California's Native Trout Waters

Native Trout Waters of California New Edition includes fishing for Little Kern Goldens and Coastal Cutthroat Cutthroat in Native Trout Waters of California - 2018 Edition

 

Coho Recovery

Coho without a Creek in California

A series of postings on coho recovery efforts along California's North Coast. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how one hatchery attempts to re-build lost runs of endangered coho salmon.

Swimming Hard from ...
By Michael Carl
 

Microhabitat Selection by Species

In rivers with multiple trout species, a set of complex interactions amongst each species will determine where they hold, feed, and spawn. Generally, brown trout are the most dominant in these interactions due to their innate aggression and larger size. In streams, browns tend to inhabitat the bottom in shallower areas with slower water and move cover, rainbows move higher in the water column in areas of faster water - often mid-stream - and cutthroat hold in colder water near or in smaller tributaries. These tendencies result from competitive pressures more than habitat preference given each species will inhabit the entire stream environment if not threatened.

 

California Heritage Trout

In pursuit of the California Heritage Trout Challenge or just looking to chase down some native trout in a remote and wild place?

California Heritage Trout Challenge

CalHeritageTrout Catch, photograph, and release six different forms of California native trout from their historic range and California Department of Fish and Game will send you a personalized certificate featuring the art of Joseph Tomelleri (similiar to this one). Further information about the California Heritage Trout Challenge can be found here.

Some of California's native trout that qualify for the challenge include:

California Golden Trout California Golden trout underwater
Little Kern Golden Trout Little Kern Golden trout underwater
Kern River Rainbow Trout Kern River Rainbow Trout
Coastal Rainbow Trout Coastal Rainbow Trout
Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout
Coastal Cutthroat Trout Coastal cutthroat trout
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Lahontan cutthroat trout
Paiute Cutthroat Trout Paiute trout
Goose Lake Redband Trout Goose Lake Redband Trout
McCloud River Redband Trout McCloud River Redband Trout
Warner Lakes Redband Trout Warner Lakes redband trout



Native Fish of the Golden Trout Wilderness

California's Golden Trout Wilderness is home to three unique forms of native trout, and you'll find descriptions for each of these trout in my new Ebook - Native Fish of the Golden Trout Wilderness.

Information found in Fly Fishing the Golden Trout Wilderness will help

For thousands of years, a population of rainbow trout adapted and evolved in the drainages of the Golden Trout Wilderness. Since then, three unique subspecies of rainbow trout, collectively referred to as golden trout, emerged within the upper Kern River basin. These golden trout are: California golden trout, Kern River rainbow trout, and Little Kern golden trout.

Whether your goal is completing the California Heritage Trout Challenge, or just finding some of the Southern Sierra Nevada's most scenic stretches of water to wet a line, Native Fish of the Golden Trout Wilderness will help you reach your goal.

An Adobe PDF document will be made available at the end of the purchase check-out. Select Return to the Ecological Angler to view your copy of Native Fish of the Golden Trout Wilderness.
Please allow enough time for the large PDF file to download. While downloading - do not navigate away from the location.

Pilot Peak Strain Lahontan Cutthroat

Pilot Peak Strain Lahontan Emerging as Pyramid Lake cutthroat

Side your time-scale way over to the left and set your view to wide-angle. I'm thinking some 15,000 years ago. Northwestern Nevada - today a mostly dry high-desert - was instead covered by a vast, deep body of water. Read more...

Yellowstone Cutthroat Country

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River

Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding backcountry is the heartland to it's namesake cutthroat trout. The EcoAngler looks at this native trout and a few of the streams it calls home.