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Legendary Species · Pennsylvania

Brown trout in Pennsylvania

Salmo trutta[1]

62 Pennsylvania waters whose agency species list names brown trout. Each links to its water page (gauge, regulations, access map, guides and shops) and to the agency list it comes from.

  • 62waters list it
  • 4destination hubs
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

Pennsylvania waters

Most fished first. A species missing from an agency list does not mean it is absent; this page lists only waters whose list names it (at least 5 are needed for a page).

All Pennsylvania watersBrown trout: every state

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.”

More on identifying brown trout

Status, protections and rules

As each agency stated them on the date read; a rule applies only where its agency says so. Check the current regulations for the water before you fish.

  • 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.”

Water temperature in Pennsylvania

  • In or under PFBC's preferred rangeThe Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission: “The preferred temperature range for trout is between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.”
  • Above the preferred rangeWarmer than the 50 to 60°F the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission gives as preferred for trout, but not over the 70°F at which it asks anglers to take extra care landing them.
  • Over 70°F: land fish fastThe Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission: “Try to land your fish as quickly as possible and don't play the fish to exhaustion. This is particularly important when fishing for trout in periods of warmer water temperatures (greater than 70 degrees F).” “Fish are subject to stress and exhaustion in a much shorter period of time at 70 degrees compared to 55-degree water temperatures.”
  • Over 72°FThe Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission gives the upper temperature limit as “about 78 F for brown and rainbow trout and 72 F for brook trout.”

Sources: PFBC position statement on closing coldwater tributary mouths to angling in summer (2006) (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission).

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.

Hatch & season charts

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.