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.

New Jersey Trout Stocking - Fall 2020

Mid and late October can be an ideal time to go trout fishing in New Jersey as the state's fall stocking program coincides with cooler days, less crowded waters, and colorful fall scenery.

During the second and third weeks of October, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife undertakes its fall stocking program, which consists of stocking only two-year old trout, some of which can be 18 inches in length.

Fall stocking begins Tuesday, October 6 in 2020 and concludes on Wednesday, October 14.

All trout are raised at the division's Pequest Trout Hatchery and measure approximately 14" to 18" in length.

Trout that evade anglers during the fall could hold potential for winter fishing. A few of the large, fall stocked trout survive the winter and provide fly fishermen and other anglers with early spring catches.

The Division will be stocking 6,000 additional fish for the 2020 fall trout stocking season. These extra fish equate to each waterbody receiving roughly 25% more fish per waterbody than in a typical fall season.

Approximately 27,000 trout will be stocked over the two week stocking effort. Four additional areas will be stocked as part of the Fall 2020 program.

The 4 new waterbodies are:

• Dahnert's Lake - Bergen County
• Holmdel Park Pond - Monmouth County
• Manny's Pond - Hunterdon County
• Pohatcong Lake - Ocean County
  

All fall-stocked waters may be fished as soon as they are stocked (no "closed waters" during fall stocking). all fly fisherman

The complete list of fall-stocked waters and the stocking schedule is available at www.njfishandwildlife.com or through the Trout Stocking Hotline 609-633-6765.

Other waters offer fine trout fishing opportunities even though they are not stocked in the fall. The Holdover Trout Lakes, like Lake Aeroflex and Lake Wawayanda, provide year round trout fishing opportunities. Those waters, along with Tilcon Lake in Allamuchy Mountain State Park, are included in the landlocked salmon stocking program, now in its 13th year. All three yield harvestable size salmon (12 inches).

Two Trophy Trout Lakes, Round Valley and Merrill Creek Reservoirs, are additional trout fishing destinations. Shoreline fishing on Round Valley is particularly popular in the fall, as big rainbows cruise the shallows (See the current Freshwater Digest for special area regulations.).

Source: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife

2019 - 2020 Texas Winter Rainbow Trout Stocking

Rainbow Trout

Over the winter, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will be stocking a total of 343,650 rainbow trout in Texas waterways.

Winter stocking efforts in the state run from November 26, 2019, through the beginning of March 2020.

This year, TPWD will stock rainbow trout into the Canyon Tailrace on the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake, the Lewisville Tailrace located on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River below Lake Lewisville, and the Possum Kingdom Tailrace on the Brazos River below Possum Kingdom Lake.

Other stocking locations include dozens of local city and county managed park ponds, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center casting pond, and several rivers including the Frio, South Llano, and Guadalupe rivers and the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

Rainbow trout can be caught on a variety of baits and lures. Depending on an angler’s experience level and interest, they can be caught using simple, light tackle or on hand-tied flies using a fly rod.

Because rainbow trout are unable to survive in Texas after the winter, TPWD encourages anglers to  keep trout for food and have ice available to keep them fresh. The statewide bag limit is five trout, except on parts of the Guadalupe River where special limits are in effect.

An attractive and popular sport fish, rainbow trout are well suited for the table. Anglers can easily find recipes to prepare these fish online or in traditional cookbooks.

The dates and locations for rainbow trout stocking are subject to change due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

Anglers can review the 2019-20 Trout Stocking Schedule online (tpwd.texas.gov) before fishing to confirm the stocking date, check fishing regulations, and to find other winter trout stocking program angling tips.

source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Brown Trout vs. Brook Trout

A recently published U.S. Geological Survey study examined how native brook trout interact with non-native brown trout under rising stream temperatures.

During the study, which is one of the first experimental studies linking climate change and invasive species biology, researchers found that non-native brown trout limited the ability of native brook trout to utilize warmer stream temperatures.

In contrast, removal of brown trout resulted in the expansion of brook trout into warmer waters.

The brook trout is a freshwater fish species native to eastern North America and threatened by climate change because of its requirement for cold stream temperatures.

Brown trout are native to Europe and have been introduced throughout much of the territory of native Brook Trout.

The research indicates that native brook trout were less resilient to climate change compared to the invasive brown trout because the native fish has less tolerance to higher water temperatures.

The study was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

source: U.S. Geological Survey

New York Trout Stocking Data

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced that the agency has collaborated with the Office of Information Technology Services to provide trout stocking data on the Open NY (Data.NY.GOV) website.

Previously, the fish stocking information was only available in county listings on the DEC website.

Two different data sets are available from the Open NY website:

Current Season Spring Trout Stocking contains the current year DEC spring stocking information for "catchable sized" brown, brook and rainbow trout. This data set will be renewed annually in mid-March.

Fish Stocking Lists from 2011 to 2015 contains the actual fish stockings by DEC and Essex, Onondaga, and Warren counties for all fish species.

This data set is particularly useful for people who want to fish in "put-grow-and-take" waters where fish are stocked at a small size and allowed to grow to a size anglers can keep.

DEC also stocks more than 2.3 million catchable-size brook, brown, and rainbow trout in over 309 lakes and ponds and roughly 2,900 miles of streams throughout New York each spring.

source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

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

Colorado River Gold Medal Designation

A 24-mile stretch of the Colorado River, from the confluence with Canyon Creek, downstream to the confluence of Rock Creek, was recently designated as one of Colorado's Gold Medal state waters.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission accepted recommendations to assign Gold Medal status to the area during their March meeting.

In Colorado, Gold Medal status is reserved for state waters that produce a minimum of 60-pounds of trout per acre and 12 trout measuring 14-inches or longer per acre.

According to Aquatic Biologist Jon Ewert, the upgraded section of the Colorado River exceeds the minimum requirements for Gold Medal status.

"We studied this section of the Colorado River extensively over the past eight years," he said. "We found that it is an excellent fishery."

source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife

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

Rainbow Trout Ice Fishing

In several northern states, cold weather signals the approach of the winter ice fishing season. Although many anglers put away their gear for the season, a few hardy fishermen switch to ice fishing to catch large rainbow trout.

Some ice fishermen prefer using tip-ups with minnows or processed baits, whiles others choose to jig with small jigs, ice jigging flies, or other rigs.

Idaho Kamloops Rainbow Trout Stocking

Idaho Department of Fish and Game (DFG) recently released about 15,000 pure Gerrard (Kamloops) rainbow trout fingerlings into the Pack River drainage and Spring Creek.

Eggs for the project were acquired from British Columbia. The fingerling rainbows were reared at the Cabinet Gorge Hatchery.

Community support for the stocking program comes from the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club. With help from the club, the fingerlings were recently adipose-fin-clipped so that Fish and Game can evaluate their performance and future contribution to the fishery.

source: Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Idaho Dutch Flat Dam Removal Could Benefit Steelhead

Dutch Flat Dam was a 10-foot barrier built nearly a century ago to provide drinking water to Troy, Idaho. The dam spanned the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, which ran so dry in summer that nobody thought steelhead survived there.

About a decade ago biologists realized that steelhead do, in fact, survive in such streams. It turns out that steelhead are able to survive dry periods by moving into pools cooled by underground flows.

Over the summer of 2013, local leaders and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game worked with federal agencies to take out the dam so steelhead can again move freely up the West Fork of Little Bear Creek. Crews finished removing the dam’s concrete in early September and are now widening a new course for the creek.

An inventory by Idaho Fish and Game about 10 years ago surprised many locals by finding steelhead throughout the Potlatch River drainage in small streams such as Little Bear Creek that mostly dried up in summer. It turned out that the fish survive the summer in remnant pools cooled by subterranean water.

As word of the steelhead spread, so did enthusiasm for removing the dam and reopening the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, said biologist Bob Ries of NOAA Fisheries. Enthusiasm grew even more when a local resident found steelhead spawning in the creek.

Biologists salvaged almost 180 fish from pools below the dam before the removal began and about three quarters were steelhead, Johnson said. It was the most steelhead they had ever captured in that reach, he said, suggesting that many fish stand to benefit from removal of the dam.

Snake River steelhead were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. Removing migration barriers and restoring access to high quality spawning and rearing habitat is considered critical for their recovery.

NOAA Fisheries and the Bonneville Power Administration provided $500,000 for the project. NOAA’s funding came from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, a competitive grant program dedicated to restoring Pacific salmon and their habitat.

For more information, visit: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/stories/2013/dutch_flat_dam_removal.html

source: NOAA Fisheries

2013 Maryland Fall Trout Stocking

During the month of October, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologists will release approximately 23,000 one pound rainbow and golden trout, and about 1,000 brown trout into Maryland’s freshwater streams and ponds. They will also stock about 150 rainbow and golden trout in the two-three-pound range.

Fall stocking locations include popular fishing areas such as the North Branch Potomac, Bear Creek, Town Creek, Blairs Valley Lake, Morgan Run, Patapsco River, Gunpowder Falls, Great Seneca, Wheatly Lake, Lake Artimesia, Greenbelt Lake, Big Elk, Deer Creek and Tuckahoe Creek.

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

2013 Delaware Freshwater Trout Season

Trout season in upstate Delaware opened at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, April 6, according to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. Trout streams will be stocked with thousands of rainbow and brown trout, including some trophy-sized fish.

Six designated trout streams in northern New Castle County include White Clay Creek, Christina Creek, Pike Creek, Beaver Run, Wilson Run and Mill Creek. Trout stocking will continue on a regular weekly basis through Thursday, May 2.

For most anglers wishing to try their luck at trout fishing, a Delaware fishing license is required. Resident and non-resident anglers age 16 and older are also required to obtain a Delaware Fisherman Information Network (F.I.N.) number. The free number is included as part of a Delaware fishing license purchase. License-exempt anglers, including Delaware residents 65 and older, may visit www.delaware-fin.com or call 800-432-9228 toll-free to obtain their free F.I.N. number.

In addition to Delaware’s normal fishing license requirements, most trout anglers also must purchase a Delaware Trout Stamp. Proceeds from the purchase of Delaware Trout Stamps are used to help purchase next year’s fish.

Downstate trout season remains open in Tidbury Pond in Dover and Newton Pond near Greenwood, both of which were stocked in March. Trout are a cold water species and can only survive while water temperatures in the ponds remain cool.

For more information, visit www.fw.delaware.gov/fisheries, or call 302-739-9914.

source: DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife

2013 New York Trout-Salmon Season

Trout season in New York begins on April 1. According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), anglers are likely to encounter high, cold water and icy banks and streambeds during the early fishing season, particularly in northern areas of the state.

For the 2013 fishing season, DEC is expected to stock more than 2 million brook, brown, and rainbow trout in state waters. In addition, the agency is expected to stock more than 2 million lake trout, steelhead, landlocked salmon, splake and coho salmon this spring.

During the 2013 trout season, creel surveys and trout population assessments will continue on eight streams across New York state to check the performance of the Catch Rate Oriented Trout Stocking (CROTS) model used by DEC to set stocking rates.

The study streams for this third and final year of the project are as follows:

Carmans River, Kinderhook Creek, Kayaderosseras Creek, Oriskany Creek, Big Creek, Otselic River, Meads Creek, and East Koy Creek.

Anglers fishing these waters can help by answering a few questions on their fishing trip if approached by a DEC creel clerk and by allowing the clerk to examine and measure any harvested fish.

Anglers can also participate by completing and returning the postage-paid catch cards distributed by creel clerks. Anglers returning catch cards to Cornell University will be entered in a random drawing for a $100 cash prize.

source: New York Department of Environmental Conservation

New Jersey Fall-Winter Trout Stocking

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife recently published a reminder to anglers that all of the trout New Jersey stocks during fall and winter measure 14 inches to 24 inches and weigh one and a half pounds to eight pounds.

More and more anglers are enjoying the larger fish stocked since a change in 2006 to stocking only larger trout. However, 67% of New Jersey trout anglers were not aware of this major stocking change when surveyed in 2010.

A growing number of anglers have begun enjoying big fish, cool water, great weather, and spectacular scenery that occur during New Jersey's fall trout fishing season. Trout fishing action extends through the winter months until spring stocking begins again in April.

From October 9 through November 21, more than 26,000 lunker trout will be stocked in 16 streams and 40 ponds and lakes throughout the state.

For more information on the fall and winter stocking program, visit www.njfishandwildlife.com/trtinfo.htm or call the Trout Hotline at 609-633-6765.

source: NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife

Maine Brook Trout Pond Survey

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recently released a summary of its 2011 Brook Trout Pond Survey. During 2011, 81 volunteer anglers logged nearly 1900 hours of time on the project. Anglers came from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont to participate in the survey.

Volunteers searched for brook trout in a total of 112 ponds, and 95 ponds were successfully surveyed from the original list of 187 ponds. Volunteers confirmed brook trout presence in 24 of the surveyed ponds and observed signs of brook trout presence in another 21 ponds.  Volunteers confirmed an absence of brook trout in 50 ponds, which is equally valuable information to fisheries biologists. The 75 ponds that were not surveyed will be added to the 2012 Pond List.

As a result of the surveys, 43 ponds were recommended for more extensive surveys by MDIFW biologists in 2012. During the summer, fisheries biologists will be assessing the status of the fish population as well as completing a depth profile and water quality analysis.

The next step in the process will be for fisheries biologists to evaluate how best to conserve these native trout populations and their habitats through appropriate management strategies.

297 new ponds are being added to the list of waters to survey in 2012. Surveys can be completed any time before September 30, 2012.

For more information about the Maine brook trout pond survey program, visit: www.tumaine.org/brooktrout.htm

Or contact Amanda Moeser at (207) 781-6180 x207 or amoeser@maineaudubon.org.

source: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Bull Trout Restoration

Over the last two centuries, bull trout populations have declined across North America. The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, once thrived in the Columbia River Basin and coastal rivers of Washington and Oregon, extending north into British Columbia and Alberta.

Bull trout are members of the genus Salvelinus, which also includes Arctic char, brook trout, and lake trout. Like its relatives, male bull trout exhibit brilliant colors during the spawning season. Bull trout migrate during summer, traveling up to 150 miles from lakes and rivers upstream to their natal headwaters to spawn.

A variety of factors have been cited in the decline of bull trout. Habitat degradation and fragmentation, migratory fish passage obstacles, poor water quality, the effects of climate change, bounty fishing, and the introduction of non-native fish species.

Currently, American bull trout populations are scattered across portions of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. They populate several river systems including the Klamath,Columbia and Snake River Basins. In 1998, bull trout were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

In 2011, bull trout were re-introduced into the Clackamas River after a nearly 50-year absence. The reintroduction team included representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S.Geological Survey, and Mt. Hood National Forest. The project was one of several bull trout restoration programs that are ongoing in western river systems.

Downstate Delaware 2012 Trout Season Opening Day

Several hundred rainbow trout were stocked in Tidbury Pond and Newton Pond prior to the opening of Downstate Delaware’s 2012 trout season on Saturday, March 3.

In less than an hour, about 275 pounds of fish were released in Tidbury Pond, plus a small number of trophy-sized trout. Most of the fish averaged 11 inches long and weighed about one-half to three-quarters of a pound, while the larger trout measured at least 14 inches and weighed two pounds or more.

Both ponds were scheduled to receive a second stocking of rainbow trout in late March.

Tidbury Pond is owned and managed by Kent County Parks and Recreation, and anglers are asked to be respectful of the vegetation and fences erected to protect landscaped areas. Newton Pond, a 10-acre restored borrow pit, is owned and managed as a state wildlife area by the Division of Fish and Wildlife, and features a boat ramp for small car top boats and canoes (no gasoline motors allowed), a fishing pier and plenty of shoreline access to allow anglers to spread out.

source: delaware.gov

Maryland Trout Stream Restoration

In Maryland, wild brook trout now have access to a few more miles of coldwater stream habitat. During the summer of 2011, the Savage River Watershed Association (SRWA) held an event to celebrate completion of the Savage River Headwater Dam Removal and Stream Restoration Project.

The project restored natural stream conditions along a 600 foot section of the upper Savage River to improve habitat for Brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, Maryland’s only native freshwater trout species.

In 2006 the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) listed brook trout as a "Species in Greatest Need of Conservation" leading to the development of a brook trout Fisheries Management Plan.

The plan includes a focus on the upper Savage River resource, which includes over 100 miles of interconnected streams. The area makes of 25% of all Maryland wild brook trout habitat.

The restoration project included the removal of an obsolete dam on the upper Savage River. During the 2008-2010 summer seasons, biologists with Maryland DNR’s Inland Fisheries Management Division monitored water temperatures above and below the dam.

According to biologists, peak stream temperatures exceeded 75 degrees F below the impoundment, yet never exceeded 65 degrees F above the impoundment. When stream temperatures exceed 70 degrees F for extended periods, brook trout cannot survive.

The Watershed Association and partners identified the area as a restoration site as the impoundment was not only causing a thermal impact, it also blocked fish passage to a headwater reach along the main stem of the Savage River.

The project involved the engineering and implementation of a natural stream flow that bypassed the reservoir and converted it to a wetland. Natural stream design methods were used to create in-stream structures that add aquatic habitat and provide stream bank stability.

The restoration project allowed fish access to 2.5 stream miles upstream from the preexisting dam, restored natural stream features and decreased water temperatures in the stream.

The former pond area was converted to a wetland, providing wildlife habitat, water quality improvement, and flood storage. The site will serve as a demonstration for stream restoration activities and brook trout habitat improvement projects.

source: Savage River Watershed Association

How To Catch Stocked Trout

Rainbow Trout

Each spring across North America, fish and wildlife agencies, fishing clubs, and other organizations release hatchery-raised freshwater rainbow trout into lakes, reservoirs, ponds, creeks, and streams. Stocked trout provide opportunities to catch fish for fishermen of all ages and skill levels.

Fishing tackle required for catching stocked rainbow trout is basic; is a light-action rod and reel combination, light line (6-12-pound test), small hooks, bobbers, and split shot or other weights.

Recently stocked trout can be caught with a variety of baits including canned whole-kernel corn, cheese, salmon eggs, small worms or pre-packaged trout baits.

The best baits and tackle for catching stocked trout vary somewhat, depending on water conditions, weather, and other factors. In areas of calm water, most anglers use bobbers (floats) to suspend baits at mid-depth. Having a selection of different size bobbers and weights allows anglers to adjust their rigs depending on current conditions.

In streams and other areas where currents are significant, other techniques may be required. When fishing in streams, some anglers rig worms, corn or salmon eggs on a short leader that can be casted and allowed to drift until it reaches the bottom.

A Carolina rig is one of the more common rigs for bottom fishing. This rig is made by adding a small inline weight on the line. A swivel is tied below the weight, followed by a hook on an 18-24" leader. By separating the weight and bait, Carolina rigs allow the bait to move freely near the bottom with less chance of spooking fish.

Eventually, stocked trout become acclimated to natural food sources, making bait fishing less effective. These "naturalized" trout are much harder to catch. Despite their selective habits, anglers still catch these fish using artificial lures, fly-fishing gear, or other equipment.

For spinning enthusiasts, the best lures for catching stocked trout often include small, brightly colored inline spinners. Jigs are also used to catch stocked trout. As stocked trout increase in size and age, their natural diets change from small insects and invertebrates to mostly small fish.

Anglers fishing with spinning tackle target these trout with crankbaits, topwater plugs, or other offerings that resemble baitfish. Fly fishermen also target large hatchery-raised rainbow trout using streamers and other baitfish patterns.