Rainbow trout is the most important aquaculture species in Saskatchewan. Commercial production in the province is found almost entirely in the Lake Diefenbaker area.
Rainbow trout and steelhead are the same species, but they have different lifestyles. Because steelhead spend two to three years in freshwater followed by two to three years in the ocean, they are typically larger than rainbow trout, which live all of their lives in fresh or sometimes brackish water.
Native Range: Native to North America, Rainbow trout can be found in streams and lakes west of the Rocky Mountains from Alaska to Mexico.
On average, a 12†rainbow trout in the sampled area was at least four years old, but some fish had attained that length by Age 2 in richer waters.
Rainbow trout have been farmed and introduced to rivers and lakes outside their native range since the 1880's, most famously farmed at the McLeod River and San Leandro hatcheries in California. These two hatcheries are the original source of most of the artificially bred rainbow trout across the world.
The world record rainbow trout title belongs to Canadian fisher Sean Konrad. The International Game Fish Association's (IGFA) record book now lists his 48-pound, 42-inch catch as the biggest ever rainbow trout specimen – a true world record trout.
A trout that grew to a catchable size in a hatchery will often show signs of wear and tear on its gills, having been reared in concrete runways. A trout that spent its whole life in the wild will mostly have fins that are in pristine condition. The fin rays will be evenly spaced, with no divots.
While rainbow trout are true trout, lake trout are actually char. Lakers have dark bodies with light spots, while rainbow trout have light bodies with dark Spots. Rainbow trout have a broad, reddish stripe along their lateral line, which lake trout lack entirely.
Experiments have been made in hybridizing (crossbreeding) brown trout and rainbow trout with American brook trout, to produce two new types of sporting fish. The resultant hybrids (crossbreeds) are sterile and do not reproduce in the wild.
Yes, hatchery reared rainbow trout can reproduce in the wild if the proper habitat (temperature, gravel, stream flow) is available at the right time of year. They do not require a migration to saltwater at any stage though. Young of the Year have been found but not older rainbow trout juveniles.
Size and Weight. Rainbows reach a length of 12 to 30 inches. The average weight is 2 to 5 lbs/1 to 3 kilograms. The all-tackle record for the largest Rainbow Trout is 48 pounds.
The rainbow trout is Montana's number one game fish. Rainbow trout were introduced from numerous hatchery stocks into virtually every suitable habitat in the state, beginning in 1889. Scientists believe that only the rainbow trout of the upper Kootenai River drainage are native to this state.
RANGE: Brook trout are native to eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. There range extends as far west as eastern Minnesota. The original range of the brook trout also includes the Appalachian Mountains, where they are still found in many high elevation streams as far south as Georgia.
Colorful Appearance. Rainbow trout, also called redband trout, are gorgeous fish, with coloring and patterns that vary widely depending on habitat, age, and spawning condition.
Rainbow trout found primarily east of the Cascade Mountains in the U.S. and in the Upper Fraser River of British Columbia are often called redbands. Native rainbow trout are generally found in watersheds west of the Cascades. Most rainbow trout found outside their historical range are “domesticated†steelhead.
Rainbow trout are similar to salmon in appearance and flavor. The fish are very similar and could even be caught in the same waters. Farmed trout may be considered too bland for some people. The trout tend to taste too plain.
Salmon belong to some of the same family as trout but, unlike most trout, most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water. In 1989, when DNA tests showed that the rainbow or steelhead isn't really a trout after all, the fish was reclassified as a salmon.
How Do They Reproduce? Rainbow trout are usually 3 - 4 years old when they spawn. Stream-dwelling rainbows migrate upstream to spawn. Those in lakes migrate into tributary streams or spawn in shallow areas of rock or gravel if no streams are available.
To avoid embarrassing equivocations, read up on the fly-fishing jargon below, and put the Kleenex down—for now. Break-Off: When a hooked fish breaks your tippet or leader. Buck: A male fish, or a male deer. They're called the same thing.
Threat(s): Rainbow trout is responsible for driving many native species into extinction or endangerment. They have eradicated frog species and threatened many native fish species in a variety of environments, such as the Californian golden trout and humpback chub in the Grand Canyon.
Now you know that a female trout is called a hen.
Just like in the mouse situation above, small and average size trout eat each other. We have often caught trout that were in the 15-inch range that has had other fish sticking out of their mouth. They will eat all sizes of trout.
Trout are closely related to salmon and char (or charr): species termed salmon and char occur in the same genera as do fish called trout (Oncorhynchus – Pacific salmon and trout, Salmo – Atlantic salmon and various trout, Salvelinus – char and trout). They are classified as oily fish.
The brown trout, originally a native of Europe, was introduced to both North and South America as a game fish. In the Patagonia region the brown is not as prolific as the rainbow trout but still accounts for almost forty percent of the fish caught on our Chile fly fishing trips in the Futaleufu region.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC primarily stocks three strains of rainbow trout: two wild (the Blackwater River and Pennask Lake), and one domesticated (the Fraser Valley). These strains all have different origins and adaptations.
The waters of Patagonia instead played host to relatively lean populations of endemic 'Pejerrey' silversides (Odontesthes bonariensis), Patagonian perch or 'Perca' (Percichthys trucha), and swarms of 'Puyen' (Galaxias maculatus), the predominant baitfish.
At the heart of Chubut province in Patagonia, there are a few rivers and lakes that hold some trophy brook trout if not the world record. It's filled up by the main tributary, the Corcovado river which offers some of the most amazing and huge runs of brook trout that are available in Patagonia.
Chinook salmon native to North America are spreading through South America's Patagonia and have become the most widespread anadromous salmon invasion ever documented. Lineages from the Lower Columbia River were introduced for salmon open-ocean ranching in the late 1970s and 1980s, and were prevalent south of 43°S.
Rainbow trout, (Oncorhynchus mykiss), game fish of the family Salmonidae noted for its spectacular leaps and hard fighting when hooked.
In the southernmost part of South America, Patagonia occupies 260,000 square miles spanning Argentina and Chile. The region is known for dramatic mountain peaks, an abundance of glaciers and an array of unique wildlife.
Brown trout are now found all across the U.S. The species first came to the U.S. in 1883, when a New York fish farmer named Fred Mather imported brown-trout eggs from Baron Lucius von Behr, president of the German Fishing Society. (That's why many folks refer to the fish as German browns.)
