Brown Trout

How to recognise it

• Both black and red spots on the body, the black ones usually inside a pale halo.
• Dark to olive-brown back, yellow sides, yellow or white belly.
• The tail is usually not forked and usually has no spots.
• Usually 8–15 in, but can reach about 37 in and 26 lb.

Habitat: where it lives

• Cold streams and lakes that stay under about 70°F; it prefers 12–20°C (54–68°F).
• In streams, around dense cover such as sunken logs and undercut banks, or in deep water below riffles.
• Native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia, and brought to the US by 1883. Some waters depend on stocking.

Habits: behavior, spawning and growth

• Known for being wary.
• It usually lives about 4 years, sometimes 8 or more.

Where and when

• Small high-elevation streams for fast action: more than two fish an hour in California.
• Larger rivers and reservoirs fed by spawning streams for fish over 18 in.
• Best times: midday in spring, early morning and early evening in summer.
• Fish logs, undercut banks and the deep water below riffles.

Bait and lures

Why these baits work

• It eats insects and small prey, so worms and small spinners match what it finds in a stream.
• Large adults eat mostly fish and crayfish, so a minnow or a small crankbait is the bigger-fish choice.

Rod and reel setups

Grouped by lure fishing (artificial baits) and bait fishing (live or natural bait).