When and where does each trout species spawn?
Three schedules. Brook trout: October–November at 4–9 °C (39–48 °F), on gravel in spring-fed stream reaches and, distinctively, over groundwater upwellings in lakes — they can complete their cycle without a river. Lake trout: October–November at 8–11 °C (46–52 °F), at night over wave-washed rocky shoals and reefs in 1–10 m (3–33 ft), scattering eggs into rubble crevices with no nest at all. Rainbow trout: the spring outlier, April–May (March in the south, June in far-north systems) at 6–12 °C (43–54 °F), cutting redds in gravel riffles of flowing tributaries — rainbows genuinely need current, which is why landlocked lake populations often persist only through stocking. All three shift weeks earlier or later with latitude and altitude.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
More questions about Spawning
- What is a redd, and why must I never wade through one?
- Do trout guard their eggs or young like bass do?
- Do stocked hatchery trout spawn successfully in the wild?
- Why are there closed seasons for trout, and why do they differ by species?
- Do other fish eat trout eggs — and is fishing the "egg bite" ethical?
Same topic, other species
- Why do male crappie turn almost black in spring? — Crappie
- Do largemouth and smallmouth hybridize in the wild? — Largemouth Bass
- Do muskie guard their eggs or fry? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- What exactly is the perch egg ribbon? — Yellow Perch
- Do pike guard their eggs or young? — Northern Pike
- What water temperature do smallmouth spawn at? — Smallmouth Bass
- Do walleye guard a nest like bass do? — Walleye