White, black, and red fins are an identification hallmark of this fish. Brook trout are fall spawners, building their nests and depositing eggs in late September or early October. The spawning pair chooses a site of loose, clean gravel in shallow riffle or shoreline areas with a good supply of upwelling, oxygen-rich water. The eggs and young remain buried in the gravel until early spring when the inch-long fingerling trout emerge and begin to feed on almost any living morsel they can swallow. In Ohio, young trout reach three to four inches in length by the end of their first year.
Sexual maturity is reached at three years of age, and most fish die by age six.
The brook trout is a fish that is both defined and held captive by its uncompromising life requirements. These fish thrive only in cold, clear, clean lakes and streams where the water temperatures remain below 66 degrees, dissolved oxygen levels are high, and siltation is practically non-existent. Any change in the lake, stream, or watershed that affects these critical components will affect the brook trout living there, and even a seemingly minor change in habitat can result in the loss of a brook trout population. Cooperative efforts are currently underway to restore this native Ohio fish species. Trout Club are joining forces to return the brook trout to some of its northern Ohio range.