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RAINBOW TROUT
PICTURE
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RAINBOW TROUT PICTURE
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IDENTIFICATION
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| Dark spots on a light background
separates this fish from the brook trout and other chars. Spots on brown
trout are haloed in bluish rings. The absence of red or orange about the
throat region says that it’s not a cutthroat trout. The common name
"rainbow" is really misleading, however. The name is derived
from a broad band of pink or lavender that runs the length of the fish
from the cheek to the tail. The upper sides and back are dark green,
peppered with black spots that continue to the tail fin. Spots are
sparse around the midline and often absent from the silvery area below
the lateral band. The lower jaw of the male becomes hooked during
breeding season. |
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DISTRIBUTION |
| The rainbow trout was
originally found in the lakes and streams draining the Pacific slope,
from Alaska to northern Baja, Mexico, as well as the Pacific coastal
streams of Asia. The first stocking of rainbows in the eastern states
occurred in 1880, when the U.S. Fish Commission delivered rainbows that
originated near McCloud River, California. The species now occurs
throughout the United States and many countries around the world. |
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HABITAT |
| Prime habitat for rainbows
are swift-flowing rivers with clean rocky bottoms. Water temperatures
remaining below 70 F are preferred, but they tolerate 80 F. A rainbow
trout is no home body either. They frequently move about, especially
during the spawning season. Rainbows stocked in small streams eventually
move downstream to lakes or larger rivers. |
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DIET |
| Small rainbows eat
zooplankton for their first few weeks. As they get bigger they switch to
insects like grasshoppers, mayflies, and caddis flies. They also eat
worms and fish, including other smaller trout. Rainbow trout conserve
energy by letting food come to them. By waiting in the slow water
created by a large rock or log in a stream, they wait alongside faster
water for food drifting downstream. When an insect or a smaller fish
comes drifting by, the trout darts out from behind the rock and grabs a
meal. |
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REPRODUCTION
AND GROWTH |
| Around March or April, two-
or three-year old rainbow trout are preparing to spawn. As the water
warms and the amount of sunlight grows longer each day, rainbow start
moving upstream to find rocky riffles in which to shed their eggs. With
powerful tail sweeps, a female rainbow digs out a shallow pit in
gravelly riffles called a "redd." Up to 6,000 fertilized eggs
are dropped among the rocks and then covered--again by the female’s
tail--leaving them to fend for themselves. It is important that the
stream bottom that makes up the redd not have too much mud or silt.
Water rich in oxygen must percolate over the eggs without washing them
downstream, otherwise the eggs will die. These eggs may stay under the
gravel for up to 50 days where upon young rainbow trout emerge. When the
young fish appear from the gravels they are very vulnerable to
predation. Larger fish, snakes, birds, and even some aquatic insects may
eat the young trout. Those that survive the vulnerability of being small
usually grow to about five or six inches in length by their second
summer. They may live 12 years and reach 15 pounds. |
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ANGLING |
| Their strength, tenacity, and
willingness to jump out of the water when hooked are pleasing to the
angler. Whether you are a bait dunker, prefer spinning gear or like to
fly fish, rainbows won’t discriminate in giving a good fight. No
wonder rainbows rank high on the list of the most popular game fishes.
Anglers should deliver their baits into the swift water, allowing them
to drift past cover and the associated eddies. Salmon eggs, garden
worms, in-line spinners, and wet and dry flies will all take rainbow
trout. |
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"DID
YOU KNOW . . . ?" |
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Of every 10,000 rainbow trout that hatch in the wild, not more than
two of them may live long enough to become full-grown adults. |
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| John 11:34 And said, Where
have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. |
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