Cover Use by Stream-Resident Trout in Winter: A Field Experiment

Abstract
An experiment was conducted in a small ice-free stream in southern Ontario to test the volitional responses of wild, stream-dwelling brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta to artificial cover during winter. Underwater observations indicated that both species preferred holding positions beneath submerged cover structures rather than under above-water structures or uncovered control forms. Trout used cover in riffle and pool habitats with similar frequency, probably due to the accumulation of organic debris on riffle structures that produced low-velocity pockets where fish often positioned themselves. Addition of cover to streams with stable flows is likely to enhance overwinter survival of trout.

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