March 29, 2018 Nelson Murakami

Brown Trout

What it looks like

brown back
silvery or pale brown sides with dark spots, often with a lighter ring
white belly
tail may have a few faint spots
white mouth and gums
the only salmon or trout with orange on adipose fin (small fin between dorsal fin and tail)
leading anal fin ray extends the length of the fin
short, stocky caudal peduncle (where body meets tail)
Great Lakes brown trout are larger than the inland lakes variety
in Great Lakes variety, the back may be blue/green and spots may be smaller

introduced into Ontario streams from Europe in 1913
now found throughout the Great Lakes and their tributaries, and streams in southern Ontario
most abundant in Lake Ontario, Georgian Bay, Great Lakes tributaries, inland stocked creeks
use Fish ON-Line, an interactive mapping tool, to find specific lakes and rivers

Find a fishing spot with Fish ON-Line

feed most aggressively at night
cast from piers and break-walls
use brook trout bait to catch the inland lakes variety
target the Great Lakes variety by trolling
look for the Great Lakes variety in shallower waters than rainbow trout and Chinook salmon
in the fall, catch the Great Lakes variety in tributaries using small spinners or plugs, or small baits beneath floats