Golden Trout

For those of you who enjoy california flyifishing and/or the general subject of of ichthyology, the California Golden Trout (a.k.a. Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita), is a fish that is worth knowing about. A sub-species of the rainbow trout, the golden trout is interesting for 3 main reasons: 1) it is a true native to California 2)it thrives is high altitude environments (as in 10,000ft +) 3) it is a beautifully colored fish with golden sides with a red band along its lateral line; it has dark oval “parr marks”, on each side and has white-colored edges on its fins. Typically, the golden trout does not grow to large sizes in its sparse mountain environment - adult goldens range from 6- 14 inches. The golden trout was named California's state fish in 1947 by the state lefislature.

Fly-fishing for them

I have come across goldens in very shallow creeks off the peaks surrounding mt Whitney (and on Whitney) and have had the pleasure of casting for them under the shadow of Mt Langley at the cottonwood lakes. They rose to any variety of basic patterns - caddis, royal wulff, PMDs (I was tempted to toss out a sculpin just to see what happens)…i think whether it is a mayfly or a mosquito, any insect looks like a tasty treat to them in the sparse mountain environment. They fight more like brookies than rainbows, and when you bring one in, you can not help but handle them delicately.

Golden trout can be found in the various streams and high altitude lakes in Inyo National forest, Monache Meadows and in the South Fork of the the Kern River. Their original habitat was from the Inyo region, along the high altitude creeks of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range. The department of fish and game has stocked various high altitude waters along the Sierras including in the El Dorado and Alpine Counties. Their high-altitude habitat, and dwindling numbers (competition from browns, brookies, and inter-mixing with stocked rainbows) makes foraging for these California natives a bit of a hunting trip, but it is well worth it once you see one in living color.