Think Bull Trout and one thinks river fish. After all, whenever you see pictures of anglers fishing for trout, salmon or charr, they are always in a pristine river, rushing past rocks with trees lining wither side of the river.

Sea Trout Name Confusion

Think Bull Trout and one thinks river fish. After all, whenever you see pictures of anglers fishing for trout, salmon or charr, they are always in a pristine river, rushing past rocks with trees lining wither side of the river.

However, Bull Trout and other Charr, are seagoing creatures, migrating from the sea to the headwaters of their natal streams to spawn. However, they do not migrate until they are at least four years of age.

Bull Trout Spawning

Bull Trout, like other Charr, spawn in late summer and early fall. The rest of the time, they can be found much further down stream, in estuaries and roaming the sea. Not all Bull Trout will go to the sea even if they are not blocked by natural obstructions.

For most of the summer, Bull Trout can be found in river estuaries and the ocean. Searching the headwaters of streams during the summer will see very little in terms of big catches. In fact, all Salomide species are found much further down or in the ocean during the early summer.

Summer Bull Trout Fishing Techniques

Casting and Trolling methods work best during this time. Spoons and spinners that work best in the spring will work just as well in the summer.

Your spoons and spinners should not be too large or you will attract bigger fish of other species and on light to medium tackle that could prove problematic.

Finding them at depth is not hard if you know the water temperatures. They do to like water temperatures above 64°F/17.8°C or below 40°F/5°C, though they will tolerate temperatures below 40°F/5°C.

If you cannot figure out at which depth this preferred temperature is located, usually between 55°F to 64°F/12.7°C to 17.8°C, use a fish finder to assist in finding their location.

Bull Trout Conservation

The Bull Trout is an endangered species. Follow state and provincial catch limits. We highly recommend that you practice catch and release, which involves using barbless hooks and cradling the fish when letting it go.

Many fish do not survive catch and release because of how they are handled. Using barbless hooks and cradling the Bull Trout for a few minutes will help keep their numbers up. Also, paying attention to the features and appearance will help you differentiate the Bull trout from Dolly Varden and other look alikes.