Ewald Gabardi; Wikimedia Commons / EOL (CC BY-SA) · CC-BY-SA
Brown Trout
Salmo trutta
- Brown trout have spots on their body that often include red or orange spots, distinguishing them from other trout species that typically show only black spots.
- Look for an adipose fin (the small fleshy fin between the dorsal fin and tail) — a key feature shared with all trout and salmon, helping separate them from non-salmonid fish.
- Sea-run brown trout (sea trout) grow larger and more silver in color after time in saltwater, which can cause confusion with Atlantic salmon, but brown trout have a squarer, less forked tail.
- Brown trout exist in three distinct forms — river fish are typically smaller and more colorful, lake fish are larger and paler, and sea-run fish are silvery — but all share the same basic spotted body pattern.