Rainbow Trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss. Blue-green to olive back, silver sides and belly, with black spots on the body and on the dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins.
Photos
Click a photo to expand it for a closer look.
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Identification
- Blue-green to olive back, silver sides and belly, with black spots on the body and on the dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins.
- A pink to reddish stripe runs along the lateral line, the trait that gives the species its name.
- Typically 11 to 18 inches in stocked lakes and streams; standout fisheries can produce trout over 20 inches.
- Same species as steelhead, but rainbow trout stay in fresh water their whole lives instead of migrating to sea.
Depth by season
| Season | Depth | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | – | Water is still cool, so fish hold shallow and often near the surface close to where they were stocked. |
| Summer | – | Surface water warms, pushing fish deeper; fishing bait or trolling lures near bottom works better. |
| Fall | – | Cooling water brings fish back up toward the surface, similar to the spring pattern. |
| Winter | – | – |
Active times
- dawn
- dusk
Top lures
- Yakima Rooster Tail spinner (spinner , chartreuse/silver/gold/white): Cast and reel near the exact stocking point in lakes and ponds for the first week or two after a plant.
- Panther Martin spinner (spinner , black/yellow/silver/gold): Small streams and pond inlets, worked across current seams and riffles.
- Acme Kastmaster spoon (spoon , silver/gold/white): Cast-and-retrieve or vertical jig once fish spread into deeper water in summer.
- Curly-tail grub on a jighead (jig , white/chartreuse/silver): Slow, finesse retrieve when trout ignore faster-moving spinners and spoons.
Top baits
- PowerBait dough bait: Marble-sized ball molded onto a treble hook, floated 12 to 24 inches below a small sliding sinker or split shot.
- Nightcrawler: Threaded onto a bait hook two or three times, leaving about an inch dangling, fished under a bobber or on bottom.
- Salmon eggs: Single egg or small cluster on an egg hook, drifted or suspended under a bobber.
Line & tackle
- Line: 4–8 lb
- Rod power: Light to ultralight spinning rod with a moderate-fast tip for casting small lures
- Hook sizes: Size 12-16 treble for floating PowerBait, or a size 10-12 J-hook with sinking artificial bait
Stocked behavior
Hatchery rainbow are released at catchable size (roughly 9-11 inches) and initially bunch up near the release point, often suspended 3-5 feet down, sluggish from transport and showing little fear of anglers. Over the following one to two weeks they gradually spread through the water body and move deeper as they shift from hatchery pellets to natural food.
Common mistakes
- Fishing one depth all season; WDFW puts spring and fall rainbows near the surface and summer fish at or near the bottom.
- Fishing through the middle of the day; Idaho's best window is dawn to two hours after sunrise, then late afternoon to dusk.
- Using one rig everywhere; a fixed bobber suits shallow ponds, a slip bobber suits mid-column fish, deeper fish want bait on bottom.
State records
| State | Weight | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 29.60 lbs | Norm Butler | Rufus Woods Lake, Okanogan County | 2002 |
| Utah | 26 lbs. 2 oz. | Del Canty | Flaming Gorge Reservoir | 1979 |
Sources: Washington's official record page , Utah's official record page , accessed 2026-09-19.
Best time to fish Rainbow Trout
Computed from every real stocking date on record, not a general seasonal guess.
Washington
Most commonly stocked in April in Washington, based on 1131 stocking events on record.
Utah
Most commonly stocked in May in Utah, based on 4322 stocking events on record.
Where it's stocked
40 locations shown. Click a pin for details.
Washington
- Mayfield Lake (43)
- Klineline Pond (34)
- Battle Ground Lake (31)
- Blue Lake (27)
- Mineral Lake (24)
- Rainbow Lake (24)
- Spring Lake (22)
- Vance Creek Pond #2 (Lake Inez) (22)
- Frank's Pond (21)
- Tim Ponds (21)
- Duck Lake (20)
- Failor Lake (20)
- Rowland Lake (20)
- Sylvia Lake (20)
- Columbia Basin Hatchery Cr (19)
- Horseshoe Lake (19)
- Quarry Pond (19)
- Black Lake (18)
- Lake Aberdeen (18)
- West Evans Pond (18)
Utah
- Flaming Gorge Reservoir (292)
- Strawberry Reservoir (283)
- Fish Lake (256)
- Deer Creek Reservoir (255)
- Willow Park Pond (186)
- Otter Creek Reservoir (180)
- Salem Pond (167)
- Starvation Reservoir (165)
- Grantsville Reservoir (134)
- Tibble Fork Reservoir (130)
- Mirror Lake (123)
- Adams Reservoir (113)
- Jordanelle Reservoir (109)
- Settlement Canyon Reservoir (109)
- Panguitch Lake (106)
- Smith and Morehouse Reservoir (99)
- Trial Lake (98)
- Mill Hollow Reservoir (92)
- Palisade Reservoir (86)
- Rockport Reservoir (86)
Sources
- identification (accessed 2026-09-18)
- depth_by_season (accessed 2026-09-18)
- active_times (accessed 2026-09-18)
- top_lures (accessed 2026-09-18)
- top_baits (accessed 2026-09-18)
- line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-18)
- stocked_behaviour (accessed 2026-09-18)
- line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
- common_mistakes (accessed 2026-09-19)
- common_mistakes (accessed 2026-09-19)
- active_times (accessed 2026-09-19)