Requirements

The fish needs cold, clear running water. It prefers water up to three feet deep which has a steady flow. Rapids which provide holding water are favored locations for particularly large fish.

Brook trout prefer streams with a gravel bottom but do inhabit silt-bottom beaver ponds for a few years. When the beaver ponds become clogged with debris and the flow of water is impeded, the fish disappear.

Temperature is a key factor in determining the habitat of the species. The optimum temperature is from 57° F. (14° C) to about 68° F. (20° C) for most of the stages in its life, however some brook trout can survive the absolute maximum tolerance of 75° F. (24° C). The fish will move into deep lakes to find cool water during the heat of the summer.

A suitable supply of oxygen and proper pH is also a necessity. Acid water is very soft water with very little carbon -- the basis of life. As a result it holds few fish. Medium water is neutral and carries four times the trout population that soft water holds. Hard water is a rare happening, generating the fabled fishing waters of England, Pennsylvania, Montana, and New Zealand. In it you will find large, fast-growing fish, sustained by the abundance of insects, baitfish, and other aquatic life.

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