I caught a brownie today that had just a smattering of spots and none were red. My mind's indelible trout, my biggest brown thus far, had innumerable black spots, crammed together so that many were not even round anymore, along with splashy red ones.

What factors figure into a brown's pattern? Is one more influential than another?

Also, I know that they may change at breeding time, but isn't that just in intensity of color? Just the males?