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Legendary Species · Trout

Brown trout

Salmo trutta[1]

In California, the brown trout is the only trout with both red and black spots on its body. The dark spots on its sides usually have a pale halo.[2]

  • 489waters list it
  • 71states and regions
  • 4agency sources
Illustration of a brown trout in side view: golden-brown body with dark spots and red spots ringed in pale halos
Brown trout (Salmo trutta), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illustration. Artwork: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Identification

  • In California, the brown trout is the only trout with both red and black spots on its body. The dark spots on its sides usually have a pale halo.[2]
    What the source says
    “Only trout in California with both red and black spots on body. Dark spots on the sides typically surrounded by a pale halo. Coloration is usually dark to olive brown on the back, shading to yellow on the sides, and yellow or white on the belly.”
  • Michigan DNR points to a broad, square tongue with 11 to 12 large teeth, light pectoral fins and a square tail. Lake-run browns are mostly silver, and their spots can be hard to see.[1]
    What the source says
    “Dorsal and adipose fin, broad square tongue with 11 to 12 large teeth, light pectoral fins, square tail, and nine to 10 rays in the anal fin. Lake-run browns are predominately silver in color and the body spots are often obscured in lake-dwellers compared to the resident stream dwellers.”

Habitat and range

  • Brown trout are not native to North America. Their native range is Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.[3]
    What the source says
    “Native Range: Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia (Page and Burr 1991).”
  • Brown trout are native to Europe and parts of Asia and were brought to Michigan in 1883. They tolerate warmer water better than other trout species.[1]
    What the source says
    “Native to Europe and parts of Asia, brown trout were introduced to Michigan in 1883 — one of the first states to import them into North America — they now thrive statewide. Brown trout are more tolerant of warmer water temperatures than other trout species”
  • Water temperature limits where brown trout live. CDFW gives their preferred range as 12-20°C.[2]
    What the source says
    “Water temperature is an important factor limiting brown trout distribution (preferred temperatures are 12-20ºC).”

Life history

  • Brown trout spawn in tributary streams in September and October. The female digs a shallow nest (redd) in gravel and covers the eggs afterward.[1]
    What the source says
    “Since brown trout spawn in tributary streams in September and October, they begin to take up residence near stream outlets in late summer to early fall. After ascending a particular stream, brown trout spawners choose shallow, gravelly or rocky areas. The female creates a shallow depression (redd) in the gravel”
  • Adult brown trout eat insects and their larvae, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, small rodents and other fish.[1]
    What the source says
    “The diet of adult brown trout includes insects and their larvae, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, small rodents and other fish.”

Status, protections and rules

Legal status and rules as the agency stated them on the date read. Rules change: check the current regulations for the water.

  • The U.S. Geological Survey reports that brown trout have been linked to declines in native fish, including other trout and salmon, through predation, displacement and competition for food.[3]
    What the source says
    “Brown Trout have been implicated in reducing native fish populations (including other salmonids) through predation, displacement, and food competition (Taylor et al. 1984).”
  • Yellowstone National Park rule: in the Firehole River, Madison River and lower Gibbon River (below Gibbon Falls), all rainbow and brown trout must be released.[4]
    What the source says
    “Firehole River, Madison River, lower Gibbon River (downstream of Gibbon Falls)—possession of up to five brook trout is allowed. Catch and release all rainbow and brown trout.”

Fishing for it: what the agencies say

What agencies and extension services say about catching it, with the source for each line.

  • Michigan DNR says brown trout are a favourite of fly anglers, many of whom fish after dark during big insect hatches. Large streamers and splashy surface flies such as mouse patterns also work.[1]
    What the source says
    “brown trout are a favorite of fly fishers, many of whom pursue them after dark during notable insect hatches, especially the giant Michigan mayfly (Hexagenia limbata). But large streamers and big splashy surface flies, such as mouse patterns, produce well, too.”
General advice (ours, not an agency's)
  • Ask the nearest fly shop what is hatching on the water this week; it is the most current information there is.
  • Match the size and colour of the insects you see on the water before changing anything else.
  • Read the water page's gauge before you go: flow and water temperature change by the day.
Try the fly finderHatch & season chartsIdentify an insect or fly

Water temperature

Warm water stresses trout, char and salmon. These are the published temperature lines we show on every gauge, chosen state first: the state agency's own where it publishes one, otherwise federal guidance (said so). Each water page applies them to the gauge's live reading; the flow and temperature checker does the same for any gauge.

Whose temperature guidance applies in each state
StateWhose linesSources
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (the state's own)Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
IowaFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Iowa line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Iowa Department of Natural Resources
WyomingWyoming Game and Fish (the state's own)Wyoming Game and Fish Department · Wyoming Game and Fish Department · National Park Service
IdahoIdaho Fish and Game (the state's own)Idaho Department of Fish and Game · Idaho Department of Fish and Game
UtahFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Utah line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
ArizonaArizona Game and Fish (the state's own)Arizona Game and Fish Department
New YorkNew York DEC (the state's own)New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
MontanaMontana FWP (the state's own)Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
OregonODFW (the state's own)Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
IndianaFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Indiana line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
MichiganFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Michigan line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
TennesseeFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Tennessee line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
ArkansasArkansas Game and Fish (the state's own)Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
DelawareFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Delaware line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
WisconsinFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Wisconsin line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
ColoradoColorado Parks and Wildlife (the state's own)Colorado Parks and Wildlife
MarylandMaryland DNR (the state's own)Maryland Department of Natural Resources
OklahomaOklahoma Wildlife Conservation (the state's own)Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
VirginiaVirginia DWR (the state's own)Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
CaliforniaCDFW (the state's own)California Department of Fish and Wildlife
GeorgiaFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Georgia line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division
KentuckyFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Kentucky line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
MaineMaine IF&W (the state's own)Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
MassachusettsFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Massachusetts line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
MinnesotaFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Minnesota line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
MissouriFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Missouri line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Missouri Department of Conservation
North DakotaFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no North Dakota line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
South CarolinaSouth Carolina DNR (the state's own)South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
TexasTexas Parks and Wildlife (the state's own)Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
VermontVermont Fish and Wildlife (the state's own)Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

Where to fish for brown trout

Our 489 water pages whose agency species list names brown trout (each list links to the agency page it comes from). A species missing from a list does not mean it is absent: many agencies publish no list for a water.

United States 346 waters

New Zealand 49 waters

Ireland 35 waters

Australia 33 waters

Iceland 9 waters

Slovenia 8 waters

Argentina 4 waters

Canada 4 waters

Chile 1 water

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

  1. Brown trout Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read Oct 24, 2026.
  2. Fishing for Brown Trout (non-native) California Department of Fish and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
  3. Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) - Species Profile U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species program, read Oct 24, 2026.
  4. Fishing - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service, read Oct 24, 2026.

20 states and regions have a page of brown trout waters of its own (five or more waters).