Golden Trout

[wernerm]

This has now turned into an intense study of all the trout species of the world. i have started writing a thesis on trout throughout the globe which, in it's infancy, is standing at 62 pages. I have however completed my work on the Golden trout.


I have ascertained that Golden trout, are in fact ONLY found in the northern parts of California. The five species of golden trout are:


Volcano Creek golden trout
Kern River rainbow trout
Sacramento golden trout
Little Kern golden trout
Mexican golden trout


They are all located in areas roughly 100km's apart and in closed systems, native to that part only. The Golden trout is also the State fish of California.


If you want to catch these, you will have to travel to California. (I've done costing for the trip if any one is interested)


I also attach a geographic layout of where you can find the various trout in California.

[jaenswart]

This has now turned into an intense study of all the trout species of the world. i have started writing a thesis on trout throughout the globe which, in it's infancy, is standing at 62 pages. I have however completed my work on the Golden trout.


I have ascertained that Golden trout, are in fact ONLY found in the northern parts of California. The three species of golden trout are:



Kern River rainbow trout
Sacramento golden trout
Little Kern golden trout


They are all located in areas roughly 100km's apart and in closed systems, native to that part only. The Golden trout is also the State fish of California.


If you want to catch these, you will have to travel to California. (I've done costing for the trip if any one is interested)


I also attach a geographic layout of where you can find the various trout in California.

I think we are falling into the age old trap of trying to identify a fish based on a localised common name. The golden trout that you refer to in the picture does in fact occur in our waters, not to be confused with the "Albino" you get in Mpumalanga.

Contact Wolf Avni, I cannot think of a better person than him to clear this up for us...and he will be of great help on your theses too

[krissi]

This has now turned into an intense study of all the trout species of the world. i have started writing a thesis on trout throughout the globe which, in it's infancy, is standing at 62 pages. I have however completed my work on the Golden trout.


I have ascertained that Golden trout, are in fact ONLY found in the northern parts of California. The three species of golden trout are:
 



Kern River rainbow trout
Sacramento golden trout
Little Kern golden trout


They are all located in areas roughly 100km's apart and in closed systems, native to that part only. The Golden trout is also the State fish of California.


If you want to catch these, you will have to travel to California. (I've done costing for the trip if any one is interested)


I also attach a geographic layout of where you can find the various trout in California.

I think we are falling into the age old trap of trying to identify a fish based on a localised common name. The golden trout that you refer to in the picture does in fact occur in our waters, not to be confused with the "Albino" you get in Mpumalanga.

Contact Wolf Avni, I cannot think of a better person than him to clear this up for us...and he will be of great help on your theses too

You are absolutely right jaenswart - I have downloaded the pics and am going to email him right now - will let you know the outcome 

[wernerm]

Wulf have replied to me already that there are in fact no Golden trout in our waters. The confusion comes with the brown trout when fingerling looking like the Golden trout. I attach the photo's of the Golden trout and the brown juvenile.

[jaenswart]

Wulf have replied to me already that there are in fact no Golden trout in our waters. The confusion comes with the brown trout when fingerling looking like the Golden trout. I attach the photo's of the Golden trout and the brown juvenile.

Great stuff thx. They look identical to me

[wernerm]

Herewith Wulf's reply, I find it most informative and also alarming of the state of trout in South Africa.


Hi Werner, I’m afraid not.  The true  golden trouts ~ augobonita apache, etc, are found in uppermost headwaters of  the systems they occupy, and pretty much are  small stream fish. Their  small size and slow metabolism (growth rate) make then unattractive to   commercial hatcheries.

The stocking fish available from  hatcheries (globally) has become so mongrelized over the past 30 years that  pretty much every body holds the same general genetic makeup and the many  unique wild strains that exist are for the most part extinct in commercial  trout production.  Fishery management in this country (whole world  actually) is pretty  primitive and for the most part ignorance on the part  of suppliers and purchaser has seen a one size fits all (whatever is cheapest  in the moment)  approach kind of steamroll right over most unique  population pools around thre world. Incidentally, all native populations of  golden trout are under extreme threat of hybradisation with mongrel fish  injudiciously stocked into their naturally restricted habitats.

  That’s why I am reluctant to  bring fish in from other hatcheries and  prefer working with the wild gene  pool which I found here in the Umzimkulu from before the homogenization process  took off. They are made up of a mixture of kamloops  and shastus  strains, with a recessive cutthroat gene acquired from the kamloops gene pool.

[wernerm]

I've also mailed all the other who's who's of flyfishing asking whether they have seen a fish like this anywhere in their travels and they all replied not. These do in fact only occur in California.


PS: We are going there in December to catch all the Golden and cutthroat species in their native waters. Itinerary setup, costing done, everything.

[wernerm]

Wulf have replied to me already that there are in fact no Golden trout in our waters. The confusion comes with the brown trout when fingerling looking like the Golden trout. I attach the photo's of the Golden trout and the brown juvenile.

Great stuff thx. They look identical to me

Yeah man, this is where the whole thing started, I thought I caught one of them years back in the Western Cape. Turns out it must have been a brown 

[WalkersKiller]

More great info!

[krissi]

Here is Wolf Avni's reply to my email.  I have had mixed reactions to his first point re the fight and growth.
"The large fish is an albino rainbow. Some bright spark fixed a mutant gene and started calling the product “golden trout”. It is just a mutant version of the ordinary rainbow (Onchorynchus mykiss). The fish you got from Rainier would have this as the one parent, and this is what he would sell you as a golden trout. They have an ‘interest’ factor but are considered lousy stocking fish for the following reasons;
1. They don’t grow enormous and are considered to be under muscled and sluggish fighters.
2, Very vulnerable to natural predation having no natural camouflage so tend not to live as long in open environments as ordinary rainbows .

The other fish in the anglers hand is an authentic mature golden trout. There are 5 strains of genuine golden trout. None are available commercially. They don’t grow much beyond 25-30cm. Your pic is of a Onchorynchus augabonita augabonita (South Fork Kern River golden trout) It could perhaps even be a augabonita chyrogaster (Mexican or Rio Fuerte golden trout). But from the picture I’d figure it to be the Kern River golden. "

[REEFMAN]

Fascinating thread!  to all for the Info.  Werner.

[wernerm]

Thanks REEFMAN, roll on December. I wanted to go earlier but it seems December January is the best time to catch them. I've found a guide as well as you can't just go up there and start throwing a line, you get nicked by Fish and Game. Thei actually police their water unlike here in SA.

[Al1]

 
So, would you like to share those costings for the California trip with us?

[Gerhard]

krissi,


Pity you are so far away from Dullstroom as I have to dams I want to stock in the coming months.


I would actually enjoy owning and working a trout hatchery.

[wernerm]

So, would you like to share those costings for the California trip with us?

Flights are R 22K, your transport, "gas" and accommodation in Canada is about 30K and another 20K for sundries, meals, horseback, permits and the like. it will cost you a bit over 70K for two people. The total driving around will be roughly 2700km and we need about three weeks to catch them all. You wont be in once place more than maybe three days as time won't permit.

[krissi]

krissi,


Pity you are so far away from Dullstroom as I have to dams I want to stock in the coming months.


I would actually enjoy owning and working a trout hatchery.

It is very challenging and rewarding.  How far is Dullstroom from Underberg?  We deliver to Maclear (about 6 hrs one way loaded but then we stock a lot of dams with bits and pieces, so that takes time) and chaps fetch from Ugie - 3-4" fish and they transport them in 1000L tank. They found it cheaper to fetch the stockies than for us to deliver them - thank goodness - my type of customer  .

[Gerhard]

Dullstroom is about 50km's away from Machadodorp...


Long way from Underberg. 

[krissi]

Here is the thread where I posted pictures of the hatchery
 
http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php/topic,7299.msg106433.html#msg106433

[wernerm]

Very cool 

[Herman Jooste]

Krissie, Brilliant report on farming trout. 
 
I will nominate it for post of the month.