Cold Water Fish Types

There are several different types of fish, but many can be categorized into the temperature of water that they live in. Depending on the type of species that you are looking for, you may want to look in places where the temperature of the water is cold instead of in more tropical waters.

Rainbow Trout

The rainbow trout is a fairly common type of trout that live in cold water. The diet of the rainbow trout consists of minnows, crayfish and insects. They are named after the red stripe that is located on their sides, but not all rainbow trout have a stripe bright enough to be noticeable at a distance. You can tell the difference between a male and female rainbow trout based upon the brightness of their stripe. The males will have a brighter stripe to attract a mate, while the females will have a fainter stripe. The rainbow trout prefer a water temperature of 55-60 degrees, but they are capable of surviving in temperatures up to 75 degrees.

Redband Trout

The Redband Trout are mostly located in Central Oregon and are know as the Inland Rainbow Trout. The most common place to find them is in bodies of water that are connected to the Deschutes River. The most common time for Redband Trout to spawn is in the early months of Spring and require cool and clean water to allow the eggs to survive. These species of trout are fully mature at 3 years of age and are typically only 10 inches long.

Coastal Cutthroat Trout

Coastal Cutthroat Trout can be found in the regions of Washington and Oregon. This species of trout are most commonly located in streams or beaver ponds that are cool in temperature. These trout will grow to be around 8 inches in length depending on the size of river that they are living in. You can identify this species of trout by their markings, which include a greenish back with either yellow or silver sides.