Rainbow Trout

Onchorhynchus Mykiss

Timothy Kusherets

Here’s a comparison of a sea-run Rainbow Trout (Steelhead) and a Rainbow Trout that has never left freshwater. The steelhead is 38 inches long while the rainbow is slightly over sixteen inches long. Though shorter and rotund by comparison, the smaller rainbow trout has more coloration and markings along the body. Rainbow Trout are every bit as voracious feeders and strikers as their seagoing counterparts. Offerings that work on steelhead will work on rainbows.

This is one of the most sought after fish in the world. With a distribution of any coldwater latitude between thirty and sixty-degrees of the northern hemisphere, anglers can fish for them literally anywhere on earth. There are some regions of the southern hemisphere where rainbows have been introduced. They flourish in such places as South America, Australia, and Africa.
Depending on the location of fish, the size and coloration of this fish can vary, but they all have a central theme in common. The rainbow-like coloring on both sides of the fish gives it that distinctive quality that fishermen associate with the meteorological anomaly that we call a “rainbow”.
The size of these fish can get impressively large ranging from one pound to thirty. The fight of these fish makes them a prized catch among ultra light fishermen and fly fishermen. Whenever fishing an area known to produce larger specimens it’s best to take backup gear of heavier test and gear.
Rainbow’s love fresh cold water and the substrate matters little to them aside from small gravel needed for spawning purposes. They can be found holding in eddies, pools, seams, slots, tail-outs, and tributaries so long as larger species of fish are not in the area. These very adaptive fish will not directly compete with larger fish since their bodies tend to be softer and less dense than many other species of freshwater fish.
True rainbow’s will never migrate out to sea and as such retain much of the spotting known for this fish. In most places there will be a pink stripe found on sides of the fish, which will vary in intensity. The tail is square and rounded at the tips and not forked.
There are many ways to drift-fish for rainbows. Spinners, flies, corkies, baits, and spoons represent any offering that these fish will strike. Highly competitive, properly presented offerings are taken often within the first cast, which can make them a nuisance fish when targeting larger specimens.