Brown Trout
This highly esteemed trout may be caught on the same tackle and baits as rainbow trout, but are often more difficult to catch. The best time to catch large adult brown trout is in fall during spawning and during dawn and dusk periods. In Connecticut, brown trout are stocked as adults in many lakes and most fishable streams. Naturally reproduced wild brown trout are present in many Connecticut streams and are common in some. Some brown trout will descend into saltwater estuaries where they grow quickly, and upon returning to fresh water, are called “sea-run” trout.
Brown trout are known to be wary and targeting larger fish is widely considered a challenging, yet rewarding fishing opportunity. Coloration is usually dark to olive brown on the back, shading to yellow on the sides, and yellow or white on the belly. Brown trout rarely form hybrids with other species; if they do, they are almost invariably infertile. One such example is the tiger trout, a hybrid with the brook trout.
Lacustris reaches an average length of 40–80 cm (16–31 in) with a maximum length of 140 cm and about 60 pounds .The spawning behaviour of brown trout is similar to that of the closely related Atlantic salmon. A typical female produces about 2,000 eggs per kg of body weight at spawning. On September 11, 2009, a 41.45-lb (18.80-kg) brown trout was caught by Tom Healy in the Manistee River system in Michigan, setting a new state record. As of late December 2009, the fish captured by Healy was confirmed by both the International Game Fish Association and the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as the new all-tackle world record for the species. This fish now supplants the former world record from the Little Red River in Arkansas. Fish Commission released 4900 brown trout fry into the Baldwin River, a tributary of the Pere Marquette River in Michigan.
First planting in the United States occurred April 11, 1884, into the Baldwin River, one mile east of Baldwin, Michigan. Brown trout have had serious negative impacts on upland native fish species in some of the countries where they have been introduced, particularly Australia. Brown trout are considered native in Iceland, Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa.
Pectoral fin shorter than total length of depressed dorsal fin. Throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, angling authors, mostly British, some French, and later American, writing about trout fishing were writing about fishing for brown trout. Once brown trout were introduced into the U.S. in the 1880s, they became a major subject of American angling literature. In 1889, Frederic M. Halford, a British angler, author published Dry-Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice, a seminal work codifying a half century of evolution of fly fishing with floating flies for brown trout. In the early 20th century, British angler and author G. E. M. Skues pioneered nymphing techniques for brown trout on English chalk streams.
Understandably, recent brown trout stockings have caused confusion, as the Seeforellen strain looks very much like a landlocked salmon. The von Behr brown trout came from both mountain streams and large lakes in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. Additional shipments of “von Behr” brown trout eggs arrived in 1884.
Most brown trout are covered with black spots along their sides, back, and dorsal fin with each spot surrounded by a light halo. Frequently, the spots near the lateral line are red. Unlike other trout species, brown trout tails have few if any spots. Typically more difficult to catch on rod and reel than brook or rainbow trout. Despite this, most stocked brown trout are harvested quickly by anglers.
Dion Liriano is a 51-year-old American zookeeper who has retired from the business. He was once a highly successful director of the Zoo and Aquarium, but he has since hung up his gloves and moved on to other ventures. Dion's passion for animals began at a young age, when he would help his father care for their family pets. This love grew exponentially when he started working at the zoo; Dion quickly became one of the most experienced keepers in the business. He credits his success to the relationships he built with both staff and animals over the years.