Michigan Brook Trout Facts

Brook Trout | Credit: USFWS

The brook trout is Michigan's official state fish. This colorful member of the char family is native to the Great Lakes region. 

Brook trout have a large mouth and streamlined body shape that is typical of trout and char. They can display an array of colors, including olive, bluish gray, slate, or black above with a silverish white belly and wormlike markings (vermiculation pattern) along the back. Along their flanks are yellow blotches and red spots, which are sometimes surrounded by light blue halos.

Brook trout are found in cold water streams, around rocks, logs, and undercut banks. They are also found in the Great Lakes and smaller lakes throughout Michigan.

They prey mainly on mayflies, stoneflies, and other aquatic insects. Brook trout are opportunistic feeders and will feed on available food sources including, crustaceans, worms, and small fish.

Brook trout mature in about 1.5 to 2.5 years to mature, and they usually do not live longer than 6 years. Stream-dwelling brook trout typically reach 7 to 9 inches in length.

In offshore waters of the Great Lakes, coaster brook trout sometimes reaches 25 inches in length and weigh 10 pounds or more.

On the Lower Peninsula, the Black River system is considered to be one of  the best brook trout streams in Michigan.

Brook trout are common throughout the Upper Peninsula, especially in streams that contain clear, cold  water. In summer, brook trout often migrate to the headwaters of tributaries in search of colder water.

Snake River Headwaters Restoration

Trout Unlimited (TU) and Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited (JHTU) recently announced the launch of an ambitious new initiative to restore and protect the headwaters of the upper Snake River and its fishery, together with a diverse group of community and agency partners.

 TU’s Snake River Headwaters Home Rivers Initiative will leverage the capacity of the active JHTU chapter and engaged membership in and around Jackson Hole by working with partners to develop and implement high-priority restoration projects to benefit native trout and their habitats.

The Snake River Headwaters HRI will reconnect native trout spawning and rearing habitat by installing fish screens and removing fish passage barriers.

Projects will also restore water quality, habitat, and healthy stream conditions by improving water use and restoring streamflows. Outreach and youth education will actively engage the community and partners in these efforts.

The Snake River Headwaters HRI has been funded by a $100,000 commitment from JHTU as well as the generous support of other private donations.

source: Trout Unlimited

Wisconsin Brook Trout Distribution Predictions

The distribution of brook trout, which requires cold water for survival, could shrink by 60 percent in some Wisconsin streams by mid-century, according to recent climate change models for the Great Lakes region.

Loss of suitable freshwater habitat for brook trout and other popular sport fish species due to climate change are likely to have economic implications for the Great Lakes system.

Recreational fishing opportunities in the region contribute to a multi-billion dollar tourism and recreation industry.

Climate change models for the Great Lakes system are being made by researchers with U.S. Geological Survey, alongside Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Michigan Institute of Fisheries Research, and Michigan State University.

Researchers hope to predict the potential impacts of increasing air temperatures and changes in precipitation on water temperature and flow in freshwater streams that are part of the Great Lakes system.

The models project future distributions for 14 fish species based on known fish locations, their habitat preferences, their adaptability to different water temperatures, existing and future stream conditions, and projected climatic changes.

source: greatlakeslcc.org