Brown 's

Sportfishing The brown trout is a salmonid and is also known as
Weekend German brown trout, German trout, Lochleven trout, or
European brown trout.
Lake Surveys
Distribution
Stocking Program
Brown trout naturally occur throughout Europe and
Extension Info. western Asia. They range from Finland south to North
Africa, west to Iceland and as far east as
Species Afghanistan. Introduced throughout the world, they
Factsheets were first placed in Canadian waters in 1890. Today
they are found in rivers, lakes and coastal areas in
[Image] much of North America, and all provinces except
Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and the Northwest
Territories.

Sea-run populations occur in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

Brown trout are well established in several Nova Scotia watersheds.
They are only being stocked where they already exist. Nova Scotia
brown trout come from German and Lochleven (Scottish) ancestral
stocks.

Physical Characteristics

Brown trout get their name from the brown or golden brown hue on their
bodies. Here are some other characteristics:

* their sides are silvery or yellow and bellies are white or
yellowish;

* dark spots, sometimes encircled by a pale halo, are plentiful on
the back and sides;

* spotting also can be found on the head and the fins along the
back;

* rusty-red spots also occur on the sides;

* the small adipose (or fatty) fin in front of the tail has a
reddish hue;

* sea-run brown trout have a more silvery coloration and the
spotting is less visible.

* They closely resemble Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout, but
salmon have no red coloration on the adipose fin and rainbow
trout have lines of black spots on the tail. Young brown trout
(parr) have 9-14 dark narrow parr marks along the sides and some
red spotting along the lateral line.

* Brown trout can grow to be quite large, especially sea-run fish.
Fish weighing up to 31 kg (68 lb) have been recorded in Europe
and a specimen weighing 13 kg (28.5 lb) was caught in
Newfoundland. Typically they range 2.3-3.2 kg (5-7 lb) but reach
5.9 kg (13 lb) in Guysborough Harbour.

Facts on Brown Trout

Apart from moving upstream to spawn, adults tend to stay at
the same place in a river with very little movement to other stream
areas. They can be found at these stations day after day, even year
after year! Others move to or from estuaries in the spring or fall.
The closest relative of the brown trout is the Atlantic salmon (Salmo
salar). The brown trout's name (Salmo trutta) means salmon trout.
The largest brown trout ever taken was hooked recently in
Arkansas, U.S.A., weighing just over 40 pounds.

Fishing Facts
Brown trout prefer very similar
habitats to our native speckled trout except
that they can tolerate slightly higher water
temperatures. They often use lower reaches of
rivers and streams that are unsuitable for
speckled trout.
Brown trout do live longer and grow
larger than speckled trout. They have become
quite popular with anglers and are caught in
estuaries with lures and streamer-type flies.
There is no commercial fishery.

Natural History

Brown trout prefer cool clear rivers and lakes with temperatures of
12-19C. They are wary and elusive fish that look for cover more than
any other salmonid. In running waters they hide in undercut banks,
instream debris, surface turbulence, rocks, and deep pools. They also
take shelter under overhanging vegetation.

Brown trout are meat-eaters (carnivorous). They eat insects from water
and land, and take larger prey such as worms, crustaceans, mollusks,
fish, salamanders, and frogs as their size increases.

Brown trout spawn in the fall and early winter (October to February)
at the same time speckled trout spawn, or later.

They return to the stream where they were born, choosing spawning
sites that are spring-fed headwaters, the head of a riffle, or the
tail of a pool. Selected sites have good water flows through the
gravel bottom. The female uses her body to excavate a nest (redd) in
the gravel. She and the male may spawn there several times. A 2.3 kg
(5 lb) female produces about 3400 golden Coloured eggs that are 4 to 5
mm in diameter. Females cover their eggs with gravel after spawning
and the adults return downstream. The eggs develop slowly over the
winter, hatching in the spring. A good flow of clean, well-oxygenated
water is necessary for successful egg development.

After hatching, the young fish (alevins) remain buried in the gravel
and take nourishment from their large yolk-sacs. By the time the
yolk-sacs are absorbed, water temperatures have warmed to 7 to 12C.
The fish (now known as fry) emerge from the gravel and begin taking
natural food.

Brown trout fry are aggressive and establish territories soon after
they emerge. They are found in quiet pools or shallow, slow flowing
waters where older trout are absent. They grow rapidly and can reach a
size of 165 mm (6-5 in) in their first year.

Yearling brown trout move into cobble and riffle areas. Adults are
found in still deeper waters and are most active at night. They are
difficult to catch and are best fished at dawn or dusk. Brown trout
living in streams grow to about 1.8 kg (4 lb), but lake dwellers and
sea-run fish grow larger. They mature in their third to fifth year and
many become repeat spawners.

In sea-run populations, brown trout spend 2 to 3 years in freshwater
then migrate downstream to spend 1 or 2 growing seasons in coastal
waters near river mouths and estuaries. There they feed on small fish
and crustaceans. Most return to their home streams to spawn, but some
straying occurs. Brown trout live up to 14 years and can spend as long
as 9 years in the sea.