Introduction
The Bull Trout is in the family of Char, which includes other fish such as the Lake Trout, Dolly Varden, Brook Trout, and Arctic Char. The bull trout is an endangered species of char, and most anglers are required by law to release them. In this article, we’ll discuss the differences between bull trout and other char types so that you don’t get them confused.
Bull Trout have proportionally long and slim bodies. Their heads are large and broad in proportion to their bodies. They have a prominent upper jaw that extends back past their eye. At times they are highly colorful. They’re olive-green to blue-grey, on their backs and sides. Their bodies are overlaid with small yellow-orange or red spots. Their bellies are white to pale yellow. During spawning, their bellies may become orange or red in males. Their pelvic and anal fins have white leading edges. Their tails are moderately forked.
There are several Char species that they have much in common with.
Dolly Varden vs Bull Trout
According to Robert J Benke, author of “Trout and Salmon of North America,” there are three distinct species within the Char family that share similar enough characteristics that at certain stages in their life histories, they are virtually indistinguishable. Those species are Arctic Char, Dolly Varden, and Bull Trout.
Up until 1978, the experts believed that Dolly Varden and Bull Trout were synonymous. In fact, for many years, the recognized world record for a Dolly Varden Trout was held by a 32-pound fish taken from Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho, which is part of the Columbia River drainage. Biologists discovered that Dolly Varden does not exist in the Columbia River Basin, so the former world record Dolly Varden became the world record Bull Trout.
Since both Dolly Varden and Bull Trout are char, their general appearance is as follows. In general, they have olive-green to grey-colored backs and bodies covered with light cream to pink-colored spots. Their fins have white leading edges—their dark-colored sides transition to white on their underside. During the spawning season, both species develop brilliant orange and red-colored hues.
Bull trout inhabit high mountain lakes and rivers, whereas Dolly Varden is generally coastal fish. There are areas where the two fish’s territories overlap, though. Here are some differences between the two fish.
- Bull Trout are generally larger than Dolly Varden.
- Bull Trout are slashing aggressive feeders. A big Bull Trout will, on occasion, attack a smaller fish as it’s being landed by an angler.
- A Bull Trout’s upper jaw is longer than that of a Dolly Varden. A Bull Trout’s upper jaw typically extends past its eye. A Dolly Varden’s does not.
- Dolly Varden typically has 10 to 15 rays in their anal fins. Bull Trout has more than that.
Bull Trout vs Lake Trout
- In areas where their habitats overlap, the way to distinguish a Bull Trout from a Lake Trout is to look at the fish’s tail. Bull Trout tails are slightly forked, while Lake Trout have a much deeper fork in their tails. Lake Trout have light-colored spots against darker-colored bodies, just as all char do. They lack the orange and red highlights that their relatives sometimes have, though.
- Both Bull Trout and Lake Trout are piscivorous feeders. The term piscivorous denotes the fact that that they feed primarily on fish.
- Bull Trout prefer unpolluted high mountain lakes and rivers with a minimum of turbidity. On the other hand, Lake Trout live primarily in deep lakes and are the deepest swimming of the Char family. According to the book “Trout and Salmon of North America,” Lake Trout have been recorded at depths more than 1,400 feet. The pressure at that depth is more than the equivalent of 40 atmospheres at sea level.
- Older Bull Trout get pretty big. Older Lake Trout get even bigger. The world record Bull Trout was 32 lbs, whereas the world record, Lake Trout, with fishing tackle was 72lbs. The world record Lake Trout in a net was 102 lbs.
- Bull Trout live 4 to 10 years whereas Lake Trout live 20 to 25 years. The oldest known Lake Trout was 62 years old.
Bull Trout vs Arctic Char
The Arctic Char (or the Common Char) is another member of the char family. It is one of the two species that Benke says are virtually impossible to distinguish from Bull Trout. This exquisite fish is native to alpine lakes and coastal rivers of the northern, subarctic regions of the earth. Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Scandinavian countries, and Siberia all have Arctic Char. The only places where Bull Trout and Arctic Char range might overlap are Alaska and northwestern Canada.
Bull Trout vs Brook Trout
The Brook trout is another member of the char family. They’re native to the eastern U.S and Canada. However, they have been transplanted around the world. There are many Brook Trout in the Bull Trout’s native territory, and a juvenile Bull Trout looks a lot like a Brook Trout. In most areas, it’s legal for a fisherman to keep one fish and illegal to keep the other, so it’s important to be able to distinguish between the two.
Brook Trout are marked very similarly to other Char species. A simple way to distinguish a Brook Trout from a juvenile Bull Trout is that Brook Trout has worm-like, squiggly lines on their backs, and Bull Trout does not.
Brook Trout Statistics from Trout and Salmon of North America.
- Brook Trout typically live 2 to 3 years in-stream environments and 9 to 10 years in larger rivers and lakes.
- The average size for a Brookie in a stream environment is 5 to 7” and 1.5 to 3 oz. In larger rivers and lakes, the average size is 12” and 8 oz.
- The world record Brook Trout is 14lbs and 8 oz.
Final Thoughts
The members of the char family can easily be mistaken for each other. If you are fishing in Bull Trout, it’s important to know what kind of Char you just pulled out of the water. In some places where they used to be, there aren’t many Bull Trout left.
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