Trout belong to the Salmon family and represent the only coldwater game fish species in Iowa. Three trout species, one native and two naturalized, are found in our state. Brook trout, as far as can be determined from past records, have always inhabited some of the coldwater streams in the northeastern section of the state, especially those that have high water quality and remain cold throughout the entire year. Brown trout are not native to this continent but were introduced from Europe during the late 1800`s. Rainbow trout are native to the Pacific Coast region. Both of these introduced species have been stocked in this state for over a century; hence they are listed as Iowa fish. Natural reproduction of brown and brook trout presently occurs in a few streams, but for the most part trout inhabiting Iowa streams are produced at one of the three trout hatcheries located at Manchester, Decorah and Big Spring.

All Iowa trout streams, numbering over 100, are located in nine northeastern counties, roughly east of the Cedar River and north of the cities of Cedar Rapids and Maquoketa. Most coldwater streams are in private ownership, and trout fishing is allowed by public access agreements between the Department of Natural Resources and the landowners. An active trout stream acquisition program was initiated in the early 1960`s and has resulted in public ownership of more than 42 miles of the 266 miles of coldwater streams with trout management potential.

Trout have always been favorite fishes with anglers, and on the worldwide and national level more money has been expended on their propagation than any other fish species. Trout culture for the stocking of our waters is not new in Iowa. The first state fish hatchery was constructed in 1873 on the banks of the Wapsipinicon River just north of Anamosa. Its primary function was to produce salmon and trout, and that practice has continued since, although the Anamosa facility was closed thirty years later. For many years, early in the propagation program, trout were stocked as fry, but later they were raised on a supplemental diet to a two to four-inch fingerling size. Since about 1933, most of the trout stocked in our streams have been catchable-sized, from seven to twelve-inches in length and weighing up to one-half pound.

Several unsuccessful attempts were made in the past to introduce other salmonid fishes such as lake trout, coho, and Atlantic salmon into West Lake Okoboji because the deepest part of this lake contains very cold water throughout the year. Failure of these plantings was the principal result of the absence of suitable forage and the complete absence of dissolved oxygen at these cool depths during summer. Two small lakes in Iowa are presently stocked with trout. Dalton Lake, in Jackson County, is stocked in the spring and fall with catchable sized fish, and Mitchell Lake in Waterloo is stocked during winter months with catchable-sized fish to support an ice fishery.

Trout, especially rainbow and brown, are known to attain weights of more than 40 pounds, although fish in excess of 10 pounds are rare indeed. The all-time Iowa record rainbow and brown trout were caught in 1984 -- the rainbow weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces and the brown weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces. Both of these fish were brood stock that had been culled from hatchery trout and were taken from French Creek in Allamakee County.

The exact number of Iowa anglers that fish trout is unknown because a portion of the fishermen, 16 years of age or less, are exempt from the usual trout stamp requirement. About 30,000 trout stamps are purchased by anglers each year. Trout stamp sales have increased an average of two percent each year over the last decade, which represents a rather rapid expansion in fishing interest. Trout fishing accounts for about 300,000 fishing days each year.

*Mayhew, J. (editor). 1987. Iowa Fish and Fishing. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa. 323 pp.