What are the ideal temperatures for rainbow, brook, and lake trout?
Three different thermostats, which is why they occupy three different habitats. Brook trout are the cold specialists: feeding peaks around 10–14 °C (50–57 °F), and chronic exposure above ~20 °C (68 °F) is lethal — hence their retreat to spring-fed headwaters. Rainbows are the most heat-tolerant of the trio, feeding well at 13–18 °C (55–64 °F) and surviving brief spikes past 24 °C (75 °F). Lake trout are the extreme cold end: preferred water is 8–12 °C (46–54 °F), and in summer they simply live wherever that band exists — usually 20–30 m (66–98 ft) down. Find the temperature and you have found the species.
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