Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis

How they feed

• Water40–65°F, best near 52°
• TideEither, as long as it moves
• MoonEither
• DepthUsually 1–10 ft

Scored against their own temperature range and tide preference first, then wind, weather and warnings. Solunar periods only break ties. How the score works

Season by state

• MarylandMar–Jun, Sep–Nov
• MontanaApr–Jun, Sep–Oct
• MaineMay, Oct
• MichiganApr–May, Sep–Oct

The Maryland, Delaware and Virginia months are the Chesapeake-region season. Everywhere else it is carried over by water temperature: a month counts at a spot when its usual water is in the range that marks the mid-Atlantic season (42–61°F), from the spot’s own gauge where it has one and an estimate from air temperature where it doesn’t. Each state lists the months that hold at half or more of its spots. Where the water temperatures come from.

Keep or release

• Delaware tidal6 a dayDelaware's put-and-take trout program stocks rainbow, brook and brown trout in New Castle County streams and Tidbury and Newton ponds. No size limit; 6 trout a day in any combination (4 in or within 50 feet of fly-fishing-only water). The 2026 season opened Mar 8 at the ponds and Apr 5 on the streams (youth a day earlier), and designated trout waters are closed for 14 days before opening day. A trout stamp is needed on designated streams from the first Saturday in April to Jun 30 and from the first Saturday in October to Nov 30, and at the ponds from the first Saturday in March to Apr 1.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Idaho non-tidal25 a dayIdaho general rules: 25 brook trout a day, separate from the trout limit. Brook trout may be kept where other trout are catch-and-release unless a rule says otherwise.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Maine non-tidal6" minimum · 5 a dayMaine general law: 6" minimum, 5 brook trout a day, but only 2 from South Zone lakes and ponds. North Zone lakes are open Apr 1–Sep 30; rivers Apr 1–Sep 30.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Maine non-tidal6" minimum · 5 a dayMaine general law: 6" minimum, 5 brook trout a day. Rivers and streams are open Apr 1–Sep 30, artificial lures only and 1 brook trout a day after Aug 15.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Maryland non-tidal2 a dayMaryland statewide trout rule: 2 a day in any combination (4 in possession), no minimum size, open all year. Put-and-take areas and special trout management areas have their own rules. Brook trout may not be kept in put-and-take areas or in any nontidal water east of I-81, and may not be used as bait.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Michigan7" minimum · 5 a dayMichigan Type 1 trout streams: open the last Saturday in April through Sep 30; 5 trout and salmon a day, no more than 3 of them 15" or longer. Brook trout 7" minimum.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Montana Central District20 a dayCentral District: 20 brook trout a day and in possession, separate from the combined trout limit. Open all year unless an exception says otherwise.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Montana Western District20 a dayWestern District lakes and reservoirs: 20 brook trout a day and in possession. Open all year.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Montana Western District20 a dayWestern District: 20 brook trout a day and in possession, separate from the combined trout limit. Western District rivers and streams are open the third Saturday in May (May 16 in 2026) through Nov 30 unless an exception says otherwise.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• New Hampshire non-tidal5 a dayNew Hampshire: 5 trout or 5 pounds a day, whichever comes first, no length limit; 2 a day through the ice.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Tennessee7 a dayTennessee: 7 trout a day combined, no statewide minimum. Below Center Hill Dam the Caney Fork protects brook trout from 14 to 20" (5 trout a day, only 1 over 20").Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Virginia non-tidal (VDWR)7" minimum · 6 a dayVirginia statewide: trout season is open all year, 6 trout a day, none under 7". Heritage, urban, special-regulation and fee-fishing waters have their own rules.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• West Virginia6 a dayWest Virginia: 6 trout a day combined (rainbow, golden rainbow, brook, tiger and brown), no statewide minimum.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Wyoming non-tidal16 a dayWyoming: 16 brook trout a day in streams, separate from the trout limit. Area 5 lakes allow 6.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source

Rules change, and they differ by state and often by water. Each spot page shows the limits for its own water. Brook trout are fished at spots in 6 states: Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Tennessee.