Last updated on August 11th, 2023 at 04:41 am
Trout species are a great addition to any fishing trip. They provide an excellent source of protein and can be cooked in many ways, such as frying or baking. When cooking trout, it is important to make sure the flesh does not overcook. If they do overcook and become tough, then there may be no salvaging them for eating. It is best to cook trout until the flesh becomes opaque, but not any longer.
Trout can be found in many colors, patterns, and sizes. Certain species of trout are native to certain areas around the world. With so much variety on offer, it’s no wonder that there is such a great passion for fishing!
We’ll see some more information about why people love fishing later but first, we need to know about the many trout species we have.
Trout species
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout are trout species that are native to the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to southern California. It was originally discovered in high mountain lakes and, for this reason, it has been referred to as “Humboldt’s trout.” In 1859, a group of immigrants brought four brown-trout specimens into San Francisco Bay; these were later released, and rainbow trout began to spread throughout the coastal rivers.
The world record for a hooked and landed rainbow trout is just over 24 pounds (11 kilograms). This was achieved in California’s Lake Tahoe on December 27, 1927, by George H. McKnight who had been an avid fisherman since age 12.
This fish lives in anadromous spawning grounds, which are the freshwater streams that flow into the ocean. The rainbow trout are found in both cold and warm water streams but prefer to live in colder, high elevation lakes or springs with plenty of cool water.
These trout species can be found along coasts from Alaska to southern California. They are natively Pacific coast fish that prefer living at higher elevations where they are able to find cool water.
The average size of this species ranges from 12-18 inches in length with an average weight of around one pound. They are, on average, much smaller than browns or rainbows.
Cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trouts are another trout species that are found in the Western United States. They do not have teeth, but they use their jaws and suckers on their lips to catch prey items such as insects, insect larvae, fish eggs, and crayfish. The average length of cutthroat trout is 12 inches (30 cm). Spawning usually occurs between the months of September and October.
Cutthroat trout are found in the Western United States. They do not have teeth, but they use their jaws and suckers on their lips to catch prey items such as insects, insect larvae, fish eggs, and crayfish. The average length of cutthroat trout is 12 inches (30 cm). Spawning usually occurs between the months of September and October.
Golden trout
Golden trout, also known as red-banded rainbow trout or Sebright Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) is a freshwater trout species that live in the eastern parts of North America. It ranges from Northern Idaho to Maine and south to northern Pennysylvania. The golden trout was introduced by accident into this area around 1883.
These trout species are a hybrid of the cutthroat and rainbow trout, with genetics that shows them to be genetically pure inbreds from these two species. They have been shown to cross-breed readily with both their parent species as well as other subspecies in the Oncorhynchus genus like coastal cutthroat or coastal rainbow trout.
Golden trout are well known for their brilliant metallic golden color with black spots on the back, dark brown to olive green sides, and white bellies. They grow to a maximum length of 24 inches (61 cm) but most adults range from 12-16 inches in size. The average weight is just over two pounds (.91 kg) at maturity.
Golden trout inhabit cold, clear streams and lakes with cobble or rocky bottoms in which they find shelter among the rocks while feeding on aquatic insects. They have been shown to spawn between October and November when water temperatures reach 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit (35-42 degrees Celsius), though it is believed that spawning may occur all year round with a peak in winter.
They are adaptable fish and can tolerate some pollution, but they do best when there is clean water and good spawning habitat available to them. This makes the golden trout vulnerable to human impacts like logging of riparian zones as well as poor land management practices that may be degrading overall stream quality or disrupting their spawning habitat.
Brown trout
The brown trout is the most widely distributed trout species; it can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America. In New Zealand, they are called blackfish or sea runs. Brown trout have a dark green or olive back with large light spots at their side to give them a spotted appearance which often makes these fish targets for fishermen.
Brown trout are among the largest of the family Salmonidae, reaching up to 60 cm (24 in) and weighing up to 40 kg (88 lb), but most specimens only grow about half that size. They are native to cool temperate parts of eastern North America, Asia, and northern Europe including Scandinavia, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the British Isles. They have been introduced to other parts of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and South America.
The brown trout was first classified as a species in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae. It is considered native to Europe where it has been widely introduced for sport fishing and farming because of its ability for this type of food production. The brown trout is a fish that does well in rivers and streams but can live out of water for up to 24 hours if it stays moist by living on wet ground or under damp rocks.
Brown trout are one of the hardier types with an average life span of six years; they have few natural predators due to their aggressive behavior in the water.
Brown trout are often caught by anglers using flies, lures (especially spoons), or bait including worms and crustaceans which do not require them to surface more than a few inches from the bottom of a stream at most. These fish can also be found near weed beds where they can feed on insects that rest on the plants.
Lake Trout
Lake trout is the largest of all freshwater trout species. It can reach more than 60 pounds and live as long as 30 years. The average weight for an adult lake trout is around 20-25 pounds with a lifespan of about 12 to 15 years, sometimes longer if it does not get caught by fishermen or predators like bears and seals. This species is primarily found in cold, deep water.
Lake trout eat almost any fish smaller than themselves and are also known for cannibalizing other trout or salmon of the same species if they are not careful where they swim. They live at depths ranging from 50-150 feet below the surface and usually feed near nightfall when it can be difficult for other predators to see them.
Lake trout usually grow up in the lakes of northern Canada or Alaska but have been seen as far south as California and Argentina. They are a popular target for fishermen because they fight hard when on the line. Lake trout are also prized by chefs who prize its white meat with a firm texture that takes well to sautéing.
Lake trout, or Salvelinus namaycush, is the largest of all freshwater trout species in North America and can grow to more than 60 pounds long with a lifespan of up to 30 years. It’s primarily found in cold deep water but has been seen as far south as California and Argentina too.
Brook trout
The brook trout is a North American trout species of salmonid native to eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It lives in both cold and warm water, reproducing at temperatures as low as 41°F (five degrees Celsius) but dying above 75°F (24 degrees Celsius). An adaptable fish, it will eat insect larvae or terrestrial plants such as berries or aquatic plants.
The brook trout is an important food and game fish, whose populations are declining in number because of pollution and overfishing. It has been introduced to other parts of the world for fishing purposes; it was first exported from North America to Europe in 1878, but now exists outside its native range in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Dolly Varden
The Dolly Varden trout is a trout species in the salmon family. The fish has an olive-green back and silvery sides, with white spots on its head. It grows to be up to 11 inches long. Dolly Varden is found in Alaska, Canada, and Oregon.
These trout species can be easily confused with other species of trout because they lack spots on their backs. They also have a distinctive band of black near the tail fin that is not present in some types of trout.
Dolly Vardens live mainly along rivers and streams or where there is a steady flow of cool water.
Dolly Vardens are the most common trout species found in Alaska. They can be caught year-round but peak during colder months when many other species hibernate or migrate downstream to small tributaries that don’t freeze over. Less abundant than coastal rainbow and steelhead, Dolly Varden are nevertheless plentiful in Alaska and are a popular food fish.
Dolly Vardens generally stay small, with the biggest one caught on record being just over 11 inches long. Dolly Varden average about four pounds when fully grown but can grow up to eight pounds.
Bull trout
The bull trout is the largest of all freshwater-dwelling trout species. It lives primarily in mountain streams and lakes, but it can also survive in coldwater tributaries downstream from a glacier. Bull trouts are solitary creatures that lay their eggs on bedrock underwater or along stream banks during late winter/early spring.
They feed primarily on salmonids, but will also eat other fish and insects. Bull trouts are so sensitive to pollution that they have been federally listed as a threatened species in the United States since 1993.
Bull trout typically range from 16 to 24 inches in length. They are brownish-green or olive-colored with dark, irregular blotches along the back and sides. A large white band runs down the center of a bull trout’s body from head to tail, though some have bands that fade near their tails. The belly is white, and the fins are blackish-green. The most distinctive feature is a large hump in front of their dorsal fin.
Tiger Trout
The tiger trout is a hybrid of the brook, brown, and rainbow trout. It belongs to the family Salmonidae. The tiger trout’s coloration ranges from golden-brown or greenish in color with dark blotches over their body which sometimes forms stripes. These trout species have an average length of 0.22 metres (0.71 ft) with a maximum length of 0.27 metres (0.89 ft). The tiger trout is found in North America and various parts of Asia, Europe, Africa as well as Mexico.
Tiger Trout are fished for sport fishing or catching other fish to eat from the river bottom using nets instead of hooks and line which traps them so they are easier to reel out.
Splake
Fishing for splake fish is relatively uncommon, but it can be a great opportunity to catch fish that are filling the void of salmon and trout from other regions. Splakes have been introduced in some areas as an alternative sportfish species because they taste similar to both rainbow trout and brown trout. The downside is they’re not native, so there’s no guarantee they’ll be around in the future.
These trout species are a hybrid of rainbow and brown trout, meaning their flavor is often described as a cross between that of both species. This trout species was introduced relatively recently to some areas where it has been successful so far, but there’s no telling how long this will last if things change at all.
Palomino Trout
This is a popular trout species that live in the Rocky Mountain region of North America. It’s a pretty fish with light golden scales, and it can grow up to 12 pounds or larger! This type of trout prefers cold water conditions like those found in mountain streams that are stocked by humans for recreational fishing. The Palomino Trout was a fish species that was first introduced to the United States in 1883.
These trout species can be found mostly around streams and rivers of Colorado, Utah, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming – which has almost 200 miles of trout streams! The popularity of these trout species are so high these days that many people will take a day trip just to fish for them.
Gila Trout
Gila trout are native to the Gila River system in New Mexico and Arizona. They were classified as endangered trout species when they came under U.S. protection due to habitat loss, competition with non-native fish species such as brown and rainbow trout, predation by introduced gamefish like largemouth bass, hybridization of Gila Trout with introduced rainbow trout, and poaching.
Gila Trout are dark olive-green with large scales over their back giving them a rough appearance. They have small mouths for catching insect larvae from the water surface and they also feed on terrestrial insects that fall onto the water’s surface or get washed up on shorelines after storms.
This trout species is also known as the “Mexican Golden Brown” or “Glo-Fish.” It has a dark olive green color and large scales that make it appear rough on top of its body. The mouth size in this particular fish is small but they are able to catch insects from water’s surface by sucking them in with their mouths. They also feed on any terrestrial insects that get washed up from a storm or fall onto the water’s surface.
Apache Trout
Apache trout are a crossbreed of the rainbow trout and cutthroat. They can be found in small streams with cool water sources or at high elevations where other species cannot exist, such as Rocky Mountain National Park.
The trout species is considered to have both the reddish coloring and flavor of its Rainbow father but also inherits the paler color and delicate flavor of its Cutthroat Mother.
The Apache Trout is not a specific breed, but rather one that is bred to be reddish in coloring with possible brown spots on their backside as well as an orange-red hue around their gills. The majority of these trout are caught by fly fishing because they are a smaller species and can be found in shallow, fast-moving water.
These trout species are usually around 12 to 16 inches long and carry a weight of one pound or less. Apache trout do not have many predators because they tend to live at heights that most other fish cannot reach into but also because their coloration makes them difficult for other fish to see.
Marble trout
Marble trout are a subspecies of rainbow trout. They range in color from white to dark gray with spots and stripes, which make them difficult for predators like bears or eagles to see them. This trout species are native only to the Marble River System on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The marble trout has been introduced to the Nushagak River drainage on Bristol Bay and in many lakes throughout Alaska, but they have not thrived.
Marble trout is a truly wild fish because they don’t thrive when raised commercially like other species of rainbow trout do. This is due to their smaller size and tendency to stay near the bottom of the water instead of moving up to feed on insects and other prey that are higher in the water column.
These trout species have a low tolerance for increased temperatures, which is why they only thrive near cold mountain streams or glacier-fed rivers. They can be identified by their smaller body size, small spots, darker color with lighter colored spots on their back, and larger pelvic fins.
Marble trout have a lower commercial value than other rainbow trout because of their smaller size and tendency to stay near the bottom of the water instead of moving up to feed on insects at higher levels in the water column as other species do.