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Rainbow & Brown Trout Information
General information about the Rainbow trout (Salmo Gairdnerii.) and the Brown trout (Salmo Trutta.) including habitats, localities, descriptions, pictures and behaviours.
Rainbow Trout: (Salmo Gairdnerii)
Although native to lakes and streams of North-West America the Rainbow trout has been introduced to regions throughout the world including Europe, Australasia, South America and South Africa.
It is now the main breed of trout to be farmed commercially, due to its exceptional growth quality and its superb adaptability.
Rainbow trout have the distinct salmonid form, although colour and body shape can vary, reflecting habitat, age, sex and maturity. The distinctive stripe of a rainbow which is usually considered to be a red/pink colour can vary considerably through a colour range from a radiant red through all shades of pink and could even be almost impossible to see, giving the rainbow a very silvery flank. The flanks and back of a Rainbow trout are nearly always covered in hundreds of little black specks.
Rainbow Trout are also highly prized as game fish because they fight hard, leaping high out of the water. They can accelerate from stand still to approx 20mph in under 2 seconds, and can easily jump clear of the water surface by 3 or 4 times their own body length.
They have very good eye sight and superb sensory perception, helping them to detect the slightest changes in their environment, or movements of insects, flies, other fish, or a noisy angler, even on the darkest of nights.
Brown Trout: (Salmo Trutta)
Also known as the River or Lake Trout, the brown trout is indigenous to many European countries including Britain. The species displays a widely varied appearance with colouring and shape depending on where it is found.
Most commonly adult fish are brownish with numerous black and rusty red spots on its upper sides and its adipose fin is edged with orange.
The freshwater brown trout is found in a variety of habitats from small brooks to large rivers and lakes. A saltwater variety found typically in coastal waters of northern Europe is known as the sea trout.
Brown Trout in small rivers grow to about 30 cm long while the sea trout has been known to reach 1.4m.
Although similar to the Rainbow trout in many ways, the Brown trout’s closest relative is the Atlantic salmon, they tend to be a more secretive fish than the Rainbow and in general can be far more difficult to catch. When caught they very often stay deep, not showing the aerial acrobatic displays so commonly shown by the Rainbow trout.
There has been many attempts to introduce Brown trout to other parts of the world, but with only limited success.