BROWN
TROUT
The Beautiful and Brawny Brown Trout
Although not native to Colorado, or anywhere in North America in fact, the brown trout is one of fly anglers’ favorite species to catch due to the species’ unmatched beauty and strength. Commonly considered to be one of the most difficult trout species to catch on a fly rod, brown trout often grow larger than their rainbow and cutthroat trout counterparts, giving them the brawn to give any angler a vigorous fight. Brown trout are identifiable by the buttery-brown hue across their entire bodies, which is where their name comes from, and from the cheetah-like black spots that adorn their sides. Additionally, they have light-yellow, white-tipped fins, and wild brown trout often have a blue spot along their cheekbone. Many anglers in Colorado devote much of their time on the water chasing trophy brown trout, who can grow larger than two feet long and over seven pounds in weight in the Centennial State. Browns much larger than this are caught every year as well, and the state record brown was over thirty pounds in weight! Keep reading on this page to learn more about this prized Colorado trout species.
Brown Trout: Information on this Trophy Trout Species
Brown Trout in Colorado live in similar habitats to Rainbow and Cutbow Trout and can be found in nearly every front range and mid-alpine river in the state. Rivers like the South Platte, the Arkansas, and the Gunnison have populations of large and healthy brown trout. Additionally, many Colorado lakes and reservoirs hold brown trout, which can grow to gargantuan sizes in these still waters. Every spring, right after these lakes shed their ice from winter, anglers flock to still water to fish for large and hungry brown trout, who cruise shallow water looking for their first post-winter meal.
Brown trout, like brook and lake trout, spawn in the fall, usually between September and November, although the specific timing fluctuates by waterway. Female brown trout find a shallow section of a river or creek, where they beat their tails against the streambed to create a gravel spawning bed known as a redd to lay their eggs. Male brown trout will then fertilize these eggs, which hatch into brown trout fry within 4 to 6 weeks. Anglers should take care to avoid stepping on brown trout redds in the fall, which are strips of light-colored gravel in shallow water, to ensure the continuation of Colorado’s brown trout population.
Brown trout usually live between 4 and 6 years in the wild, although some individuals have lived longer than 10 years. Most brown trout caught in Colorado will be between 10 and 14 inches in length, although browns up to 20 inches are common, and fish well over this length are caught every year. To catch a trophy Colorado brown trout, anglers must be very attentive to the presentation of their flies, as brown trout are known to be very selective feeders. Brown trout can be very aggressive, however, and can often be caught on streamers, especially in the fall. Also in the fall, the color on brown trouts’ hides becomes much more vibrant, giving them a buttery-brown color that is a sight to behold. No matter whether you’ve been fishing Colorado’s waters for a lifetime, or are throwing flies in the Centennial State for the first time, you’re sure to have a thrill chasing giant brown trout in a mountain setting.
