Brown Trout
Salmo trutta

Identification tips for trouts and salmons

• Length: 16 to 24 inches
• Weight:2 to 8 pounds
• Coloring: light brown or tawny back, becoming silvery on the sides and belly
• Common Names:brownie, German brown trout, German trout, European brown trout, breac
• Found in Lakes:Michigan, Huron, Ontario, Erie and Superior

Brown trout, a European relative of the Atlantic salmon, arrived in North America as early as 1883 and were introduced to Wisconsin waters four years later. These resourceful fish managed well in degraded habitats no longer suitable for brook and other trout.

At the same time, the browns proved they could grow faster and live longer than the other kinds of trout.Their reputation as a wary fish that tends to feed at dusk or night may account in part for their durability.

Brown trout have adjusted well to life in Lake Michigan. They spawn in late autumn, sometimes on rocky reefs along shore though they generally prefer the gravelly headwaters of streams. Wisconsin now stocks about 1.5 million brown trout in the lake each year, with lesser numbers stocked by Michigan and Illinois.

This has brought more variety to the lake's ecosystem and to the lives of many anglers. Surfcasting for the fish, for example, is a popular sport along the lake's northern shores.

Brown trout are among the wariest of fish, feeding usually at dusk or at night, so fishermen are the adult brown's chief predator. In many localities, surf casting for brown trout is popular. The record brown trout from Lake Superior -- nearly 30 pounds -- was taken in 1971.

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copyright  University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Brook Trout illustration copyright 1998 Gina Mikel
Brown trout  photograph (c) Shedd Aquarium (e-mail)
Drawings from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Last updated 05 February 2002 by Seaman