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FAQ's About Brook Trout
How do you tell the difference between a male and female Brook Trout?
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Adult male Brook Trout have slightly longer fins and a longer upper jaw than the female. If you see them side by side they are easy to tell apart. During the spawning season the lower jaw of the males becomes somewhat longer and develops a slight hook. In both sexes the color of the lower body changes as the spawning season approaches. The white color of the lower sides and abdomen is replaced by red and orange with a black stripe along the very bottom. These colors tend to be brighter in males.
How many eggs can a Brook Trout produce? How many survive?
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The number of eggs a female Brook Trout produces depends on her size. A small 6" female might produce only about 100 eggs. A larger, more typical, 10-11" female (about ½ pound) might produce 400-600 eggs. A 22" female, a big fish, might produce as many as 5000 eggs.
Most of the eggs do not survive. Some are not fertilized and do not develop. Others are smothered or eaten by other animals. Even after hatching many of the young fish are eaten, especially by older and bigger fish. On the average, of all the eggs a female produces during her life, only two will survive long enough to become adult fish themselves.
How big do Brook Trout get? How old?
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In Canada, when all of the habitat conditions are optimal, Brook Trout may reach a weight of 8 to 9 pounds. There are stories of Brook Trout weighing as much as 14 pounds. Now that's a big fish! In the eastern United States Brook Trout seldom weigh more than one pound.
In the wild most Brook Trout seldom live longer than four or five years.