A mature rainbow trout
has a greenish or sometimes bluish back, and (this is key) black
spots down the back, over the dorsal fin and down through the
tail. The species is widely known for its rosy-colored gill
plates, and broad red flanks, but these attributes are not always
present. In fact, one of the most interesting attrubutes of
the species is its varied appearance from one population to
another. On some rivers in Alasaka, rainbows are so heavily
spotted and colorful they've earned the nickname "leopard
'bows." Other places, like on Alberta's Bow River, rainbows
are an ethereal chrome, with dark green backs and barely any
spots at all, and no red stripe.
Native to the pacific
slope of North America from Alaska to Mexico, rainbow trout
have been widely introduced to trout-friendly waters around
the globe. Some of t
he best-known places to catch these trout
are in the American West, New Zealand, and South America.
Rainbows
are a hardy trout, and can adapt and thrive in many different
environs, whether it be a crystal clear mountain stream on New
Zealand's South Island, or a slightly tepid neighborhood pond.
Given their widespread distribution, rainbows can be found feeding
on an incredibly diverse number of food items, presenting a
different challenge to fly anglers wherever they are found.
Rainbow trout are native to western North America, but the
species has been transplanted in Europe, South Africa, New Zealand,
and South America, ranking it with brown trout as one of the
world's most widely distributed trout species.
On many of the most famous
rainbow rivers, these trout are esteemed for their willingness
to rise to dry flies. Idaho's Henry's Fork may be the most famous
of these, but there are many other places you can find large
rainbows working the surface. Big fish often suck floating insects
with just a small dimple showing, much like what some minnows
make when feeding. It's a surprised fly fisher when a suspected
six-incher turns into a 3-pound, 19-incher. And the fish certainly
has the advantage for the first few seconds.
Rainbow trout can
also be taken with a variety of wet flies that imitate everything
from bullhead minnows and leeches, to stonefly nymphs, tiny
midge pupa, snails, and crayfish. There is no generlized statement
you can make about the feeding habits of rainbow trout--only
that fly fishers need to be intimately informed about the water
they are fishing, and the predominate food sources available
to the trout before they can begin to consider a fly pattern
or appropriate techniques.
