The old time mountain folks referred to them as Speckled Trout or just Specs per Jim Casada who grew up in or near the Great Smoky Mountains Park. However most people know salvelinus fontinalis as Brook Trout or just Brookies. It is often said that they earned the name of Brook Trout from the small cold streams found high in the mountains. However, by whatever name you choose call them, I believe that they are the most beautiful of God's creations, even more beautiful thatn the North Carolina State bird the cardinal.
Brookies have yellow and brown spots with gold and dark olive camouflage markings that gradually change color to white. They have white gradually changing to black as the leading edge of their lower fins. Unlike the rainbow trout, they spawn in the autum and that is when their colors are most pronounced. Truely, their beautiful colors defy description and present a great challenge to artists as well as photographers.
One of the things that I like about the brookies is that they are what some refer to as gullible eaters. However, it may just be that they live in waters that often have a tea color resulting from the tannin or iron deposits in the water. This type of water can be quite infertile forcing them to feed on insects on the surface. That water condition makes them the perfect candidates for cane pole fishing as the old time mountain fishermen did. Rhodendrons usually provides some cover for the brookies since these streams tend to be shallow and again, more suitable to cane pole fishing.
For more information about the brookies as well as other species please go to Trout Pro Species.