Rainbow Trout

Silver trout, steelhead trout, Kamloops trout

Oncorhynchus mykiss (Salmo gairdneri)

Truite arc-en-ciel, truite argentée, truite steelhead, truite Kamloops

Body shape: Elongated and fusiform body, slightly compressed laterally.

Average size: 30 to 45 cm (over 9 kg in the Great Lakes).

Coloring:Very variable according to habitat, size and condition: general coloring and darker and more intense spots for individuals living in waterways and during spawning periods; paler, clearer and silvery coloring with less obvious spots for individuals inhabiting small lakes (Kamloops trout) and large anadromous individuals or inhabiting the Great Lakes and its tributaries (steelhead trout).

Dark spots on a pale background. Bluish, greenish or brownish back; silvery flanks with a broad horizontal pink band tending to red (very evident during spawning) and several small black spots; dorsal and caudal fins with regular rows of black spots; adipose fin with black border and some black spots.

Characteristic external features: Large mouth with well developed teeth; adipose fin far behind the dorsal fin; dorsal and pelvic fins in the center of the body length; caudal fin square or slightly forked.