- Best water temperature
- 61°F16°C
- Active range
- 52 to 70°F11 to 21°C
- Feeds most
- Dawn and duskLow light
- Typical size
- 14 in35 cm
- Big ones reach
- 39 in44 lb
- Water
- FreshwaterCover-oriented holder
Brown trout feed hardest in water around 61°F (16°C) and stay active from about 52 to 70°F. They feed hardest in low light, around dawn and dusk, with a lull in the middle of a bright day. Start with an inline spinner in gold, a suspending jerkbait in pro blue, a casting spoon in copper.
The brown trout is the wariest and hardest to fool of the common trout: a cover-loving predator that grows large in rivers, tailwaters and deep lakes, and turns increasingly to eating other fish as it gets bigger.
Brown trout water temperature
Brown trout feed best at 61°F (16°C), active from about 52 to 70°F (11 to 21°C). That band comes from the same species model BiteCast scores with, and it is why the Fish Score for brown trout rises and falls with the water rather than the air.
Browns handle slightly warmer water than rainbows and brook trout, which is why they hold on in rivers other trout have left, but they still feed less once the water passes the upper 60s.
For a side-by-side view of every species, see the full water temperature table or the guide to reading water temperature.
When brown trout bite
Low light is when big browns hunt. Dusk, dawn, overcast days and rising, slightly stained water after rain are the best times to catch a large one.
Where to find brown trout
Cold rivers and lakes; wary fish that hold near undercut banks and current seams.
Undercut banks, logjams, deep pools, the shade of overhanging trees, and the slow water behind boulders. Big browns hold on the best cover in a stretch and leave it to feed.
Best baits and lures for brown trout
Ranked from BiteCast's bait data, with the colors to throw as the water gets dirtier. Natural baits show how to rig them instead of a color.
| # | Bait | Clear water | Stained | Muddy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inline SpinnerMetal and blades | Gold, Silver Blade/Black Body, Gold Blade/Brown Body | Gold Blade/Orange Body, Silver Blade/Red Tail, Rainbow Trout | Fluorescent Chartreuse, Hot Pink, Firetiger |
| 2 | Suspending JerkbaitHard bait | Pro Blue, Ghost Minnow, Tennessee Shad | Clown, Gold/Black, Table Rock Shad | Firetiger, Chartreuse Shad, Matte Bone |
| 3 | Casting SpoonMetal and blades | Copper, Chrome/Silver, Brass/Gold | Red & White, Blue/Silver, Yellow/Black | Fluorescent Pink, Chartreuse/Gold, Firetiger |
| 4 | EarthwormNatural bait | Rig: Whole nightcrawler | ||
| 5 | Live MinnowNatural bait | Rig: Small minnow (1 to 2 in) | ||
| 6 | Paste BaitNatural bait | Rig: Floating paste | ||
Inline spinners and small spoons in streams; jerkbaits and swimbaits for big fish; worms after rain. Approach quietly and keep low: browns spook easily.
What brown trout eat
In the wild brown trout eat aquatic insect larvae, adult mayflies and caddisflies, freshwater shrimp, small fish such as minnows and sculpins, snails, crayfish. Matching the size and color of that forage is the single most reliable way to pick a bait.
About the brown trout
Brown trout are golden-brown salmonids with dark spots and red or orange spots ringed by pale haloes along the flanks.
Native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, they have been introduced worldwide and inhabit cold, clear rivers, lakes, and some estuaries.
They are opportunistic ambush predators that feed heavily on insects when young and shift increasingly to fish and larger prey as they grow.
They are most active at dawn, dusk, and after dark, and large specimens can exceed 9 kg, with the rod-caught record near 20 kg.
Found in: United States, Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Ireland, Isle of Man, India, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Russia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, French Southern Territories, Türkiye, Ukraine, South Africa.
Common questions
What water temperature do brown trout bite best in?
Brown trout feed hardest around 61°F (16°C) and stay active from about 52 to 70°F (11 to 21°C). Below the band they slow down and feed less often; above it, warm water holds less oxygen and they go deeper or feed at night.
What time of day do brown trout bite?
Brown trout feed hardest in low light, around dawn and dusk, with a lull in the middle of a bright day. Cloud cover, stained water and wind chop stretch the low-light window through more of the day.
What is the best bait for brown trout?
In BiteCast's bait rankings the top picks for brown trout are inline spinner, suspending jerkbait, casting spoon. In clear water go natural (gold, silver blade/black body); in muddy water go dark or bright (fluorescent chartreuse, hot pink).
