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.

NFWF Stream Restoration Grants

In 2018, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), partnering with federal, state, and local agencies, companies, and organizations, awarded grants for a variety of upcoming projects to restore freshwater streams and other important habitat across the USA.

NFWF stream restoration projects were funded by the Bring Back the Natives program, Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, and Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF).

Bring Back the Natives Grants

Improving Habitat Connectivity and Quality for Cutthroat Trout in Meadow Creek (MT)

Removing Sawpauh Mill Dam to Restore Fish Passage in Oostanaula Creek and the Hiwassee River (TN)

Comprehensive Watershed Restoration and Stream Reconnection in the Clearwater and Grande Ronde Watersheds (ID, OR)

Restoring Stream Connectivity for Eastern Brook Trout in the Upper Rappahannock Watershed (VA)

Barrier Removal in the North Creek Basin to Restore Fish Passage (OR)

Restoring Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Habitat in the Upper Teton River (ID)

Instream Habitat Restoration in the East Verde River to Increase Resiliency of a Gila Trout Fishery (AZ)

Westslope Cutthroat and Bull Trout Habitat Restoration in the Blackfoot River Watershed (MT)

Habitat Restoration for the Amargosa River Pupfish in San Bernardino County (CA)

Eradication of Invasive Vinca to benefit Spikedace and Loachminnow in Aravaipa Canyon (AZ)

Reintroduction of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout to Road Beaver Creek (CO)

Assessment of Connectivity and Invasion Threat to Restore Greenback Cutthroat Trout in Colorado


Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Grants

Restoring Stream Connectivity for Eastern Brook Trout in the Upper Rappahannock Waterhsed (VA)
Grantee: The Piedmont Environmental Council

Improve native eastern brook trout habitat in Virginia’s Upper Rappahannock watershed in partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation by replacing culvert structures with an open-span bridge. The project will reconnect 2 miles of intact brook trout habitat and restore
200 linear feet of riparian habitat.

Fish Passage Improvement and Culvert Replacement in the Upper Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed (PA)
Grantee: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Replace four culverts at priority locations for native brook trout populations in the upper Sinnemahoning Creek watershed. Project will result in 4 miles of stream opened to fish passage and restored.

Stream Restoration and Brook Trout Habitat Improvement in the Cohocton River (NY)
Grantee: The Nature Conservancy

Improve two culverts, conduct streambank restoration on a key tributary, and increase river management capacity training and continuous water quality monitoring to inform strategic interventions in the watershed. Project will improvebrook trout habitat and increase connectivity to and between already identified high-quality eastern brook trout habitat.

Stream and Habitat Restoration in Kings Branch Flat Creek Greenway Natural Area (MD)
Grantee: South River Federation

Restore a rapidly eroding 3,270 linear foot stream bank and enhance non-tidal wetlands, thereby reconnecting the floodplain. Project will reduce nutrient and sediment pollution loads, benefit local residents and visitors by protecting hiking trails in the Kings Branch Flat Creek Greenway Natural Area, and restore lost habitat and stream functions.

Expanding Green Infrastructure, Urban Stream and Tree Canopy Restoration in Hopewell (VA)
Grantee: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Implement large-scale stream restoration and wetland enhancement on an eroding stream channel, re-establish floodplain wetlands adjacent to the stream channel, plant 250 urban trees, and create “conservation corners” to install green features in residential areas with poorly draining soils. Project will engage more than 250 community volunteers and develop Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences for students to takes advantage of the large-scale stormwater management project proximity.

Securing and Expanding Brook Trout Habitat in the Cacapon and Potomac South Branch (WV)
Grantee: Trout Unlimited

Strengthen and expand stronghold patches of brook trout by restoring in-stream and riparian habitat, mitigating barriers to aquatic organism passage, and increasing the number of agricultural producers implementing streamside best management practices. Project will restore riparian forest buffers and fish passage, recruit 200 volunteers to assist in environmental stewardship projects, and provide conservation planning and technical assistance to 30 new landowners.

Reconnecting and Restoring Brook Trout Habitat at Public Road-Stream Crossings (VA)
Grantee: The Piedmont Environmental Council

Replace restrictive culverts with improved stream-simulation road-stream crossings for full aquatic organism passage in Piedmont. Project will improve instream habitat by restoring 0.30 riparian acres of habitat, reconnecting 4 miles of stream, and removing two barriers to fish passage.

Identifying and Designing Restoration in Tier II Eastern Brook Trout Patches (PA)
Grantee: Tioga County Conservation District of Pennsylvania

Identify, prioritize, design and permit habitat restoration projects within two Tier II eastern brook trout patches, the Tioga River and Babb Creek. Project will enhance the ability of the Tioga County Conservation District to implement effective priority habitat restoration and sediment reduction projects, motivate individuals and local governments to implement projects, and increase benefits to water quality and eastern brook trout habitat.

Unassessed Waters Initiative (PA) - IV
Grantee: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Conduct 1,000 fish surveys on previously unassessed streams, coordinating priorities, data collection, and data management. Project will provide data on previously unassessed streams in order to ensure proper stream classification, which is vital to successfully protecting Pennsylvania’s water resources.

Reconnecting Floodplains and Stream Restoration in the Upper Sassafras (MD)
Grantee: Shorerivers

Produce a fully permitted stream and wetland restoration design that addresses an eroding 4,800 linear foot stretch of forested perennial stream in the headwaters of the Sassafras River. Project will result in designs for a stream that receives runoff from surrounding highways and a weigh station, as well as 370 acres of surrounding agricultural land.


Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) Grants:


Planning for Two Fish Passage Projects in Southeastern Connecticut (CT)
Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound
Project Area: Whitford Pond Dam, Whitford Brook, a Mystic River tributary, Stonington, Alewife Cove Dam, Fenger Brook, an Alewife Cove tributary, Waterford, Connecticut


Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound will develop engineered designs for fishways at Whitford Pond Dam in Stonington and at Alewife Cove Dam in Waterford, Connecticut. The project will set the stage to provide 4.2 miles of access to spawning, rearing, and refuge habitat along two riverine migratory corridors valuable to Long Island Sound diadromous and freshwater fish such as alewife, blueback herring, brook trout, American eel and American shad.

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

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

What is Rock Snot?

Rock snot, also known as didymo, is an invasive algae that occurs in cold rivers and streams of Northeastern North America. Rock snot has been found in16 American states and Quebec, Canada. This invasive form of algae covers river and stream bottoms with dense mats and long strands.

Rock snot can be distinguished from other aquatic algae species by a number of characteristics:

 - coloration is brownish to white but not green

 - texture is similar wet wool

 - attaches firmly to rocks and stones

According to biologists, rock snot does not pose significant risks to humans but can have negative impacts on rivers and streams.

When rock snot blooms occur, the resulting mats are thought to be harmful to streams in a number of ways:

 - mats can entrap or block minnows, aquatic insects, crayfish, and other stream life such as caddis fly, may fly, stone fly, minnows

 - blooms make fly fishing difficult or impossible

 - rock snot is slippery

Delaware 2012 Upstate Trout Stream Stocking

According to DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, six trout streams in New Castle County Delaware will be stocked with rainbow and brown trout, including some trophy-sized fish.

White Clay Creek, Christina Creek, Pike Creek, Beaver Run, Wilson Run and Mill Creek will be stocked. Additional trout will be stocked through early May.

The state’s spring 2012 upstate trout season will open at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, April 7. Downstate trout season remains open in Tidbury Pond in Dover and Newton Pond near Greenwood, both of which were stocked in March.

To purchase a fishing license or trout stamps or for more information about the trout stocking schedule, visit www.fw.delaware.gov/fisheries, or call the Fisheries section at 302-739-9914.

source: DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife

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