Brook Trout Of the Southern Appalachians

The Southern Appalachian Brook Trout, also known as “speckled” or “brookies”, is a unique species to the region. Not to be confused with their northern counterparts, which are more wide spared. They are found only in the southern Appalachians these little jeweled wonders are truly a sight to behold. Olive green backs with bright red and yellow spots circled by blue halos, and an orange belly with white tipped fins make this unique fish a true wonder of the natural world.

Once found all throughout the region. They now only inhabit about 55 % of their native range. Habitat loss due to unregulated logging (in the past), along with pollution and rising water temps have pushed these unique creatures into the high elevation streams of the area. Stocking of rainbows and browns(which are not native to the area) has also led to lower brookie populations.

Before I move on I would like to clarify that not all stocking is bad, and that without our fisheries and wildlife programs we would likely not have any trout species in many of our beloved fishing holes. Most of our waters have become uninhabitable for our beloved brookies. Meaning that the stocking of these heartier species allows us more opportunities to get out and enjoy the sport of angling.