Smolts are silvery in appearance, lacking the vertical side bars of the salmon parr or young brown trout. As with the salmon parr, the tail is very forked. Introduced in North America from Europe, Brown Trout are found in a few waters in the Forest. A few red or orange spots are usually evident on the sides. Young brown trout can be distinguished from salmon parr by the tail, which is more rounded and less forked.
Spots are usually evident on the dorsal fin.
There are approximately 750 miles of fishing streams on the National Forest. All are managed in cooperation with the respective state fishery agencies from New Hampshire and Maine. Eighteen rivers originate in the Forest, including the Ammonoosuc , the Mad River , the east branch of the Pemigewasset , the Saco , and the Zealand . These rivers also have many tributaries, which form the brooks that run through the rest of the Forest. Trout populations are supplemented by stocking programs in those rivers and brooks where fishing exceeds the ability of the stream to produce enough larger fish to meet demand.