The Rainbow Trout

The rainbow trout is part of the salmon family and valued as a hard fighting game fish.  They average 20-30 inches long and average 8 pounds in weight.  The rainbow trout generally lives to be between 4 and 6 years old.  The largest rainbow trout recorded was 57 pounds and around 11 years old.

Rainbow trout are native to North America in Alaska, California, Oregon, Alberta, and British Columbia.  Rainbow trout have been introduced all around the world and in many states including
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Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia.  Rainbow trout were introduced into springs and streams for people to sport fish.  Because it's such a popular species to sport fish, many places frequently stock rainbow trout in order to replenish populations.

Rainbow trout have had some impact on the habitats they are released into.  Rainbow trout will hybridize with other trout species affecting their genetic integrity.  Also rainbow trout will consume native fish and compete with other native fish for food.  Rainbow trout have also been known to drive out non-game fish out of their respective areas and into open water which makes them vulnerable to predation.  To help this problem plans have been put into place to restore and sustain the native fish to the areas where rainbow trout were introduced.

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