Brown Trout Growth Rate

[mute]

Does anyone have any information on the average growth rate of a PA Brown Trout in the SE part of the state? Obviously tons of factors would play apart of that equation. But based on average water size\quality\life\etc in the SEPA region, is there an average expectation of growth rate in wild browns? An inch a year? Less? More?

 

[Swattie87]

It’s all over the place, even within a single stream.

Judging on fish that I’ve personally caught more than once further confirms this. Had one grow from 8” to 14” in 16 months. That fish had Pool Boss lair under an undercut culvert footer, a real primo lie. I doubt other Browns in that small stream, grew near as fast. The first time I caught it, it definitely wasn’t the Pool Boss yet, as there was an 18” Brown in with it. Something must have happened to the bigger Brown, and this fish took over as Pool Boss, and enjoyed the fast growth rate that came long with it.

There’s another Brown I’ve caught 3 times now, all roughly a year apart. This is from a bigger, though infertile, coal country recovering AMD stream. It grew from maybe 9” to 12” the second time I caught it, and maybe 13” this most recent time. Much slower than the culvert Pool Boss fish above. The last time I fished that spot I pulled 5 fish out of the same hole though. This fish was the biggest, but he’s definitely sharing his food sources there.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

yep its all over the place i agree in a relative fertile freeestone stream in sw pa in the last 4 years i caught a female brown 3 times 17in 2019 17.25 2020 no show 2021 18in this year 2022 this fish is def the pool boss too so why the slow growth rate???? shes always fat n healthy lol

 

[Stenonema]

From what I have read in the The Ecology of Brown Trout and Atlantic Salmon growth rate and metabolism are established when the egg is consumed and the fry emerge from the gravel and it is based on competition. There is an infinite number of variables from there in a trouts life that influence both population density and growth which are intrinsically linked. Each stream presents a different ecological adaptation or challenge to the trout for the optimization of fitness to provided it's offspring the greatest chance for survival. Like the timing of the spawn, growth rate is not a blanket answer. I wouldn't even attempt to generalize it. Swattie and rustbelt make great points as well through their observations.