Hi Richard
Ahhh, I was talking about inshes – they’re about 1.5 x your earth inches
– Yep agreed, had another look at a couple of seatrout/grilse pictures on my mobile & compared the size with my reel. I was looking at an 18” ruler which looks a lot bigger on my desk offshore than a fish the same length does in the great outdoors, stockies come in about the same weight for length I guess, not all are pigs with fins
Without actually seeing the fish, but from the picture alone & the detail that gives, would say your picture is definitely a well mended S/T kelt – The other picture could possibly be a S/T but with the description of the fish rising from Darren in the river don forum & the yellow colouring on the underside would put my pound on a brownie, when S/T colour up they tend to turn dark brown/grey, have also seen silvery brownies but they are nothing like the colouring of a S/T & more like Loch Leven trout
Would be interesting to know how it fought, sea trout are usually pegged as soon as hooked – lightening fast runs all over the pool & preference to leap & tail walk, brownie’s tend to fight in a more measured manner heading fast for snags & cover & don’t usually show themselves – I think this is because they know their surroundings well so head for known cover whilst a sea trout belts madly around the pool & leaps in an attempt to escape & may well be a tactic used whilst in the sea
Cheers
Stewart