Species › North America · Freshwater › Brook Trout

Freshwater

Brook Trout

Salvelinus fontinalis · Brookie, Speckled trout, Squaretail

Water temp
50–61°F
Peak season
May–Jun, Sep
Best light
Dawn · Dusk
IGFA record
14 lb 8 oz (6.57 kg)
Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis.jpg)

Photo: Engbretson, Eric · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Brook trout are actually a char, with light spots on a dark background: pale olive 'vermiculations' across the back, red spots ringed in blue along the sides and white-edged orange lower fins. Spawning males glow orange on the belly. Native range runs from Georgia's Appalachians through New England and the Great Lakes to Labrador and Hudson Bay, and they have been stocked across the Rockies and West. Most wild stream fish are 6–10 inches; lake and large-river 'coaster' and Labrador fish reach 5–8 lb.

Brookies need the coldest, cleanest water of any eastern game fish, rarely thriving above 68 °F (20 °C), which confines wild populations to shaded headwaters, spring-fed ponds and northern lakes. They eat aquatic insects, terrestrials, minnows and anything else that fits, and they are notably less wary than browns, taking a well-presented dry fly or small spinner with little hesitation. Habitat loss and competition from browns and rainbows have pushed them upstream, so each wild fish is a small conservation success.

Typical size6–12 in; 0.25–1 lb (0.1–0.5 kg) in streams
Trophy3 lb+ in the lower 48; 6 lb+ in Labrador, Quebec and Nipigon
Table fareExcellent — delicate pink flesh, though wild fish are best released

Where & when

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Streams fish best from late April through June and again in September before the fall spawn; midsummer pushes fish to spring seeps and high elevations, and many eastern states close streams from October to April.

Rapid River, MELargest wild river brook trout in the lower 48Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NCHundreds of miles of native southern Appalachian brookie streamsAdirondack ponds, NYRemote heritage-strain ponds; ice-out fishingNipigon River, CanadaHome of the world record; coaster brook trout to 8 lb

How to catch

Dry-fly fishing small streamsFish upstream with a 3 wt and a bushy attractor dry such as a Royal Wulff, Elk Hair Caddis or Parachute Adams in size 12–16, hitting every pocket, plunge pool and undercut. Brookies rise readily; a short, accurate cast matters more than fly choice.
Ultralight spinning with inline spinnersCast a size 0–1 inline spinner or 1/16 oz spoon upstream and across, retrieving just fast enough to spin the blade as it swings past boulders and logs. Single hooks reduce damage to small wild fish.
Pond fishing at ice-outOn northern ponds, troll or cast small streamers, spoons and nymphs along shorelines and inlets in the weeks after ice-out, when trout cruise shallow water. A sinking-tip line and a Gray Ghost or Mickey Finn streamer are traditional.
Worm fishingA garden worm on a size 8–10 hook with a single split shot, drifted through deep pools and under logjams, remains the most effective way to catch brook trout in brushy water. Set quickly to avoid deep hooking if you plan to release fish.

Gear

Rod7'–8' 3 wt fly rod; 5'–6' ultralight spinning
Reel2–4 wt fly reel or 1000 spinning
LineWF3F fly line with 7.5 ft 5X–6X leader; 4 lb mono

Lures

Attractor dry fliesBead-head nymphsSmall streamersInline spinnersMicro spoons

Baits

Garden wormsGrasshoppers and cricketsSalmon eggsSmall minnows

Regulations

A freshwater license and often a trout stamp are required. Brook trout rules vary widely: many wild-trout streams are artificial-lures-only or catch-and-release, size and bag limits differ by water, and most northeastern states close trout streams from fall through early spring.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 14 lb 8 oz (6.57 kg) — Nipigon River, Ontario, 1915 (Dr. John W. Cook). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

How do you tell a brook trout from a brown trout?

Brook trout have light spots on a dark body, wavy olive markings across the back and white leading edges on the lower fins; brown trout have dark spots, often with red ones, on a lighter golden-brown body and no white fin edges. Brookies also have a squared tail, which earned them the name squaretail.

What is the best fly for brook trout?

A size 14 Parachute Adams or Elk Hair Caddis will catch brook trout on almost any stream, and a bead-head Pheasant Tail or Hare's Ear dropped beneath it covers fish that will not rise. In ponds, a Wooly Bugger or classic streamer like a Mickey Finn is hard to beat.

Bite forecast — Brook Trout

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Brook Trout.

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