Do Female Trout Reproduce in the Wild?

Type: Nontidal
Region: Western
Location: Western MD Streams

The nice weather on Saturday allowed us one more stream fishing trip in western Maryland. Me and Dad both did pretty good for trout but I ended up catching the two largest. One was a 17 inch Golden Trout it was a male and had a hooked jaw. The other was a 17 inch Rainbow Trout that was a female and was loaded with eggs. Dad said that he didn�t think the female would be able to reproduce in the wild streams because it was a stocked trout and the stream conditions are not good for Rainbow Trout reproduction. Could you tell me if Dad was right on this?

DNR Response: Your Dad is right again. Rainbow Trout do not reproduce well anywhere in Maryland for multiple reasons. Hatchery trout often have eggs in the fall but do not successfully spawn because they are semi-domesticated and don�t have the correct instincts or behaviors. Stream conditions in most of our put and take streams are not good enough for successful trout reproduction, due to too much sediment and water temperatures that are too warm during the summer months.