Rainbow Trout

The rainbow trout is a sleek, speckled fish that shimmers in cool, clear water. Its back is a soft blue-green or olive, covered in tiny black spots, and along each side runs a wide band of pink and red. That colourful stripe is how the fish got its cheerful name — it looks a little like a rainbow gliding through the river.

Rainbow trout are quick, curious hunters. They eat almost anything they can catch, from mayflies and caddisflies to little crayfish, shrimp, and fish eggs. Young trout often wait in the middle of the water and grab tasty bits that drift past, which saves them the effort of searching along the bottom.

One kind of rainbow trout has an amazing adventure. Called the steelhead, it swims from its home river all the way out to the wide ocean. There it grows big and strong before travelling back up the same rivers to lay its eggs, following the water like a map it has never forgotten.

These fish come from the cool Pacific waters that stretch from Russia, past Alaska, and down to Mexico. Because people love to watch and catch them, rainbow trout have been carried to rivers and lakes all over the world, and today they live on nearly every continent.

Rainbow trout are listed as Least Concern, which means there are still many of them swimming in the wild. They do best in clean, cold, well-cared-for water, so looking after rivers and lakes helps keep these bright, lively fish thriving for years to come.