The streams and the lakes of Pennsylvania contain a variety of differents trout species that can be encountered on a fishing trip. The cold and clear waters that run through the Allegheny mountains and the Pocono plateau have a specific reason for they’re composition. The trout that live in these bodies of water require the use of clean and well-oxygenated water to thrive.
These trout makes sure that the anglers that understand the type of trout they are targeting will be rewarded for their efforts. Whether you are looking for a stocked trout on the opening days of the fishing season, or you are looking for a wild trout that has never set foot in a hatchery truck, having knowledge of these various species of trout will ensure that you are able to find the best type of water for fishing, the best type of fishing lure or fly to use in those waters, and even the most best mindset for your fishing adventure. There are millions of trout that the state manages every year in Pennsylvania, yet the wild trout populations is still thriving in certain parts of the state.
Depending on the trout species that are encountered, each will behave differently in the water, fight differently when anglers catch them, and each will have distinctive features that make it easily identifiable by those who understands and know the features of each species of trout. There are several trout species in Pennsylvania that are most likely to be encountered during a fishing trip into the state. Each of these trout species will be discussed on this page with an explanation of the features of the trout and the reason for which they are present in the state of Pennsylvania.
Common Trout Species Found in Pennsylvania
1. Brook Trout
The brook trout is the most prominent type of trout in the state of Pennsylvania. This trout species was the one that started the trout fishery in the area. The brook trout is an native species to the state.
Its back features olive color with light markings that resemble worms, as well as red spots that are ringed with blue color. The lower fins of the fish feature white edges. The state claims the brook trout as its official state fish for a specific reason: it is the most sensitive to warming waters and pollution.
Therefore, any wild brook trout that is caught indicates that the water where it was caught is still clean and free from many forms of pollution. Brook trout reach a maximum length of ten or eleven inches. This small size does not detract from the fighting power of these fish.
Brook trout are most active between the spring and autumn seasons. During the spring, brook trout can be spotted actively guarding the spawning grounds of other red trout species. During the autumn, brook trout exhibit their brightest colors and display the most reckless behavior to feed in an attempt to prepare for the next spawning season.
These fish can be targeted with small spinners or a bushy dry fly. Because the brook trout often live in remote areas in the state, and because they are easily spooked by movement, fishing for these fish requires anglers to use stealth in their fishing approaches.
2. Brown Trout
The brown trout species was introduced into the state from Europe in the 19th century, but has been a part of the trout populations of Pennsylvania since then.
These fish grows to larger sizes than brook trout and live longer in their native waters. Brown trout have also been spotted growing to lengths of twenty inches or more in areas like the Letort and the Yellow Breeches rivers. The fish has buttery colored sides as well as black and red spots that is scattered over its body.
These brown trout are most active after dusk and into the night due to their genetic inclination to be nocturnal feeders. The brown trout also have an interesting life cycle in that after a single generation of brown trout live in the wild, they can transform into entirely wild fish species. These stocked brown trout will move downstream, reproduce, and raise their young to begin feeding upon the natural insects that live in the wild areas of the streams.
Brown trout that surpass sixteen inches in size will begin to fight with precision in their attacks. The preferred time of year to target brown trout is during sulfurs and tricos fly hatches. These fish will be sipping at the water during these times of year.
The tendency of brown trout to become very smart enables anglers to lose a significant number of these fish when first beginning to fish for them.
3. Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout are another species of trout that can be found in various locations in Pennsylvania. This trout features metallic silver sides with a vivid pink to purple stripe on its back.
These rainbow trout are most likely stocked by the state. Yet, there are also certain areas where rainbow trout can be found in self-sustaining populations. Rainbow trout are also known for their ability to leap out of the water when anglers pursue them.
Yet, rainbow trout can become easily hooked if the anglers employ the wrong amount of tension on the fishing line. Rainbow trout live in waters that are slightly more warmer to the trout species than the brook and brown trout. Because of the ability of rainbow trout to establish schools of fish together in their native waters, anglers that spot a rainbow trout will find more of these fish in the same areas.
Rainbow trout are thus popular among beginner anglers and families that fish on put-and-take waters during the spring. Rainbow trout that are stocked by the state may initially be easy to catch by the novice angler. Yet, as the rainbow trout begin to survive the fishing season, they become very wise to the movements of anglers.
These fish can be targeted using egg patterns, nymphs, or spinners that flash in the waters. Rainbow trout are the favorite of spin fishermen because they tend to readily take moving lures.
4. Lake Trout
The lake trout, also known as “lakers” are the largest type of trout in Pennsylvania.
The state has maintained significant populations of these fish in bodies of water like Lake Erie, Raystown Lake, and a few other areas in the Pocono region. These lake trout have a preference for water temperatures of around 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Furthermore, they are found to live to depths of eighty feet in the summer months.
The bodies of these fish are dark gray in color with irregular white spots. These fish grows slowly, and live for extended periods of time. Therefore, they can grow to reach lengths of thirty inches and weigh in at double digits of pound.
The fight between anglers and lake trout can be strong because of the size of these fish. Anglers can target these fish using downriggers or lead-core line in the summer months. During the fall, when the lake begins to warm, vertical jigging with heavy spoons proves to be effective in catching lake trout.
In order to fish for these trout, anglers must acquire a fishing boat and specialized gear. Yet, the possibility of landing a fish that weighs double digits of pounds justifies the effort required to land these species.
5. Splake
Splake are another type of fish that live in the waters of the state of Pennsylvania, but are located in fewer quantities than the other trout species.
The splake is a cross between a brook trout and a lake trout that is stocked into a few lakes in the state. These splake are cross bred to grow at a faster rate than brook trout alone, and to tolerate the less than ideal conditions in the lakes where brook trout may not be able to survive. Splake that exhibit the characteristics of both brook and lake trout fight with vigor when anglers are angling them, and they taste delicious when prepared as fish meals.
Because splake are sterile, the fisheries biologists in the state do not worry about them potentially out-competing brook trout populations with time. Splake can be targeted in the same ways that brook trout are targeted when in their early seasons. Anglers that target splake will encounter the most success with their efforts when fishing for them when they are in their early seasons; their more aggressive nature enables them to be caught using more aggressive fishing techniques.
6. Palomino Trout
Palomino trout is the rarest and most visually prominent trout species in Pennsylvania. These trout are a type of rainbow trout that contains a genetic mutation in their DNA. This mutation allows them to display bright yellow colors to their surroundings instead of the typical rainbow coloration.
Because of their bright colors, palomino trout are easily spotted when present in the lake waters. The state stocks limited quantities of palomino trout to certain waters in the state each year. These species is a novelty to the state’s trout populations.
Because palomino trout are visually prominent, anglers quickly catch them. This prevents the trout from becoming numerous within the lake populations of the state. Anglers that visit the state’s lakes can consider targeting these fish just as they would target ordinary rainbow trout.
Yet, because palomino trout are a survival species that was created in a hatchery, they may expect more of a fight from these fish as they survive the water environment. Yet, such an effort and fight between angler and fish can be very satisfying when performed. Watching a palomino trout flash in the water as it leaves the water is a memory that many anglers will hold for years to come.
Each of the trout species that live in the water of Pennsylvania have stories to tell. Brook trout remind anglers of the beginning of trout populations in the area, as well as for what they are losing the trout species. Brown trout show anglers the skill with which the state has managed its trout species to become self-sustaining.
Rainbow and lake trout offer anglers of all experience levels the opportunity to encounter trout that exhibit explosive and strong fights, respectively. Yet, the occasional splake and palomino trout add colors to the fish populations of the state of Pennsylvania. The next time anglers find themselves at the nearest trout stream, they should take a moment to consider the species of trout that live in these bodies of water in Pennsylvania.
Knowing the species of trout that live where they do will allow anglers of all skill levels to target these trout to ensure that their days of fishing become the days that they remember of their lives. The trout waters of Pennsylvania are closer than you think, and each species of trout is waiting on the anglers to make their next fishing trip matter.