  Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) The brook trout, or speckled trout as it is called locally, is the only trout native to North Carolina. Considered an Ice Age relict, this member of the char family is found only in cold water streams of the mountains. Often a brilliantly colored fish, it is readily identifiable by the white leading edge, backed by black, on its lower fins.
Brook trout were once widely distributed throughout the mountain counties, but because of changing land-use patterns, overfishing, and competition with rainbow and brown trout, their range now is greatly reduced. Today they are scarce except in relatively remote headwater streams.
Because of the concern about declining brook trout numbers and habitat, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has placed special emphasis on protecting and enhancing wild brook trout populations as a special resource. Rainbow and brown trout are not stocked into streams which contain only wild brook trout.
The brook trout is easy to catch and when a stream is made easily accessible by new roads, or other development, their numbers can be reduced by fishing, or eliminated by accompanying habitat changes. The typical brook trout caught today is eight inches or less in length. A 12-inch or longer fish is a rarity.
Because of their small size and tendency to be found in small, overgrown streams, brook trout seldom get to put up much of a fight when hooked.
 Rainbow Trout (Oncorhychus mykiss)
Rainbow trout, native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range
in the western United States, were introduced into North Carolina as early
as the 1880s. Since then they have been stocked in most trout waters in
the state, and have become the backbone of our trout fishery.
Rainbows
are distinguished by the presence of a pinkish to red longitudinal band,
varying numbers of black spots, and a frequently pink or red gill cover.
The typical rainbow trout taken from North Carolina waters is 10 inches
or less in length. Fish up to 12 inches long are common, and occasionally
larger specimens are taken
Rainbow trout do best in clear, cool, cascading
type streams, but can survive in waters too warm or too silt- laden for
brook trout. In streams where both rainbow and brook trout occur, rainbow
usually dominate. Rainbow trout are known as spectacular fighters, and
frequently jump from the water when hooked. Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) Brown trout, native to northern Europe, were imported into this country
from Germany and Scotland in the late 1800s. They were first stocked in
North Carolina shortly after 1905, but were never as widely distributed
as the rainbow. In fact, brown trout are still expanding their range in
North Carolina today.
Brown trout can be distinguished by their brownish-yellow
color and the scattered black, red, and orange spots on their sides. The
typical brown trout taken from North Carolina water is 12 inches or less
in length, but fish greater than 18 inches long are occasionally taken.
Brown trout are extremely wary and are the most difficult of the trout
to catch. Once they become established in a stream, it is almost impossible
to catch them out, even with heavy fishing pressure. Frequently, inexperienced
anglers fishing in brown trout water will not get so much as a strike,
and are convinced that there are no fish in the stream. In actuality, there
may be an excellent population of wild browns.
Brown trout prefer larger,
slower flowing streams with an abundance of minnows. However, they also
do well in some of the smaller, swifter streams too. Brown trout are stubborn
fighters when hooked, but do not put on as spectacular an acrobatic show
as the rainbow. Instead, they tend to go to the bottom and run underneath
a log or into a rock crevice. |