Brook Trout

Description

The following was paraphrased from the incredible book Trout and Salmon of North America by Robert Behnke, which any self-respecting angler should own and study regularly. Brook trout are actually not a true trout, but are instead are char. All char (including the brook trout) are easily distinguished from brown, cutthroat, and rainbow trout by the absence of black spots on the body. Additionally, the brook trout has a wavy, worm-like pattern on its back and dorsal fin and distinct small red spots surrounded by light blue halos on the rest of its body. Another distinct identifying characteristic of brook trout are that its lower fins have black and white borders that can easily be seen, even from the banks while fishing.

Distribution

Brook trout are native to much of northeastern North America, including the Atlantic drainages of Canada and much of the northeastern U.S. (Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa, New England, Virginia). The southernmost natural populations of brook trout are found in the headwaters of Northern Georgia. Brook trout have been widely introduced for sportfishing outside of this native range, including in many headwater streams in Colorado.

Biology

In small streams with limited food, brook trout rarely live longer than 3 years, but in bigger rivers and lakes, they can live much longer and get much larger. Brook trout are opportunistic feeders, and will eat aquatic and terrestrial insects, small bodied fishes, and occasional amphibians. Brook trout typically spawn in the fall (late October / November) when water temperatures begin to get colder and the days get shorter. The eggs remain in the gravel over the winter and hatch / emerge in the spring. Although brook trout prefer very cold temperatures, they are more warm-adapted than most other species of char and as such can overlap in habitat with brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout.

Conservation

In the northeastern U.S., the brook trout has been extirpated from much of its native range due to human causes such as pollution (e.g. acid rain), deforestation, and stocking of non-native fish. Ironically, in the Rocky Mountain region, introduced populations of brook trout have replaced several subspecies of cutthroat trout by outcompeting them for resources. Complete eradication of brook trout is a necessary step for the successful re-establishment of native cutthroat trout species within these watersheds.