Trout

Angling enthusiasts loved trout so much that they introduced it to new places; brown trout from Europe were released in North America, and rainbow trout from America - in Europe. Introduced populations thrive in Australia and New Zealand. Trout prefer colder waters, and are often found in mountain rivers, streams and lakes. You usually have to be or travel to mountainous or northern regions to do some trout fishing. Scotland and Scandinavia are the most popular magnets in Europe, the Rocky Mountains in the USA. It has been noticed that high numbers of trout usually correspond to small average size of the fish, and vice versa. Many trout fishing lovers are looking forward to the time when insects of certain species, such as the mayfly, hatch - overwhelmed by the abundant food, trout lose their usual variness and will grab anything that falls into the water and bears a passing resemblance to the insect.

Trout is more of a common name than a scientific term; some species called trout belong to salmon or char families. In any case, trout is closely related to both salmon and char. Trout color, size and behavior can vary dramatically from one stream to another. In fact, the brown trout of the British Isles could be described as no less than thirty distinct species. Although some trout species, such as coastal rainbow trout, share with the salmon the lifestyle of reaching maturity in saltwater and returning to their home freshwater stream to spawn, most trout species are permanent residents of freshwater streams, rivers and lakes. The most common species of trout, such as brook trout, are relatively small fish, but brown trout can grow to over 40 pounds, the rainbow trout angling record is 48 lb (22 kg), and cutthroat trout 41 lb (19 kg).

Trout are predatory fish, feeding on other fish, aquatic invertebrates, and insects and even small rodents when they fall into water. This determines the most popular ways of fishing for trout. Trout, along with the salmon, is the fish that inspired the creation of fishing on the fly. However, spinning rods and reels are also a highly successful way of catching trout - so successful, in fact, that some flyfishing affectionados render them a bit less than sporting. Most trout are territorial, so one usually has to follow a stream or cruise the lake until one finds a sweet spot. Ice fishing for trout is very popular in some areas. To save the species from overharvest, trout fishing in many areas is either fully catch-and-release, or only specimens over a certain size can be kept.