Rainbow Trout: Characteristics and more
Rainbows provide some of the most enjoyable trout fishing in all the rivers and streams of North America and the world. Trout make a great meal and are exciting to catch. This article will discuss what Rainbow Trout are, where they come from and what they eat to give you tips on selecting the correct rainbow trout lures.
The Rainbow Trout has one of the largest ranges of any species of fish. Originating from the rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Rainbow Trout are now found throughout North America, as well as in cold-water rivers, lakes and streams of Europe, Australia, Africa, Asia, South America, and New Zealand. Many states in the U.S. have stocking programs and raise thousands of Rainbow Trout in hatcheries each year.
Rainbow trout are a fresh water fish but in some bodies of water they will run out into the sea. These rainbows are called steelhead. Trout are aggressive fish in their appetites in the spring and give anglers a splendid fight. For this reason, Rainbow trout have a tendency to be one of the most hunted fish out there.
Rainbow Trout average range in size is from 12 to 18 inches on up to 30 inches in some larger bodies of water. Their average weight can be anywhere from 2 pounds to 5 pounds. The color of a Rainbow Trout is dark olive or blue green on the back blending into a silver blue on the underside. The body has many spots and there is a reddish pink stripe running along the side of the fish which gives it its name. Steelheads will lose their rainbow stripe when they go out to sea. Rainbow trout are in salmon family.
Rainbow Trout are ravenous eaters and eat anything from small insects to larger minnows and crayfish. Rainbows will try to eat other fish that are up to one third of their length. For that reason, fishermen fish with everything from flies to live minnows and worms to homemade dough baits try to catch them. An assortment of jigs, spinners and other lures are utilized as well. Don’t forget about America’s most popular fish bait for all species, the night crawler. To sum it up Rainbow Trout are a very pleasurable species to fish for.