There are thirteen species of freshwater trout, including three that are hybrids, and one species of saltwater trout that can be found in North America. The saltwater species is known as speckled trout or spotted seatrout. The others we will break down for you in this article.
Wondering how many types of trout there are? Well, look no further.
Freshwater Trout Species
The ten natural trout species found in North American freshwaters include cutthroat, Gila, brown, lake, Dolly Varden, bull, brook, Apache, golden, and rainbow trout. The Gila, Apache, golden, cutthroat, and rainbow trout are all native, while the brown trout is an invasive species.
The char trout species include lake, brook, bull, and Dolly Varden trout which can be differentiated from other trout species by their notable coloration. While most trout are light-colored with dark spots, char trout are dark-colored fish with light spots.
Bull, rainbow, Dolly Varden, and cutthroat trout can be found in the western part of Canada and the United States. On the other side of the country, lake and brook trout are native to the Northeast and Great Lakes regions. Gila, golden, and Apache trout are all rarities found in the Southwest. They’re also found in the Cascade and the Rocky Mountains, and northern Arizona, respectively.
Of course, some of the more common species such as rainbow, brown, and brook trout are also stocked nationwide in nonnative waters.
Hybrid Trout Species
Tiger Trout
The three hybrid trout species living in freshwater bodies in North America include the palomino, tiger, and splake trout. The palomino trout can also be referred to as golden rainbow trout and come from a genetic mutation that was artificially bred in order to create more. These fish appear brilliant sunset colors of orange and pink instead of the rainbow array of their forebears.
Tiger trout come from breeding a brown and a brook trout together. They are usually stocked fish and rarely found in the wild but can be noted by their distinct worm pattern similar to brook trout.
Splake trout are the offspring of male brook trout and female lake trout. These are most commonly found in water bodies in the midwestern United States.
Now that you know how many types of trout there are, do you still have lingering questions? Check out our About Trout page.
For more general information, check out the Wikipedia article on trout.
