This week’s blog was written by Lily S., a Bass alumni. Lily wanted to attend the academy to learn more about the environment and all the career opportunities available. Lily loves to spend time outdoors riding her bike, fishing, and hunting.
Today in Pennsylvania Brook trout are one of the most popular fish species to catch. They are also the state fish of Pennsylvania. These fish are found all throughout the mountain streams of Pennsylvania. The native brook trout require cold oxygen-rich water in order to survive. They will often be found in deep pools hiding under rocks and logs or darting from rock to rock trying not to be spotted.
Averaged sized brook trout
Unlike stocked brookies, the wild brook trout only grow to about 12 to 13 inches. However, they are usually only 4 to 8 inches long. One thing that sets brook trout apart from the other trout is their colors. They have a bright orange belly with dark orange, black, and white fins. On their bodies, they have dark green, gold, and black sides. They also have purple and blue spots on the sides of their body.
Stream full of wild brook trout
The diet of these fish ranges depending on the time of year. They will often eat whatever the hatch is, they also eat other brook trout/minnows, and worms. Brook trout will spawn during September and October. This is when their colors are at their fullest. Next time you are out and about in the mountains of Pennsylvania and you see a stream stop to take a look there could be some beautiful brookies swimming just below the surface of the water.
The photos used in this blog belong to the author.
Wild Brook Trout
Posted: April 12, 2022 by Katie Mace
This week’s blog was written by Lily S., a Bass alumni. Lily wanted to attend the academy to learn more about the environment and all the career opportunities available. Lily loves to spend time outdoors riding her bike, fishing, and hunting.
Today in Pennsylvania Brook trout are one of the most popular fish species to catch. They are also the state fish of Pennsylvania. These fish are found all throughout the mountain streams of Pennsylvania. The native brook trout require cold oxygen-rich water in order to survive. They will often be found in deep pools hiding under rocks and logs or darting from rock to rock trying not to be spotted.
Unlike stocked brookies, the wild brook trout only grow to about 12 to 13 inches. However, they are usually only 4 to 8 inches long. One thing that sets brook trout apart from the other trout is their colors. They have a bright orange belly with dark orange, black, and white fins. On their bodies, they have dark green, gold, and black sides. They also have purple and blue spots on the sides of their body.
The diet of these fish ranges depending on the time of year. They will often eat whatever the hatch is, they also eat other brook trout/minnows, and worms. Brook trout will spawn during September and October. This is when their colors are at their fullest. Next time you are out and about in the mountains of Pennsylvania and you see a stream stop to take a look there could be some beautiful brookies swimming just below the surface of the water.
The photos used in this blog belong to the author.
Category: Youth Blog Tags: brook trout, Brookies, featured, fish, fishing, wildlife