Desirable, appreciated and valuable
Trout exist throughout Finland but not nearly in even every bigger lakes. Occurrence inlands accent to northern Finland. Sea trout population is mainly dependent to plentiful plantations. If young were not put into former sea trout rivers, population would most likely extinct. Brown trouts are also put inland waters in large numbers. Original populations are in bad condition. Brown trout exists inlands in northern Finland and in big southern watercourses. Brook brown trout is common in Lapland.
Food taking and moving
Young sea trouts flee their home rivers and move to the sea usually in age of 2-3 years. In the sea they are not as mobile as salmons. They wander rarely over 100 km. In the sea young sea trouts eat at first larvae and other spineless water fauna. At the latest in their second year in sea they begin eat fish: mainly Baltic herring and sticklebacks.
Spawning
Brook trout spawns in autumn. Spawning takes place at gritty bottoms in flowing water. After spawning brook trouts usually stay in flowing water and wander to the lakes or to the sea not until spring.
Brown trout's separation between river stage and lake phase is not so clear as sea trout's. They could stay in rivers also during their feeding strolls. It moves quite widely. Brown trout's main menu consist of vendace, smelt and three-spined stickleback. It also takes food from the surface (insects).
Brook brown trouts don't wander and they are quite local anyhow. They feed versatile on insects and water fauna in different stages of development.
Spawning
Trout spawn in autumn. Sea trouts begin ascending the big rivers already in July. Smaller rivers they ascend later, just before spawning. In south spawning begins in late September - October and in north in October - November.
Spawning takes place on coarse grit bottoms. Male fish occupies a territory and female fish digs a pit to spawn at. Spawning areas are especially in smaller rivers in very shallow even 10-15 cm water.
Brown trouts head for spawning rivers in end of the summer and in the beginning of autumn. Brook brown trouts begin their spawning when sea trouts are finishing theirs.
Catch, records and special ways to fish
Trout is one of the most valuable fishes of Finland in every aspect. Flesh of trout is without a doubt delicious. Fish is also very willing and fit to fight when gets hook in the mouth. So it is valuable and important to pros but also appreciated high among recreational fishers.
Pro fishermen caught 79 tonnes in 2006, about which 65 tn from the sea. Finnish game and fisheries research institute estimates recreational fishers caught slightly under 1000 tonnes of trout in same year.
At the time of writing this, trout records have been already set quite high in 2000s: 12,4 kg sea trout from river Aura and 10,15 kg brown trout from Siuronkoski of Nokia. Old registers have some huge fishes: 15,15 kg brown trout from lake Inari (1958) and 16,2 kg sea trout (1977).
Fishermen catch trout mainly with nets. Recreational fishermen fish it with various ways trolling and casting. Fly anglers try catch trouts from streaming waters and many troll them from the big lakes and the sea. Most unique way to fish sea trouts is "surge-fishing" in coast, when feeding sea trouts are tried to catch casting.
Sources:- Koli, Lauri, Suomen kalat
- FGFRI's stats (In Finnish)
- Fish records (In Finnish)