When Do Rainbow Trout Spawn

How and when Trout Spawn.

When do rainbow trout spawn. Rainbow Trout spawn monitoring began in 1999. Brown trout spawn in the fall Oct-Dec when water temperatures drop into their ideal range. However steelhead which are anadromous rainbow trout seasonally move in and out of streams.

In late winter and early spring the fish can be found migrating upstream to spawn in shallow gravel riffles or pools. At lower elevations like near our Mystic Headquarters in Denver and along the Colorado Front Range rainbows will frequently spawn in February and March. Timing of the rainbow spawn often depends on geographical location.

2015-03-09 Rainbow and cutthroat trout generally spawn in the spring March-May as the days grow longer and water temperatures increase to the optimum spawning range. 2019-05-14 Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout spawn every spring anywhere from February to May. Brown trout spawning season is in the fall or early.

Rainbows will be between 12 and 16 inches30 and 40 cm long. 2014-03-17 Mid March typically marks the beginning of spawning season for rainbow trout here in the Rockies. Rainbow Trout reach sexual maturity earlier than most other trout including those charr with the trout name.

2014-09-12 Rainbow trout cannot change sex and generally do not spawn in lakes. Spring steelheading truly is a sign of spring and fishing can be fun and easy at this time of year. It is important to remember that all forms of rainbow trout migrate to rivers and streams ie even the steelheads and the lake trout return to rivers and streams to spawn.

Rainbow Trout are considered spring spawners but steelhead may enter streams to spawn from late fall through spring. At high elevations the spawn may start later than at low elevations and end later as well. Rainbow trout look for gravel-bottomed streams for their spawning grounds.