Atlantic salmon vs sea trout: how to tell them apart

Atlantic salmonup to 150 cm · 46.8 kg · 13 years

sea troutup to 140 cm · 50.0 kg · 38 years

Atlantic salmonGrows up in the Atlantic and spawns over gravel in rivers of Europe and North America. In Germany the Rhine was once the most important salmon river; today, thanks to stocking, it occurs again here and there in the Rhine system and the Elbe (Wikipedia).

sea troutCoastal waters of Europe from the Norwegian Sea across the North Sea and Baltic Sea to the Bay of Biscay. At sea it usually roams close to the coast, and to spawn it runs up into small rivers with a gravel bed.

Atlantic salmonUpstream run from late autumn, spawning over gravel in the upper reaches (general guide, varies by region)

sea troutIn winter (general guide, varies by region)

Atlantic salmonFly fishing, Lure fishing (spinning) in rivers

sea troutLure fishing (spinning) on the coast, Fly fishing on the coast, Sbirolino or float fishing with worm

Atlantic salmonSalmon fly, Spoon, Spinner, Plug (crankbait)

sea troutCoastal spoon, Slim plug (crankbait), Shrimp or bristle worm fly, Ragworm

Atlantic salmonRich, reddish flesh; wild salmon is critically endangered in Germany, so follow local rules.

sea troutFirm, flavourful flesh; spent fish after spawning are lean and usually released.

Atlantic salmonGerman Red List (freshwater fish 2023): critically endangered (vom Aussterben bedroht), unchanged since 2009; salmon caught in German waters mostly come from stocking programmes. IUCN: Near Threatened (according to FishBase). Protected in freshwater habitats under the EU Habitats Directive (FFH-Richtlinie) (Wikipedia). Check the rules of your federal state and the water before fishing.

sea troutGerman Red List (freshwater fish 2023, species Salmo trutta): threatened, in 2009 still not threatened; brown, lake and sea trout are assessed there together as one species. IUCN (Salmo trutta): not threatened (Least Concern, 2022).