Just about every one in America likes to go fishing. It is one of our favorite pastimes. Trout are one of the favorite fish that the diehard fishermen go after. Clear, cool streams and lakes in northern Europe and Asia and North and South America are where trout are usually found. Most trout are a fresh water fish, but, steelhead, which is a migratory Rainbow will spend it's life in the ocean or water like the United States Great Lakes and return to the fresh water stream they were hatched in to spawn. Salmon, brown trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout, bull trout, and char do this and it is called anadromous reproduction.
There is a great number of species of trout and even more that are morphologically different. Many of these show no difference other than color and pattern. The same trout that live in different parts of the world can have different colors and patterns. The cutthrout trout of the western United States has 14 subspecies such as the Lahonton cutthroat, Bonneville cutthroat, Yellowstone cutthroat, Colorado River cutthroat. The color and pattern difference can be called different names even though they are the same species. The physical and color characteristics of the brook trout and aurora trout has them looking different but they are the same species ,Salvelinus Fointinalis, genetically.
Camouflage for where the fish live will usually determines the color and patterns and that can change as the fish move to different locations and habitats. Trout, such as steelhead, will be silvery when they come in from the sea or Great Lakes even though they are basic a Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout will not have the bright orange spots and other pretty colors when they come in from the ocean or Great Lakes to spawn.
There are no spines in a trout's fins and they have a small fatty fin called the adopise fin along their back near their tail. The flesh is slightly boney but is very good to eat and the taste is great. Because trout can be over fished and natural reproduction cannot keep up with the popularity of fishing for them ,trout are often raised on farms known as a fish hatchery and then introduced back into heavily fished areas.
Many ways to fish for trout are used including spin casting and fly fishing. Fly fishing was used mainly to catch trout in the early days but now it is used to catch just about any fish there is. I live on Lake Michigan and we troll for Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Steelhead, Salmon and a few other species that was introduced into the Great Lakes. We do catch a great number of fish that weigh up to 25 or 30 pounds and some that weigh a lot more. With our Great Lakes and all of the rivers, streams and lakes, it has made Michigan a trout fishing paradise.
Different body's of water will have different trout and with that you will use different baits or lures and also different techniques. In the streams and lakes trout feed on bugs, aquatic invertebrates like mayfly, caddis fly, stonefly and a worm or night crawler is very good. The bigger trout like bigger food such as minnows, crayfish or any thing small that might fall into the stream, river or lake. That is why a spinner, that imitates a minnow, are good.
Eugene Killian
