Posted on behalf of Colin. Please add all replies to this thread:

There are zero hits for either "fontenille" or "swiss" in a search of common names on Fishbase.

A search of freshwater species present in Switzerland comes up with nothing to match the description so assuming the term doesn't relate to a whitefish species, my money would be on it referring to either the native Huchen or the introduced (from North America) Lake Trout or Brook Trout - which are both actually char.

There are several land locked sub species (realy just coulor morphs) of brown trout in Ireland that have been given local names Gillaroos, Sonaghen, Leven and are targeted as well as the common or garden brownie,

I dont know but a good as guess as any Id say

There's an area called Fontanelle on Lake Garda, and I've seen camping trips advertised which mention the trout fishing there. Could that be what you're looking for?

Janet

Maurice Kottelat (in Biologia Volume 52 Supplement 5 1997) Slovak Academic Press
gives a pretty exhaustive review of every European fish species, sub species and variety.

There is no mention of either Fontenille or Swiss trout.

Kottelat is considered THE authority on European fish, so the names are likely an invention of somewhere that wants to sell its fishing. Like "Thames Trout"

Kottelat does give the interesting opinion that the original stocks of trout inhabiting the Atlantic drainage should be considered a different species to those originally inhabiting the Mediterranean drainage.

The trouble is that there has been so much artificial stocking and intermixing in the last hundred years that nobody can prove very much now. But apparently there were no natural seatrout in rivers draining into the Med until some of them stocked brown trout originating from Atlantic rivers.

ie Atlantic river trout has resident and migratory forms, Mediterranean river trout is non-migratory.

....but life is a bit short to argue about trout varieties - there are too many mongrels out there, and sorting them out is half a lifetime's work.

Morning,

This could be Salvelinus fontinalis the Brook char, more commonly known as the Brook trout. Native to the USA they have been introduced to many countries including most European countries including Switzerland.

Pretty fish but can cause a bit of a nuisance as they are not at all fussy what they eat. Problems with competition for food with native species has prompted many countries to attempt strict management of native fisheries to exclude them, particularly in Scandinavia I understand.

I only ever hooked a char once, in Scotland. Now I see why they are popular in the States, don't they scrap!

Worms

Yes, of course, introduced fontinalis that may well be the answer.

Have never fished for them in Europe, but have caught them in Colorado streams. Greedy little beggars. Would like to fish for them in their native states (eg Maine) sometime, as they grow to several pounds there.

According to fishbase they can grow up to more than 9Kg. Pretty looking fish.
http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSum...s&TotRec=11