Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Will my trout spawn?

I have read that Rainbow Trout grown out in warm water bass ponds during the winter will not spawn. I have trout in my 8 acres for the first time. Today I caught 6 trout that averaged 1 lb @ 14 inches. Two of these were very full of eggs that looked to me to be mature. The eggs were almost an eigth of an inch wide. Will my other trout lay eggs, and do they have any chance of hatching. I know they will not survive as the water warms this summer; but I'm curious if they might add some small amout of forage. Thanks in advance, jB

Rainbows typically do not spawn in lakes or ponds without the presence of suitable flowing waters like rivers or streams with gravel bottom. The females will still produce eggs, but will not lay them. This will be their eventual demise due to the metabolic load of re-absorbing their eggs. This explains the maximum upper size of typical pond trout. Two or so years to reach maturity, 3-4 years of egg absorbtion, equals a 5-6lb trout (in my area). Some suppliers offer Triploid rainbows that can grow quite large as they are sterilized and produce no eggs. I have heard of Brook trout spawning in pond settings, but am unsure why.

jB if you have a cool fast moving stream up from your pond you might have a chance. A client has successfully spawn in his pond, but the only case I know of. He has a huge watershed for his 2 acre pond and the trout run under his culvert pipe to spawn just up the creek. Intresting note is that the hatchery Rainbow have eggs at times diff than typical native trout. THis is due to artifical spawning of trout to have year around sizes. As mentioned triploid trout are a good option if you can find them. Are they starting to fed again. I bet they will put on some serious weight this spring.

There are brook trout in Lake Superior that spawn in the lake, these "Coaster Brookies" aren't actualy geneticaly distincnt from the stream brookies on the north shore. So I suppose its possible that all brookies are capable of spawning in gravel bottomed lakes if nothing better is around.

this is great info. where else could a guy (and his son) go to get these kind of informed answers. greg, my water is still hovering at 40 degrees. last year it began to warmm in early march and hit 70 on the first of june. i hope to see some good growth march through the end of may. my father has promised to come out in april or may to help catch them out. if you knew how hard it was to blast him out of his (retirement) home, you'd know what a big deal this is. My son and i will get to spend some "quality" time fishing with him. there is nothing like a good pond! jb