea trout! This loch has no run to the sea though...

A bright silver brown trout is often the result of the environment it has recently occupied. Trout that spend time in open water, large lochs, or the sea-run trout develop that silvery appearance that reflects light and helps them blend into their surroundings. Even fish living in clear, limestone lochs with pale gravel beds may appear lighter, as their pigment cells adjust over time to better match the background. This silvery sheen gradually fades if the fish remains in darker freshwater habitats, where different camouflage becomes more advantageous.

The classic yellow/gold belly of argyll trout that we see more often

A dark brown trout is typically adapted to life in shaded rivers, peaty water, or areas with dense weed and woody cover. Dark olive and brown colour provides effective camouflage in the dark depths of some of our lochs, helping the fish avoid predators while remaining concealed from prey. Genetics also play a role, with some populations naturally exhibiting darker colouration than others, but habitat is one of the strongest influences. Together, these factors create the striking variation in appearance seen between brown trout from different waters—or even from different parts of the same loch.

One of the darker fish we see, and the darkest for AJ, usually the larger trout have much darker colouring

The question still stands on why there is so much variation in the same bay on the same fly, but we will just have to continue spending time up there to figure it out!

And of course one in the middle! dark top, silvery side and a bit of a yellow belly! a good mix of the genetic perhaps!