Species
Rainbow Trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss · family Salmonidae
Live · updated
The most heavily stocked trout in Maryland. Put-and-take fisheries across the state plus holdover/wild fish in Western MD streams (Savage, Youghiogheny tailwater, Gunpowder). Takes PowerBait, small spinners, and standard dry/nymph patterns.
Preferred conditions
- Water temp
- 45–68°F (ideal 55°F)
- Tide
- either
- Moon
- either
- Depth
- 3–20 ft
- Active months
- Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov
Best rainbow trout conditions today
Yellowstone River at Livingston
Blackfoot River
San Juan River below Navajo Dam
Deschutes River (Maupin)
Folsom Lake
Kenai River (Soldotna)
McKenzie River
Au Sable River (Grayling/Mio)
Provo River
Madison River
Green River below Flaming Gorge
Shasta Lake
Gallatin River
Bighorn River
Henry’s Fork (Island Park)
Georgetown Lake
Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Strawberry Reservoir
Lake Coeur d’Alene
Lake Tahoe (Nevada)
Chattahoochee River (Atlanta tailwater)
Bitterroot River
Beaverhead River
South Fork Snake River (Heise)
Dillon Reservoir
Boysen Reservoir
Kvichak River (Bristol Bay)
Gunnison River (Black Canyon)
North Branch Potomac River — Luke
Missouri River at Craig
Eleven Mile Reservoir
Spinney Mountain Reservoir
Lake Granby
Canyon Ferry Lake
North Platte River (Grey Reef)
Big Hole River
Silver Creek
Lake Pueblo
Chatfield Reservoir
Horsetooth Reservoir
Glendo Reservoir
Savage River Reservoir
Beaverkill River
Antietam Creek — Burnside Bridge
Fryingpan River
Rocky Gap State Park — Lake Habeeb
Patapsco Valley State Park — Daniels Area
Big Hunting Creek — Catoctin
Summersville Lake
Norfork River
South Holston River
Watauga River
Clinch River (Norris tailwater)
Cumberland River (Wolf Creek tailwater)
Hiwassee River
Caney Fork River
Penns Creek
Spring Creek (State College)
Blue Mesa Reservoir
Roaring Fork River
Taylor River
White River (Bull Shoals tailwater)
Upper Delaware River (Callicoon)
Esopus Creek
Lake Berryessa
Youghiogheny River — Friendsville
Farmington River
Housatonic River
Deep Creek Lake
No locations match that filter.
Regulations by jurisdiction
Maryland (non-tidal)
Stale: last verified 51 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 2
Daily creel 2 in aggregate across all trout species; possession limit 4 in aggregate. No minimum size. Put-and-Take "Closure 1" areas are closed March 8–March 28, 2026 (10pm–6:30am) for pre-season stocking. Special Trout Management Areas (Catch-and-Return, Delayed Harvest, Trophy Trout) have their own regulations — verify per water. Trout stamp required in addition to the standard freshwater license.
Source · verified 2026-04-22
Waters with special regulations in this jurisdiction
Delaware (tidal)
Stale: last verified 51 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 6
Delaware stocked trout program. Daily creel 6 in aggregate across all trout species (4 in fly-fishing-only waters). No minimum size. Rainbow is the primary stocked species. Trout stamp required April–June 30 and October–November 30 for streams; March–April 1 for Tidbury and Newton Ponds. No fishing in designated trout waters within 14 days before opening; no night fishing (half-hour after sunset to half-hour before sunrise) in designated trout waters. Regulations do not differ by trout species.
Source · verified 2026-04-22
Virginia (non-tidal — VDWR)
Stale: last verified 51 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Min size
- 7"
- Creel
- 6
Non-tidal VA stocked trout waters: 7-inch minimum, 6 per day (aggregate across rainbow, brown, brook). Statewide harvest season on stocked waters is October 1–June 15; trout license required. Many special-regulation waters exist: Heritage Trout Waters (single hook, C&R or limited harvest), Fee Fishing Areas (daily permit required, higher creel), and designated Wild Trout Waters (year-round, artificial lures only, often C&R). Rainbow is the primary stocked species, especially in the Shenandoah Valley.
Source · verified 2026-04-22
WV
Stale: last verified 14 days ago.
non tidal
- Creel
- 6
6 trout/day in aggregate (all trout species).
Source · verified 2026-05-29
CA
Stale: last verified 14 days ago.
non tidal
- Creel
- 5
5/day, 10 in possession (12" minimum on most lakes and the Delta).
Source · verified 2026-05-29
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 5
California: 5 trout/day on most inland waters; many coastal and wild-trout reaches are reduced-limit or catch-and-release. A Steelhead Report Card is required in anadromous waters.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
NTCO
Stale: last verified 11 days ago.
non tidal
- Creel
- 4
Statewide trout aggregate: 4/day, 8 in possession (rainbow, brown, brook, cutthroat). No statewide minimum size; many waters carry slot or gear restrictions — confirm the water-specific CPW rule.
Source · verified 2026-06-01
NTMTC
Stale: last verified 11 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 3
Central District streams: 3 trout daily and in possession (all species combined), only 1 longer than 18". Many blue-ribbon stretches add catch-and-release, artificial-only, or seasonal rules — confirm the water-specific exception.
Source · verified 2026-06-01
Stale: last verified 11 days ago.
non tidal
- Creel
- 5
Central District lakes: 5 trout daily, 10 in possession (all species combined, includes cutthroat).
Source · verified 2026-06-01
NTMTW
Stale: last verified 11 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 3
Western District streams: 3 trout daily and in possession (all species combined), only 1 longer than 14".
Source · verified 2026-06-01
Stale: last verified 11 days ago.
non tidal
- Creel
- 5
Western District lakes: 5 trout daily, 10 in possession (all species combined), only 1 longer than 22".
Source · verified 2026-06-01
NTUT
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 4
Part of Utah's 4-trout statewide aggregate (8 in possession). Tailwater and blue-ribbon waters add slot/gear rules.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
Waters with special regulations in this jurisdiction
NTID
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 6
Idaho general trout limit: 6/day.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
NTWY
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 6
Wyoming statewide trout limit: 6/day.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
Waters with special regulations in this jurisdiction
NTNV
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal
- Creel
- 5
Nevada statewide trout limit: 5/day. Lake Mead and most southern reservoirs follow the 5-trout rule.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
NTNM
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 5
New Mexico cold-water limit: 5 trout/salmon per day.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
Waters with special regulations in this jurisdiction
NTAK
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 2
Rainbow/steelhead: commonly 2/day with only 1 over 20" (e.g., Bristol Bay, open ~Jun 8–Oct 31); many trophy and wild-trout waters, including much of the Kenai, are catch-and-release. Confirm the drainage. Alaska adjusts limits by Emergency Order in-season — check the ADF&G hotline or app the day you fish.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
AR
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 2
Arkansas (2026, post-hatchery-crisis reduction): 2 trout/day on the White and North Fork tailwaters — on the White below Bull Shoals and the Norfork below Norfork Dam only rainbows under 14" may be kept; from the Norfork confluence down, 2 trout with 1 over 14". Confirm the reach.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
TN
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 7
Tennessee tailwaters: 7 trout/day (only 1 over 22" on the South Holston/Watauga).
Source · verified 2026-06-03
Waters with special regulations in this jurisdiction
OR
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Min size
- 10"
- Creel
- 2
Oregon: trout limits are zone- and reach-specific — the Deschutes redband fishery is 2/day within a 10–13" window and much of it is wild-release. Confirm the zone.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
MI
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Min size
- 8"
- Creel
- 5
Michigan inland (Type 1/unclassified): 5 trout/day, 8" minimum, no more than 3 over 15". Type 2–4 reaches add gear and size restrictions — confirm the stream type.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
NY
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Min size
- 12"
- Creel
- 5
New York: 5 trout/day statewide; the West Branch Delaware and many wild reaches are 12" / 2 fish or catch-and-release (artificial-only Oct 16–Mar 31). Confirm the reach.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
PA
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 5
Pennsylvania: 5 trout/day in the regular season; the West Branch Delaware and other special-regulation waters are reduced-creel / artificial-only. Confirm the section.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
KY
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 8
Kentucky: 8 trout/day general limit; a trout permit is required on the tailwaters. Confirm any water-specific slot.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
GA
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 8
Georgia: 8 trout/day. The Chattahoochee tailwater through Atlanta is an artificial-lures-only stream; trophy areas (Dukes Creek) are catch-and-release. Confirm the reach.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
CT
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Min size
- 9"
- Creel
- 5
Connecticut: 5 trout/day on most rivers (9" min). The Farmington TMA is 2 fish/12"; the Housatonic Trout Management Area is catch-and-release (0 limit). Confirm the section.
Source · verified 2026-06-03
WA
Stale: last verified 9 days ago.
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 2
Washington: 2 hatchery trout/steelhead per day on most rivers; wild rainbow/cutthroat/steelhead must be released. A Columbia River Salmon & Steelhead Endorsement is required in the Columbia system.
Source · verified 2026-06-03