Trout and the Timeless Art of Seduction and Reproduction.

Let’s Talk About Sex Baby. First of all, get your mind out of the gutter. Because we’re talking about the sex life of river trout. From knowing how to tell if a trout is female or male, how trout get it on (cue Barry White), the life span of trout, and what we as anglers can do to protect this timeless art of seduction and reproduction. 

Ever wonder how to tell if that glorious trout you just caught is a male or female? There’s an easy tell-tale sign that helps you determine the trout’s sex, and it has to do with their mouths. Generally, female trout have a shorter and more rounded nose, while male trout have a longer mouth, jaw, and snout. 

You can also check out their anal fin. Mature male and female anal fins are contoured differently. Females have a more inward curve (, and males have a more outward curve ). 

So, while your glorious rainbow trout is swimming in your net, take a look at the mouth, anal fin, sizes, contours, and take note. Not only is it nice to know for curiosity’s sake, but it will make you more of an expert.  

Now you know if your trout is male or female. But do ever wonder what happens when the sun goes down, the anglers disappear, Barry White’s playing on the hi-fi, and how trout mate? Ok, maybe it’s just me, but it’s exciting stuff and definitely worth knowing.  

Female trout, also known as hens, build their nests in redds. Redds are trout nests found in shallower parts of the river in gravely and sandy areas. Hens will lay their eggs here, anywhere from 300 to 1,000 eggs! But first, she will test the gravel by digging a hole with her anal fin. If the gravel checks out and her redd is made, she will do a saucy dance to attract male trout, also called cocks. 

This “dance” might attract several males and can go for a few hours to a few days. But, if he’s got the right moves and is in the right place at the right time as she lays her eggs, he will release his sperm over the eggs, and fertilization begins. 

When is this dance taking place? Spawning seasons are variable, depending on the trout, river, region, and type of water. In Oregon, Brown trout generally spawn in the Fall and early Winter, Rainbows in the Spring, and Steelhead from late Winter through Spring. 

And that, my friends, is the timeless art of seduction and reproduction. Now for what comes next. Soccer practice.

From here, the female will cover the eggs with gravel to keep them fertilized. Depending on water temperatures and species the hatching process can begin as early as 30 days or up to 7 weeks. Rainbow trout eggs can hatch three weeks later in 55-degree water. In colder water, say 45-degrees, it might take up to seven weeks. The colder the water, the longer. And, depending on water and gravel quality, anywhere from 5% to 80% of eggs will hatch. That’s a lot of kids to take to soccer practice. 

Trout Fry, or I like to think of them as cutie patootie little baby trouts (cue baby talk), will hatch from the redds and start to eat tiny insects, a lot of tiny insects. At this point, fry are tiny, hungry, want space, and are constantly on the hunt for food. Because they are small, living and feeding in shallow water, and highly vulnerable, this is when the most mortality happens. If they survive, they continue to grow and enter the next stage. The awkward teenage years.

Trout Parr, the teenage years, is when a trout is less than 12 months old. At this point, they start looking like trout with identifiable marking and colors. They are still hungry, vulnerable, and getting their act together, but finding deeper and faster waters so they can grow stronger, bigger, and become adults. 

Approximately 12 to 14 months later, our little trout parr has passed her drives test, can legally vote, and is now an adult. Oh, how the time flies.

Adult Trout can be very territorial and slightly lazier; you kids, get off my lawn! They’ve worked hard and are getting closer to retirement, so they will use as little energy as possible when it comes to finding food and resting. They’ll find a feeding lie, an area they occupy that provides food. They will face upstream and let the current bring the buffet to them. Resting lies will also provide a safer spot for them to hang out, rest, and hide under a log, root, or undercut bank. 

Trout can live long and healthy lives, around 7 years, and as anglers, this is a dream come true! Not only is that more trout for you to catch and release, but the longer they live, the healthier the water, the more successful spawning is, and the healthier the riparian habitats are. 

So, what can you, as an angler, do to protect the natural reproduction of trout? Here are three easy things that you can do.

• Know what redds look like and avoid wading through them. Redds are a nest made by a female trout for spawning. Redds are generally located in shallow water, closer to banks, and in gravely and sandy areas. Redd's are usually round or oval-shaped cleared-out gravel or sandy spots in the reverbed.

  When wading, it’s important to keep an eye out for redds during the spawning season and avoid walking through them. If you do walk through one, that could potentially be a few hundred eggs that you’re destroying. That’s potentially a few hundred fewer fish in our rivers. So be redd aware!

• Follow regulations regarding the spawning season. Some rivers will actually shut down to fly fishing during key spawning seasons. For example, the Lower Deschutes from the Northern Boundary of the Warm Spring Reservation to the Pelton Regulating Reservoir, trout, and steelhead fishing is closed from the 1st of the year through late April. This gives the river a chance to breathe and for trout to spawn with a little more peace and ease. So before you head out for the day with rod & reel in hand, check your regulations first!

• Avoid fly fishing during the spawning season. It can be tricky because depending on the river, there’s a good chance that spawning could be happening six months out of twelve. So, check regulations, spawning seasons on your home waters or waters you’re visiting and do your best to avoid it. If you’re going to fly fishing during spawning season and it’s allowed, then watch for redds and avoid walking through those shallow gravely areas where spawning is happening.

So, let’s give trout a chance to find love, reproduce, and grow nice and old.