Spot the difference(s)

Gather some fine fishy folk into a room and get them talking (as if you could stop em) about brown trout. How long do you reckon it would be before the topic of colour or more likely spotting pattern would creep in? Let’s face it, we love our spotties! It’s just such an integral part of their beauty and wonderful diversity.

So, for no other reason than the sheer beauty of em, I’m going to ask you good supporters of WTT to snap a few images of wild brown trout spots when you’re out this season but specifically trying to focus on one area – square on and below the dorsal fin. In fact, just like the images scattered around this page, trying to avoid any large patches of glare / reflection / contrast. These images were lifted from whole’ fish shots, and hence aren’t the best quality. I’m hoping you can provide some close ups of the fish flank.

Obviously, fish welfare takes priority here, so I don’t want you to spend ages composing a finely focussed still-life. The good thing about this exercise is that it can be done in the net. I’ll be cropping everything down to focus on the spots.

If you can send them to me at a reasonable resolution size for printing, I’d like to create a map of the UK (and further afield depending upon uptake) to demonstrate how spotting pattern can vary, as a bit of an engagement tool for WTT. Spot the difference as it were! So, I’d need the river or lake name too. But that’s it. Big fish, small fish, all good….

Of course, some of you may have something similar already – and I’d gratefully accept those too.

Tight lines! Jonny

jgrey@​wildtrout.​org