A 20" Brook Trout caught in God's River, Canada on a spoon
Brook Trout
Salvelinus fontinalis
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Brook Trout Description
Brook trout (also known as Speckled Trout in some places) are one of the most beautiful freshwater species of gamefish. During their spawn, they display bright greens, reds, oranges, yellows, and with some red dots surrounded by blue. Absolutely stunning. I have not yet gotten a picture of one that captures their full color potential, but hopefully I will someday. They can vary dramatically in color and sometimes appear dull gray or silver depending on their environment, genetics, and the time of year.
Brook Trout are native to the eastern United States and are a quintissentially American fish, but have been transplanted to parts of Europe and South America. Argentina and Chile in particular have some good fisheries for them. They are actually part of the Char family, and are in the same genus as the Lake Trout, Dolly Varden, and Arctic Char.
Brook Trout require clean water and are found in some very beautiful streams and lakes. They eat a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial insects, as well as small fish, leeches, freshwater shrimps, and sometimes even frogs.
Brook Trout have been naturally and artificially hybridized. Splake are a hybrid of a Brook Trout and a Lake Trout, while Tiger Trout are a hybrid of a Brook Trout and a Brown Trout. These hybrids are usually sterile and stocked in some places.
Brook Trout reach a maximum size of approximately 15lbs, although fish of even half this size are considered trophies and many areas are full of small fish and do not produce fish above 5lbs. Only a select number of areas produce double digit fish, and many fishermen are accustomed to mostly seeing fish in the 8-12 inch range.
They are good to eat but I have released all the ones I have caught. Because of their beauty, they are the state fish of 9 different US states.
Brook Trout Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 5.5 out of 10 on the Freshwater Scale
Brook Trout put up a decent fight for a freshwater fish. They may occasionally head for cover, although that is not a huge risk with them. Although they are not exceedingly strong or large, they often make acrobatic jumps to try to throw the hook.
Brook Trout Tackle
A light action spinning rod will handle most Brookies. They have good eyesight so use the lightest line you can get away with, especially in pressured areas. Monofilament line is often a better option than braid in many cases as they have fairly soft mouths and the stretch of mono results in less pulled hooks. If using flies, 3wt-5wt is the way to go.
Salvelinus fontinalis
HOME
Other Species
Brook Trout Description
Brook trout (also known as Speckled Trout in some places) are one of the most beautiful freshwater species of gamefish. During their spawn, they display bright greens, reds, oranges, yellows, and with some red dots surrounded by blue. Absolutely stunning. I have not yet gotten a picture of one that captures their full color potential, but hopefully I will someday. They can vary dramatically in color and sometimes appear dull gray or silver depending on their environment, genetics, and the time of year.
Brook Trout are native to the eastern United States and are a quintissentially American fish, but have been transplanted to parts of Europe and South America. Argentina and Chile in particular have some good fisheries for them. They are actually part of the Char family, and are in the same genus as the Lake Trout, Dolly Varden, and Arctic Char.
Brook Trout require clean water and are found in some very beautiful streams and lakes. They eat a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial insects, as well as small fish, leeches, freshwater shrimps, and sometimes even frogs.
Brook Trout have been naturally and artificially hybridized. Splake are a hybrid of a Brook Trout and a Lake Trout, while Tiger Trout are a hybrid of a Brook Trout and a Brown Trout. These hybrids are usually sterile and stocked in some places.
Brook Trout reach a maximum size of approximately 15lbs, although fish of even half this size are considered trophies and many areas are full of small fish and do not produce fish above 5lbs. Only a select number of areas produce double digit fish, and many fishermen are accustomed to mostly seeing fish in the 8-12 inch range.
They are good to eat but I have released all the ones I have caught. Because of their beauty, they are the state fish of 9 different US states.
Brook Trout Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 5.5 out of 10 on the Freshwater Scale
Brook Trout put up a decent fight for a freshwater fish. They may occasionally head for cover, although that is not a huge risk with them. Although they are not exceedingly strong or large, they often make acrobatic jumps to try to throw the hook.
Brook Trout Tackle
A light action spinning rod will handle most Brookies. They have good eyesight so use the lightest line you can get away with, especially in pressured areas. Monofilament line is often a better option than braid in many cases as they have fairly soft mouths and the stretch of mono results in less pulled hooks. If using flies, 3wt-5wt is the way to go.
A colorful Brookie caught in Montana on a grasshopper fly
Brook Trout Techniques
When fishing in rivers, try to fish behind boulders and other structure. The fish hide behind these structures in faster water and pounce on things that float by. In slower current, they spread out more when feeding. When resting they will find places to hide to avoid expending unnecessary energy. Pretty similar to most fish in rivers. Many alpine lakes are full of small Brook Trout. When there are lots of smaller fish, they will compete ferociously for your bait or lure.
Brook Trout Lures
Brook Trout are often not very discriminating and will hit all manner of spoons, spinners, tiny plugs, and flies. The key is not to use anything too large, although sometimes their appetites get the better of them and they attack large offerings.
Some good Brook Trout lures: Kastmaster spoon, Mepps XD #2 spinner, grasshopper fly
A 21" Brook Trout caught in God's River, Canada on a spoon
Brook Trout Baits
I'm not a big fan of fishing for Brook Trout with baits because they are more likely to get gut hooked and die. However, if you are fishing to eat then a good old worm on a hook under a bobber will definitely catch some Brook Trout if they are around. Grasshoppers and small minnows also work although may be a pain to obtain.
Where to Catch Big Brook Trout
The province of Labrador in Canada has some huge Brook Trout, and there are also some big ones in certain areas of most of the other provinces. On the other end of the spectrum, Argentina and Chile have some spots with big ones as well.
I'm not a big fan of fishing for Brook Trout with baits because they are more likely to get gut hooked and die. However, if you are fishing to eat then a good old worm on a hook under a bobber will definitely catch some Brook Trout if they are around. Grasshoppers and small minnows also work although may be a pain to obtain.
Where to Catch Big Brook Trout
The province of Labrador in Canada has some huge Brook Trout, and there are also some big ones in certain areas of most of the other provinces. On the other end of the spectrum, Argentina and Chile have some spots with big ones as well.
This feisty Brookie fell for a dry fly on Sweet Grass Creek, Montana
Here are some resources for catching Brook Trout:
If you enjoy fly fishing, Yellowstone Angler can put you one some nice ones in that area: www.yellowstoneangler.com.
In Argentina, try the Brook Trout Basecamp https://www.elencuentroflyfishing.com/about-us/lodges/brook-trout-base-camp
If you enjoy fly fishing, Yellowstone Angler can put you one some nice ones in that area: www.yellowstoneangler.com.
In Argentina, try the Brook Trout Basecamp https://www.elencuentroflyfishing.com/about-us/lodges/brook-trout-base-camp
A beautiful Montana Brookie caught on a grasshopper fly
Brook Trout can be so aggressive that you can occasionally land two at once. The larger one was landed on a dry fly and the smaller one was landed on a nymph I was fishing as a dropper from the dry fly.