Description
North American species, widespread through fish farming and sport fishing.
How to identify it
Pink band along the flank, many small black spots, also on the tail.
Appearance
The back is usually blue-green or olive, the flanks silvery and the whole body, fins included, densely speckled with black. The red spots with a pale halo typical of the brown trout are missing. The tail is almost square, only slightly forked. The reddish band on the flank is brighter in spawning males, while lake fish and many farmed specimens are more silvery and the band is barely visible. In some farms the adipose fin is clipped so the fish can be identified.
Habitat and habits
In the wild it lives in cool, well-oxygenated rivers with a gravel bed, or in moderately deep lakes with shallow, weedy areas. Compared with the brown trout it tolerates slightly warmer, less oxygenated water better, which is why it is also stocked in lowland rivers, reservoirs and put-and-take ponds. In many European waters it is stocked from farms and does not always manage to reproduce in the wild. It moves a lot, often in groups, and hunts both mid-water and at the surface.
There's more in the app
This species' bite index, recommended baits and methods, and the rules of the day for every water. Offline too.
Soon on Android and iPhone
