Key points
- Range: native to Pacific drainages from Kamchatka and Alaska through coastal BC to northern Mexico; introduced and self-sustaining in at least 45 countries and on every continent but Antarctica (source).
- Strains stocked: The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC (FFSBC) stocks regional stillwaters with multiple strains :
- Blackwater strain: Stocked in Premier Lake, Peckhams Lake, and North Star Lake. Fast-growing, aggressive, and highly suited to shorelines/shallows .
- Pennask strain: Stocked in Horseshoe Lake and Rockbluff (Quartz) Lake. Suited to pelagic feeding (open water) and heavily key on midges/zooplankton.
- Wild Redbands: Native river-spawning interior redband rainbows populate the Columbia River tailwater and Slocan River .
- Tactics: Chironomids under indicators in spring/early summer; trolling leeches or Woolly Buggers along drop-offs in summer; matching evening hatches of mayflies and caddis .
Fishing by region
- Regulations, seasons, and the waters to target vary by region — in the Kootenays, see Trout Fishing in the Kootenays.
Open questions
- Best riverine flies and seasons for Columbia River wild redbands.
Related
- Gerrard Rainbow Trout — Kootenay Lake's giant strain.
- Chironomid Under Indicator — core stillwater tactic.
- Premier Lake — premier stocked rainbow fishery.
- Thermal Thresholds by Species — rainbow trout tolerate ~4.7 °C more heat than cutthroat.
- What Makes a Fishery Healthy (Systems Model) — what a self-sustaining wild rainbow fishery requires.
Sources
- — stocking strains and lake tactics.
- — release records.
- Wikipedia — Rainbow trout — native range and worldwide introductions.
