Trout migrate upstream looking for suitable spawning areas, and the Rise acts as a natural barrier to any further upstream movement. The trout in the Rise arrived there naturally and stay because it is a protected area with an extensive food supply. The pool is deep enough and there is enough year-around water flow that it never freezes. It is unlikely that any fish travel through the fractures in the rock upstream to the river running into the Sinks cavern. No one has weighed or measured the fish in the Rise, but some of the larger ones probably weigh 9 to 10 pounds.

Trout swim by expanding their muscles on the side of their body while relaxing the muscles on the other side. In addition to what visitors feed them, the trout primarily eat aquatic insects, such as mayflies and stoneflies.