Native trout and Salmon of the United States

[Acristickid]

Been thinking of posting a list of the natives I have caught. It’s taken many years to reach this point, probably very helpful I didn’t get married till I was 49 and my now wife is totally cool.

It would have been a lot easier and faster to have caught many of these fish had I known I was gonna try for them years ago. There was several times in the middle of nowhere CA or OR that I thought to myself “I’ll never be here again.” Nope. Hah, joke was on me. Cause I have backtracked to several areas now.

It’s a lot easier now to post them with the new forum so here goes. I’ll try to keep them in order which is a challenge that I’ve had 3 big coffees. Think you can post up to 7 photos at once.

Probably going to be several posts on this thread till I can get them all posted , bear with me please. Also, I just spent 5 min finding out of the correct grammar was bear or bare.

1.Brook trout- PA
2.Arctic Grayling- AK , Big Hole MT only lower 48
3.Apache Trout- AZ
4.Mountain Whitefish- MT
5.Bull trout- WA , MT was my first
6.Coastal Rainbow- AK
7.Golden Trout-CA first was out of native range

 

[Acristickid]

8.Columbia River Basin Redband -OR, NV
9.Northern Sacramento River basin redband CA
10.Fort Rock Basin redband- OR
11.Harney Malheur Basin redband - OR
12.Catlow Basin redband- OR
13.Warner Lakes Basin redband- OR
14.Goose Lake redband- CA, OR

 

[Acristickid]

15.Chewaucan Basin redband- OR
16.Upper Klamath Lake Basin redband-OR
17.Chinook Salmon- WA
18.Coho Salmon- WA
19.Coastal Cutthroat- WA
20.Westslope Cutthroat- MT
21.Yellowstone Cutthroat- WY

 

[Acristickid]

22.Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat- WY
23.Bonneville Basin Cutthroat Trout- WY
24.Colorado River Cutthroat- WY
25.Greenback Cutthroat- CO
26.Rio Grande Cutthroat-CO
27.Lahonton Cutthroat- CA
28.Willow Whitehorse Cutthroat- OR

 

[Acristickid]

29.Humboldt Cutthroat- NV
30.Sockeye Salmon- AK
31.Dolly Varden-AK
32.Chum Salmon- AK
33.Arctic Char-AK
34.Paiute Cutthroat- CA only one outside range
35.Pecos Strain Rio Grande Cutthroat-NM
36.Gila Trout- NM

 

[Acristickid]

37. BearRiver strain of Bonneville Cutthroat - UT

 

[Acristickid]

Couple thoughts- the Bear River cutt was only Native I recall being caught in a spring creek. The Rio grande Cutthroat what is the only Cutthroat out of a lake. I caught a golden trout several years ago but had learned that it was just outside of their native range so I had to go back.

Also, learned that while the McLeod Rainbow was recognized by the state of California is being wild below the Shasta dam but I had to go back because it was outside of its native range. I had to go to the upper McLeod headwaters to check it off.

I’ve caught raised palominos and tigers wild browns ,wild Atlantic Salmon , wild rainbows and even wild cutbows (pic below) but they are not native. I’d love to be able to catch a wild tiger here in PA but rarely put myself in the best position to do so.

Wow I’d prefer to catch large fish I still would rather catch native trout and salmon even if they were smaller.

I’ve tried my best to catch native trout in native waters the only native that I was not able to achieve that was the Piaute Cutthroat simply because it is not allowed to be fished for in its native waters.

Also the Northern Sacramento River basin redband - aka McCloud river redband.

I have left-
1.Pink Salmon
2.Blue back or Sunapee Char in Maine
3.Atlantic Salmon
4.Lake trout
5.Hayden Creek Cutthroat
6.San Juan River strain of Colorado cutthroat
7.Little Kern River golden trout
8.Kern River Rainbow
9.Eagle Lake Rainbow

While it’s a little disingenuous to say that you’ve caught all of the different trout and salmon when I know at least one that is off-limits to fishing at SheepHaven Creek in California and if it ever does become available I wanna go for it

I hope I can make to catch them all.

 

[Acristickid]

Here is the Gila trout. I knew there was gonna be a foul up since I had no way to copy and paste. I think they are in good order except this one.

 

[1fish]

Where did you catch the CA Golden in its native range? There's a certain point on the South Fork that anything below there is more than likely a hybrid, even though it's in the Goldens native range.

 

[Acristickid]

Where did you catch the CA Golden in its native range? There's a certain point on the South Fork that anything below there is more than likely a hybrid, even though it's in the Goldens native range.

1fish-

Caught it out of Fish Creek, tributary to the South Fork of the Kern. As far as CA golden trout and hybridization, the most pure strains would be in Volcano Creek and Golden Trout Creek. These streams have been on the radar and are very far back in the wilderness. Fishing those streams would require a pack horse trip and I had lined up for last year but the fire from 2 years ago had the forest closed last year. The pack trip was setup for me to fish for Little Kern Golden , Kern river rainbow and Golden trout in the streams I mentioned above.



1fish- I would like to know more. Where did you hear of the hybridization?



Hybridization is a big threat to native trout by messing with trout genes that have adapted best over the spans of time for its specific water that now become diminished and harder for that species to survive.



Anyway, most western trout have been exposed to hybridization unless they are inaccessible headwaters- most with some sort of barrier like waterfall to prevent upstream migration. The Piaute Cutthroat was saved by a sheep herder moving some fish above a falls on Silver King Creek to where it was fishless and saved that fish from hybridization.



The California Golden trout is no different, I’d say unless you fish the streams I mentioned above then your fishing for fish that have potentially been exposed to hybridization. There would need to be barriers or you’ll be chasing your tail.



State of Colorado for example ; almost botched promulgation of a species of Greenback Cutthroat with hybridization.



It’s impossible to tell these things without sending them to the lab.



In my case, the fish was not stocked and in its native waters so it qualifies in my mind but again I wouldn’t argue that it could be hybridized. Again, I know where the most pure are and I still may fish there but we’ll see how it develops.



I’ve learned a lot about hybridization and fish purity as it were. Mostly by getting to know a guy that wrote a cutthroat book. He was always up in the headwaters where there could be a lesser chance of hybridization but not guaranteed if there was not a barrier. So always learning about these fish, I find it interesting.

 

[1fish]

Jeeesh, I can't remember where I heard about the hybridization on the South fork. It's been twenty some years since I heard or read that, and it's been twenty some years since I've been in the back country up there.

From what I recall there was a fish barrier above Monache meadows where the fish above there were considered pure strain Goldens. I'm not sure if that still holds true today, but I'm more than confident the fish below there are still considered hybrids, unless if they may have removed the fish through poisoning the stream. CA does that some times to reestablish desired fish in certain streams or lakes.

As you already know the best source to find out what's what is the DFG biologists.

I'm thinking you will run across the same issues on the main stem of the Kern with the Kern River Rainbow. That river has been stocked with hatchery rainbows for generations between Kernville and the Johnsondale bridge.

 

[JGR]

This is great. Your life has been well-spent...

 

[EchoRidgeElder]

You are certainly a lucky man to have even tried for all of these species. Congratulations! Keep going as long as you can afford to do so!
I consider it a good day when I can catch a PA triple (brook, brown, and bow)!

 

[Acristickid]

Consider myself lucky and blessed in many ways and I am grateful and thankful. It’s a fantastic journey for sure.

1fish- at one point I knew more or at least I could remember more about most of these fish. As for the CA Golden trout , there has been a lot of work over many decades to preserve the fish. Lotsa studies, and stream remediation , collection of natives to create broad stock during droughts (which are honestly about every year now). Did fish above Johnsondale bridge for the Kern River Rainbow. Had 2 on and couldn’t land. Very frustrating as I couldn’t land them, wading was an absolute bear with the big rocks and it was 95 degrees every day. I left the area defeated, had been fishing CA for a number of weeks. I always think it’s funny when I recall this day as I drove to Arizona to the white mountains to fish for the Apache next but he would think to drive to Arizona to cool off?

The key item was construction of several barriers on streams to prevent non native fish migration. That and loss of habitat are the primary reasons for the decimation of most native fish.

I put up a map of the CA Golden native waters , you can see the black marks are barriers. Fish and game used a chemical to poison out the non natives a number of times over several years to eradicate the non native fish. They were not successful a number of times which necessitated the application of the poison several times.

The barriers have been breached numerous times either through high water events or through the barrier failures and have been remediated numerous times but it looks like now they’ve got a handle on it because they’ve been able to frequently repair the barriers to keep them intact.

In any event, it seems that it will happen again but if the fish and game are diligent the Goldens may persist.

Here is a CA Golden trout study-

https://westernnativetrout.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/kernrivergoldentroutrestoration_final_031809.pdf

A couple notes- 2015, I made my way up the cottonwood lakes trail head in the Sierras at 10,000. This trailhead is heavily used by horses and hikers. I think it’s the craziest paved road I have ever been on. Thousand foot drops with no guide-rails. Twisty and super high up, wish I wasn’t alone so someone else could drive so I could admire the awesome views. Anyway, this is the trail head that I made my way into the Golden Trout Wilderness to angle for a golden.

In reading some studies this area had been stocked with golden trout which was just over the next mountain , taking it out of its native range but this area near the Cottonwood Lakes was heavily stocked with California golden natives and this is the area where they use that stock to promulgate Goldens in Wyoming and points beyond. Almost 150 years ago, 13 golden trout were put in a can and packed on a horse, 12 survived stocked into the Cottonwood Lakes and Creek. These fish are amazing as the now are in so many lakes and creeks in the area and like said stocked all over from this area.

The funny thing is I caught several Goldens in Cottonwood Creek and they are pure strain Goldens but out of their native range. Of course last year I caught a few small ones in the goldens native range but those could be hybridized.

Anyway , I might be going to hell in a bucket but at least I’m enjoying the ride.

Pics are - maps of golden range (hopefully you can see it if you zoom in)

A golden trout from cottonwood creek and the sign I passed on the trail- which was confusing. As I was in the Golden Trout Wilderness but the stream was just outside of its native range.

 

[JeffK]

Great report. The nearest place for native lakers on the fly I can think of is Lake Skaneatles - the one Finger Lake that is oligotrophic so the lakers are ready to bite in the fall when they are shallow. However, they are smaller. John Gaulke can guide you to them.

 

[1fish]

Kid, After I posted yesterday about what I remembered about the South Fork, I got a little curious as to my recollections. I did a quick internet search and came across that same paper that you provided a link for. I read the first 26 pages then just browsed through the rest. It’s a very good read to anyone who may have interest into the history and reestablishment of Goldens. It also provides the why, what, where, and how’s of what they did there to reestablish Goldens to that part of the river. The paper also supports what my somewhat limited understanding was of the hybridization that was going on the South Fork twenty years ago.


The main stem of the Kern is not one of my favorite places to fish, mostly because of the big rocks and bowling ball size “cobble” not only in the streambed, but also along the banks. Not only very tough wading, but very tiring walking along the river. The river also has the nickname of “Killer Kern”. On the lower river, as you head into the canyon. There’s a big tote board there that keeps a running total of river deaths.


Of those road going up on the eastside. Yeah some of them are pretty crazy. Some as you experienced climb 5 or 6000 feet above the valley floor. Need to take some care coming down, not to over heat your brakes. At Cottonwood Lakes I believe that the GT paper linked above, mentioned that the Goldens were hybridize from the DFG stocking of compromised Goldens back into the lakes. Second paragraph page 5.

 

[Acristickid]

Ahh, I see. This is why I now talk with biologists before I go places and try to ask as many questions.

Perhaps your familiar with Clicks creek.

Knew that Kern got stocked below the bridge , and again with no barriers gonna be tough not to run into hybridization. Supposedly, the further up you go the “more pure” or less hybridized maybe more apt hah.

Lots of information to wade through if you will.

I write stuff on here so I don’t forget stuff as time goes by and have a backup if case I lose more phones. Now watching to see if Sequoia National Forest actually will open to see if angling for these fish is even an option this year.

 

[wbranch]

Been thinking of posting a list of the natives I have caught. It’s taken many years to reach this point, probably very helpful I didn’t get married till I was 49 and my now wife is totally cool.

It would have been a lot easier and faster to have caught many of these fish had I known I was gonna try for them years ago. There was several times in the middle of nowhere CA or OR that I thought to myself “I’ll never be here again.” Nope. Hah, joke was on me. Cause I have backtracked to several areas now.

It’s a lot easier now to post them with the new forum so here goes. I’ll try to keep them in order which is a challenge that I’ve had 3 big coffees. Think you can post up to 7 photos at once.

Probably going to be several posts on this thread till I can get them all posted , bear with me please. Also, I just spent 5 min finding out of the correct grammar was bear or bare.

1.Brook trout- PA
2.Arctic Grayling- AK , Big Hole MT only lower 48
3.Apache Trout- AZ
4.Mountain Whitefish- MT
5.Bull trout- WA , MT was my first
6.Coastal Rainbow- AK
7.Golden Trout-CA first was out of native range

Which one is the grayling in the #1 post?

 

[Acristickid]

Good question. It’s the bottom one on left in the first grouping. Might have hit some buttons since I first posted that got it out of order, sorry for the confusion. That particular fish took I thought a caddis fry dry, but doesn’t look like a caddis. My memory is becoming terrible I think. Naknek River in AK. Here’s maybe a better pic.

 

[wbranch]

Which one is the grayling in the #1 post?

Good question. It’s the bottom one on left in the first grouping. Might have hit some buttons since I first posted that got it out of order, sorry for the confusion. That particular fish took caddis dry on Naknek River in AK. Here’s maybe a better pic.

Nope, that is a Rocky Mountain Whitefish.