Similarities And Differences Among New York's Trout

Similiarities and differences among New York's trout species
Species	Description	Habitat	Reproduction	Feeding	Fishing Information	Comments
Brook Trout	6-10" long in streams; 10-12" in ponds Up to 8 lbs. Square tail Olive green with lighter wavy markings above, yellow spots and some red spots on side White line along front edge of lower fins	Cold lakes, ponds and streams Often found in very small brooks	Spawns in fall (mid Oct-early Dec) Female digs shallow nest (redd) on gravel beds in spring-fed streams	Usually eats insects	Prized gamefish Relative east to catch Use flies, small minnows or worms	New York State Fish Well-known for beauty and high catchability New York native
Lake Trout	15-34 " long Up to 30 lbs. Forked tail Silvery to dark gray above, white below Light yellowish spots on sides, tail and dorsal fin	Deep, cool, well-oxygenated lakes	Spawns in fall (late Oct-Nov) Scatters eggs over shallow, rocky reefs No nest is built	Adult mainly eat fish such as smelt, alewives, sculpins and minnows Young eat insects and crustaceans	In early spring troll near the surface with artificial lures or natural fish In summer troll deep with downriggers or wire line and use flashy lures	New York native Prized due to large size and strength Taste somewhat inferior to other trout
Brown Trout	8-20" long in Inland waters 20-32" long in Great Lakes Up to 30 lbs. Silvery to olive green above with dark brown or black spots (sometimes a few red or orange) on sides, dorsal and adipose fins Occasionally several spots on tail	Cool streams and lakes Some sea-run strains	Spawns in fall (late Oct-Dec) Female digs shallow nest on gravel areas of clear, cold streams	Small brown trout mainly eat insects Large brown trout eat fish such as minnows, smelt and alewives	Relatively difficult to catch Cast or troll flies, artificial lures, worms and minnows	Introduced from Europe in the 1880's Tolerate warmer water than either brook or lake trout Withstands heavy fishing pressure better than other trout
Rainbow Trout	8-20" long in Inland waters 20-34" long in Great Lakes Up to 25 lbs. Silvery to olive or blue/green above with numerous black spots on head, sides, dorsal fin, adipose fin and tail May have pink-red banc along side	Usually cool lakes and larger streams	Spawns late winter-spring (Jan-May) Female builds nest on gravelly areas of clear, cold streams	Small rainbows mainly eat insects Large rainbows eat fish such as minnows, smelt and alewives	Fairly easy to catch Cast or troll flies, artificial lures, worms and minnows Prized sportfish. Well-known for its leaping and fighting abilities when hooked	Introduced from the Pacific Coast Sea-run (or lake-run) variety are called steelhead Steelhead are present only in Great Lakes, Lake Champlain and their tributaries