Brook trout mature at about 2 years of age and spawn in the fall. Lake-dwelling fish may spawn in streams or along the shoreline of lakes if spring seepage occurs. Occasionally, the lake outlet will be used for spawning. Nests are constructed by the female on gravelly bottoms of streams or lakes. Young trout feed primarily on insect larvae.
Older fish eat an assortment of insects, worms, crustaceans, and small fish.
Distribution of brook trout in NY state. Dark dots represent where actual samples of brook trout were taken. White dots represent historic distributions. A 280 KB image of the brook trout is also available for download .