Brown trout

Brown trout and our canals

A fish often found in the well-oxygenated waters of faster flowing rivers and streams, brown trout are beautifully marked with pale-ringed dark spots and are very sought after by anglers. This fast and active predator hunts for invertebrates and small fish, often taking flying insects off the water’s surface.

How to identify a brown trout

The brown trout is a medium-sized, beautiful fish with a golden yellow-brown appearance, yellow belly and black and red spots all over. As a member of the salmonid family, they possess an adipose fin (a small, rounded fin located between the dorsal and tail fin along the back of the fish).

Unlike the salmon, the brown trout's jaw extends beyond the eye. They can be distinguished from the rainbow trout by their plain tail fin and lack of a purple marking along the stripe.

Lifecycle of a brown trout

Spawning begins in winter and continues until March. Females lay their eggs in river gravels in a depression, defended by the males until the female lays her eggs. Males fertilise the eggs, which are then buried until they hatch in the spring.

Young fish are called ‘fry’, and they lack any scales.

Where to find brown trout

The brown trout is widespread, living in freshwater streams, rivers, lakes and canals, as well as saltwater habitats. Although they’re the same species, those living in salt waters are known as sea trout, and they migrate to freshwater habitats to spawn.

Brown trout are particularly common in the River Severn and River Trent. They’re also found in some canals, like the Huddersfield Narrow, Montgomery, Swansea and Llangollen canals.

Look out for brown trout jumping from the water to feed on insects.

Threats to brown trout

Brown trout aren’t endangered, however, they’re threatened by poor water quality, silted spawning gravels and increased water temperatures caused by climate change.

How to catch a brown trout

While they will happily eat maggots and worms, trout, along with salmon, are known as game fish and for the purists, should only be caught with a fly.

There is an art to fly fishing. The hook is dressed with bits of feather and other materials as an imitation of shrimps, small fry, insects and other water invertebrates that make up the fish's natural diet.

The ultimate satisfaction of fly fishing is convincing the ever wary and very clever fish that your hook is real prey/food, and then hooking, playing and landing the fish.

Other fish species to look out for