Brown Trout
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.
copyright 2001 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
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