Like other salmonids, river trout live in cool, fast-flowing, oxygen-rich, clear waters with gravel or sandy riverbeds.

They can be found in most northern Mediterranean and western Black Sea tributaries but not in Greece, Central Anatolia and the Caucasus regions or on Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily islands.

River trout are faithful to their habitat, leaving the home range stream for smaller upstream headwaters to reproduce.

The fish uses rapid fanning of the tail and caudal fin on a rock riverbed to make several shallow pits, into which about 1,000 to 1,500 reddish eggs 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) in size are laid.

By contrast, male tiger trout develop testicles as well as secondary sex features such as kypes, humps, darker and thicker skin and lighter fillet colouring during the spawning season.

In the past, European waterbodies were heavily and artificially stocked with rainbow trout, a native of America that grows more quickly and is less demanding of water quality.

Angling with natural lures (worms, maggots, grasshoppers) is discouraged in most rivers because it is difficult to throw back trout that are below the minimum landing size uninjured when they have ingested this food so quickly and deeply.

Medium-sized, wet and dry flies are thrown into streams with a rod of AFTMA Class 4-6, intended to mimic an emerging or egg-laying insect.