What is a coaster brook trout?
Coasters are brook trout that live at least some of their life in the Great Lakes or in the ocean along the Atlantic coast of North America. In Lake Superior they usually swim up tributary streams to spawn in late fall, but may also spawn along the lake shore. Coasters differ from brook trout that live in streams year-round in size (mature adults are usually over 12 inches long and may weigh several pounds) and color (more silvery), and have longer life spans. Named after their fondness for Lake Superior’s rocky shore lines, coasters were the darlings of 19th century anglers from America and Europe. Diaries from the period joyfully record the fish’s brilliant colors, trophy size, gourmet taste and eagerness to rise to the bait. Sadly, predictions in the late 1800s that this bonanza couldn’t last, came true. The unregulated coaster brook trout fishery was easily overfished and human activity damaged watersheds. For example, spawning beds were buried under sand churned up as rafts of fre
