Fishbook: Rainbow Trout

‘Fishbook’: Our species-guide series based on “Get Fishing”
the brilliant how to fish book by Allan Sefton

We profile the UK’s most common as well as some lesser-known fish species to help newcomer anglers find out more about fish that can be caught in our lakes, canals, rivers, ponds and sea.

Understanding the kinds of fish you might catch will add interest and could even make your fishing easier! Here you’ll find out more about…

RAINBOW TROUT

Name:
Rainbow Trout

Scientific name:
Oncorhynchus mykiss

Life span:
Around 5 years

Typical size:
2-3lb

British record:
24lb 14oz

Waters:
Put-and-take fisheries, reservoirs and lakes and some clean rivers, throughout the UK

Interesting fact:
The best approach is usually to fish the bait under a float to suspend it clear of the bottom and the weed beds

About Rainbow Trout

Rainbow trout are not a native fish. All rainbow trout are descended from trout imported from the Pacific coast of North America.

Only in a couple of UK rivers do they naturally breed so all rainbows are bred in hatcheries. They are popular as they’re cheaper and easier to rear than brown trout.

They grow rapidly and survive well when released into rivers and lakes. Most trout fisheries are heavily stocked with rainbows.

Visit the rest of the How To Fish video gallery here to learn new tricks and discover more about the basics of angling.

Find out more about:

• Brown Trout
• Grayling
• Barbel

Read more about how you can get into game fishing. Alternatively, find a venue near you where you can #getfishing!

Some of the above content is taken from the new book, Get Fishing – the ‘how to’ guide to Coarse, Sea and Fly Fishing by Allan Sefton published by Merlin Unwin Books. This colourful, lively book is aimed at complete beginners of all ages, those who have been out fishing a couple of times and want to take it further and families of all abilities. It’s also packed with top-tips and info that make it useful for more experienced anglers too. Find out more about, and purchase a copy of the book here.

Header image thanks to David Overland and text reproduced with permission and © Merlin Unwin Books.