Brown Trout in Michigan

Identifying it: “Brown trout can be hard to identify.”

Fishing for it: “Brown trout provide good fishing in many, mostly northern Michigan, inland lakes. Anglers use a wide variety of methods, from fishing with live bait on the bottom to trolling with minnows or artificial baits. In the Great Lakes, brown trout can offer outstanding sports in the early spring — often before other species begin to bite — to anglers who wade, fish from piers with live bait or artificial lures, or who troll in largely inshore water with imitation minnows or other plugs. Browns are often taken in conjunction with coho in the spring or incidentally with other salmon during the summer. Brown trout in streams are usually more cooperative on rainy or overcast days. Though they will take”

“The diet of adult brown trout includes insects and their larvae, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, small rodents and other fish.”

“In springtime you will find brown trout in shallow, rocky, boulder-strewn areas, and they prefer a water temperature of 50-65 degrees F. Since brown trout spawn in tributary streams in September and October, they begin to take up residence near stream outlets in late summer to early fall. After ascending a particular stream, brown trout spawners choose shallow, gravelly or rocky areas. The female creates a shallow depression (redd) in the gravel, in which the spawning fish deposit the eggs and s”

“Native to Europe and parts of Asia, brown trout were introduced to Michigan in 1883 — one of the first states to import them into North America — they now thrive statewide. Brown trout are more tolerant of warmer water temperatures than other trout species, and as a result, browns have become the principal target of anglers in many rivers across the state, ranging from Michigan's best-known trophy waters to small, marginal trout streams in southern Michigan.”