Comparing Rainbow Trout To Brown Trout

Justin on the left with a Brown Trout and Dawson on the right with a Rainbow Trout

By Sheila Lee

Fly-fishing and trout seem like they always belong in the same sentence.  But did you know that there are about fifty different species of trout? They all differ in appearance, size, lifecycle, and what they like to eat.  The trout found in Missouri are members of the salmonid family and consequently, they behave similarly to salmon.  They like cold, clear water, and fighting hard.  Salmon and trout are both among the tastiest of freshwater fish. This article is for comparing Rainbow Trout to Brown Trout.

We have two primary species of trout in Missouri: The Rainbow Trout and the Brown Trout. Let’s compare Rainbow Trout to Brown Trout.

First, the most significant difference between them is their coloring and the markings on their bodies as suggested by their respective names. 

Second, Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout don’t taste the same. Brown Trout has a much stronger flavor.  Rainbow Trout is mild.  I prefer Rainbow Trout prepared with lemon pepper or blackened Cajun style.

When identifying the sex of either of the trout, the easiest way to quickly know the fish is male is if it has a larger lower jaw, often called a hook-jaw.

Notice the upturned “hook jaw”.

Rainbow Trout

Rainbow Trout are native to North America’s cold-water streams. They are silver with a pink or red stripe, or lateral line, down the side covered in black spots from head to tail.  Rainbow Trout are most active during daylight hours.  On average, rainbow trout grow to between 12-20 inches and weigh approximately 1-4 pounds, but the biggest ones can grow over 20 inches.  However, the Rainbow Trout is not native to my home state of Missouri. They were first introduced in Missouri’s cold-water streams in the 1880’s. Some of the earliest stockings were accomplished by railroad workers who dumped buckets of small trout into the streams that the trains crossed. Some of these original strains of trout continue to exist now.

After decades of trial and error, the Missouri Department of Conservation settled on two primary strains of Rainbow Trout to stock the streams of the state.  They are now grown in our state-owned hatcheries. The first strain is the “Missouri Strain” and the second is the “Missouri Arlee Strain”.  The reason for the two strains is to have a strain that will spawn in the Autumn and another that will spawn in the Spring increasing efficiency and yield from the hatcheries.

The Rainbow Trout is by far the most numerous of the trout found here in Missouri.

Brown Trout

Brown Trout are not native to America at all. They come from Europe.  The Brown Trout is a different animal altogether. It looks and behaves quite differently from the Rainbow Trout. 

Brown Trout are brown with reddish spots, but sometimes they are more of a buttery color.  Their spots have a faint ring around them. 

The Missouri Department of Conservation raises between 1.5 and 2 million rainbow trout per year, but rarely more than 300,000 brown trout.​ This explains why the Brown Trout are caught less frequently and sometimes considered more of a prize.    

Brown Trout feed very much like rainbows until they reach about 12″ in length and one pound in weight. At that point, their diet shifts away from bugs and begins to include bigger prey like minnows, sculpins, crayfish, and more.

Brown Trout are opportunistic feeders so even if they are stuffed because they’ve recently eaten, they will still bite. It’s all about presentation.  You will have to drift your fly to them just right because they won’t chase your fly unless it looks big and tasty and appears to be an easy target.

Brown Trout spawn in the Fall and begin to gorge themselves prior to spawning. This pre-spawn period generally begins in October and can stretch into mid-November.  Brown Trout are much more wary than rainbows and are usually far harder to catch.  Therefore, when an angler catches and lands a Brown Trout it is more celebrated. 

Brown Trout thrive in clean, clear, and cold streams, but can tolerate a wider range of habitats compared to Rainbow Trout.  On average, brown trout grow to between 15-22 inches, and weigh approximately 1-5 pounds but can grow over 20 pounds. 

So now you know how to tell a Rainbow Trout from a Brown Trout. When a Brown Trout takes your fly, you can almost tell immediately.  They tend to take off and pull ferociously.  Take your time bringing in the fish once you confirm it is a Brown Trout. 

When fishing Lake Taneycomo in Branson, Missouri we prefer fishing in the Fall.  The Brown Trout swim upstream in their pilgrimage to spawn (like a salmon as I mentioned earlier) but they get stopped by the Table Rock Lake dam.  So, the concentration of Brown Trout increases in that area.  Fishing at that time can increase the odds of catching a Brown Trout, particularly a trophy-sized one!

Missouri has other species of trout such as the McCloud Trout found in Crane Creek, which is a transplant from the McCloud River in California, but Rainbow and Brown are far more common. 

The largest trout I have caught was a 22-inch Brown Trout at Lake Taneycomo in Branson, Missouri that we estimate between 4 and 5 pounds.  When I caught that trout, I felt like Brad Pitt in “A River Runs Through It”.  My husband’s largest trout was a 22-inch Rainbow Trout in Rockbridge, Missouri which we also estimate between 5 to 6 pounds.  We only estimated the weight because we love to catch and release so both trophy-sized fish we released unharmed so that they could live to fight another day!

I know I should not have held my trophy Brown Trout like that but we minimized our handling of him and released him healthy.

We would love to see pictures of the trout you caught!  Please feel free to send them to us online or through social media.