Help identify this Trout & Have some questions

[xDirty]

So i caught this guy on sunday in the south branch of the raritan. I saw a few and sight casted, and one of them nailed my inline spinner. When i caught it i remember thinking it was a rainbow trout but i showed a customer at work and he thinks it might be a small brown trout and he also said its colors are darker which might indicate its a hold over trout. I do remember it being a little darker than the other one i caught but i still remember thinking it was a rainbow trout. It was a cloudy day so the lighting wasn't the greatest.

What kind of trout is this ? Does the raritan ever have hold overs ?

I also noticed further down that there was a dead trout under this tree in the water. It looked like it could be the one i caught but also looked a little bigger. is it possible that its the trout i caught and let go and it just died ?

the water was 49 Degrees, i reeled him in pretty quick, weighed him and took a picture and let him loose. i dont think i handled him for more than a minute and a half and i was extremely gentle with him. it tried to thrash twice while i was weighing him and i put him down immediately to get him to stop. when i let him back in the water he was a little sluggish but swam off fine.

I hope that wasnt the same trout i caught

[XXlyakattacker]

I vote sickly rainbow. He's missing some fins also.

[Fishinfire]

I have to ask, why the lip clamp? They can do more harm than good at times.

[Mikeps326]

Dark coloring then usual but I'm also going with rainbow since you can see the red going from the cheeks down to the tail.

[xDirty]

Originally Posted by Fishinfire

I have to ask, why the lip clamp? They can do more harm than good at times.

Its not so much of, just a clamp, as it is the top part of my weighing scale. i used that to weigh it and then released it. I tried to be as careful as i can. How else can i weigh the fish quickly without hurting it ?

[NJ Dave]

Rainbow. There is a faint pink lateral line you can see.
as for a hold over, no chance. The fins and tail are all rubbed up feom the hatchery concrete receways. If it was a spring fish the fins would have been more healed up.
None the less its a nice catch.

[Chrisper4694]

Looks like a stocked rainbow to me too. I'd recommend just a length measurement if you want a better release. Anyway, nice catch. They are good to eat or make great bait cut into chunks, for next time!