Trout are excellent jumpers, and they jump out of the water for a variety of important reasons.
For starters, the physical act of jumping out of the water and splashing back into it is an excellent way of dislodging any debris or parasites that may be irritating the trout’s skin. They also are known to jump out of the water simply to balance the pressure in their air bladders. But more importantly, trout are excellent hunters, and by jumping, they are able to grab fast-moving insects as they hover a few inches above the surface of the water.
Do Trout Jump Out of the Water?
When it comes to jumping, no other fish is quite as good as a trout.
Although small in size, trout are capable of jumping as much as 5 times their own body length out of the water. They use their ability to swim fast in order to launch them out of the water at a burst velocity that is much higher than most other freshwater fish in North America.
Why Do Trout Jump Out of the Water?
The main reason that most trout jump out of the water, is as a way of cleaning out their gills, and ridding their body of parasites.
Trout are bottom feeders, and therefore they are known to come into contact with harmful substances as they hunt for their food. This debris can get stuck on their body, and may even irritate their gills. If swimming around does not dislodge these foreign objects and debris, jumping out of the water will.
Trout are also known to jump out of the water in order to stabilize the pressure in their air bladders, feed on tantalizing insects, and make their way upstream in order to spawn.
When Do Trout Jump?
There are a number of different reasons for a trout to jump out of the water, but the number one cause of jumping is the result of their air bladders swelling.
As trout move from deeper water into shallower water, their bladder will begin to swell which will become uncomfortable. By jumping out of the water, the trout can force air from their bladders in order to stabilize the pressure.
Trout will also jump out of the water in order to feed when they see a delectable insect on the surface of the water or flying just above it.
Why Do Trout Jump in Lakes?
For a trout, jumping is an important part of survival.
The average trout will jump out of the water in order to catch insects that are either on the surface of the water or are hovering just above it.
For lake trout, the act of jumping also serves another important purpose. Lake trout are often exposed to more parasites than trout living in streams and rivers. These parasites irritate the trout’s skin, and they have found the best way to rid themselves of the parasite, is to simply jump how of the water. It is the impact that they make when reentering the water that shakes the parasite loose.
How Do Trout Jump?
The body of a trout is perfect for swimming through the raging currents of whitewater rivers. When migrating upstream to spawn, the trout will use its strength and speed to launch itself out of the water in order to make it up the countless waterfalls during the journey.
As some of the best jumping fish, trout are easily able to jump as much as 5 times their own body length
How Do Trout Jump Out of Water?
Trout are excellent, fast swimmers, and they use their underwater abilities to generate massive amounts of forward momentum in order to launch themselves out of the water.
The average burst velocity for steelhead is roughly 28 feet per second. With such a high burst velocity, steelhead is easily able to leap more than 12 feet out of the water.
Cutthroat, on the other hand, has a burst velocity of around 14 feet per second, which equates to a leap of about 3 feet.
How High Can Trout Jump?
Trout are simply amazing jumpers. Not only are they able to jump more than 4 times their body length, but they are also able to do this over and over again in order to reach the river’s headwaters.
It’s not uncommon for a smaller trout between 4 and 6 inches in length to jump as high as 2 feet.
The most important consideration when it comes to how high a trout can actually jump is the depth of the pool at the bottom of a waterfall. The larger and deeper a pool of water is, the more momentum a trout can reach before launching itself out of the water.
Do Trout Jump Up Waterfalls?
In order to spawn, trout must make their way back upstream to the headwaters where they were born in.
Since the headwaters of most rivers are located up in the mountains, trout will need to jump up a number of waterfalls in order to make it all the way back upstream.
This requires a lot of effort on the part of the trout. Many trout are only able to spawn once because of the injuries sustained during the migration.
It’s not uncommon for some trout to jump 12 to 15 feet in order to reach the top of a waterfall.
Do Different Types of Trout Jump Out of the Water?
Just about every type of Trout is known to jump out of the water.
As a general rule of thumb, a trout is capable of leaping roughly 5 times its body length out of the water.
Rainbow trout are one of the best jumpers in the family. Brook trout on the other hand are able to jump a lot higher than Brown trout despite being smaller than brownies.
Do Rainbow Trout Jump Out of the Water?
When it comes to trout, rainbow trout has one of the biggest reputations for jumping. Not only are they some of the strongest fighters in the trout family, but they have a bad habit of swimming around chaotically in order to break loose of a hook.
Once a rainbow trout gets caught, it is known to take off on extremely long runs, all in an attempt to break loose.
They are able to jump as much as 5 times their body length, provided that they are in a pool deep enough to get the momentum needed to launch themselves how of the water.
Do Brown Trump Jump Out of the Water?
Although larger than brook trout, brown trout are not very good jumpers.
In fact, the average brown trout is incapable of climbing falls that are greater than two feet. They simply do not have the ability to jump as high as other trout.
Brook trout on the other hand can easily jump twice as high as brown trout.
Do Cutthroat Trump Jump Out of the Water?
Although freshwater cutthroats are not known to jump as much as other trout species, saltwater cutthroats are known to jump all the time.
When fishing for cutthroats along the coast, the trout can be seen jumping up out of the water. When an angler pays close attention to these jumps, they are able to quickly cast out into the general area and get a strike.
It’s important to remember that saltwater cutthroats tend to stay very close to the shore, so an angler should not wade out past their knees or they will risk spooking the fish.
Do Steelhead Trout jump Out of the Water?
Steelheads are some of the most agile and highest jumping trout species. This particular species of trout, are the seagoing version of the rainbow trout.
While they do not get anywhere near as large as salmon, they have the added advantage of being able to survive the trip upstream multiple times. While most salmon die after they have spawned, steelhead are able to repeat the process several times. They have been known to jump as high as 15 feet.
Do Lake Trout Jump Out of the Water?
While most other trout tend to jump in order to make their way back upstream in order to spawn, lake trout are affected mostly by parasites in the water, which is why they regularly jump out of the water.
The parasites are known to cause irritations, which are easily relieved simply by the lake trout jumping out of the water. The parasites come loose and fall off as the fish hits the water.
Do Brook Trout Jump Out of the Water?
Brook trout are the smallest species of trout in North America and as a result, they do not jump as high as the other species.
While most trout species are capable of jumping anywhere from 4 to 5 times the length of their body, because brook trout are only around 4 to 6 inches in length, they are only capable of jumping an average of 4.7 times that length.