With nine miles to go, we were ready to go and excited to get fishing. 2 talking about this. the information on where to get them is just as guarded. Would this be the inlet to Turquoise? Lake trout, a larger char that holds the same ecological niche as Sunapee trout, only better, out-competed the Sunapee golden trout and hybridized with it, further accelerating its decline. The hike was very difficult, yet we made it! After putting on waders and hiking through the brush and boulders, we waded into and fished two lakes for a solid five hours. For the past eight years, I have been hiking in to some of the most remote high mountain lakes in Colorado. My first golden trout Golden Trout in the net Day 4 – Final Day. By 2010, now three years old, Story was “rocking and rollin” with this new captive stock. Being fellow fly fisherman, I thought you all would like to see this. Note the video is from the beta and seems the spawns have changed since then. And what an experience to be able to catch them in Colorado! Thank you Andy! It gives me hope that my research will prove fruitful! My buddies and I did a similar day excursion into the high country wilderness this last weekend for Cuts and we weren’t disappointed. This kind of adventure sounded more interesting. My pelagic fish targets have been replaced with hard-to-reach trout on a fly. It would have to do. Golden trout, the state fish of California, are often considered one of the most beautiful trout in the world. Although we wanted to be optimistic, we knew the odds of finding luck with golden trout in the Colorado backcountry were pretty slim. It is most likely found at elevations 10,000 feet above sea level. JJ Trout | Golden, Colorado | City Councilor for City of Golden and Chief of Staff at PeopleForBikes | 500+ connections | See JJ's complete profile on Linkedin and connect One of Colorado’s gold medal stillwater fisheries, North Delaney is known for producing huge rainbow, brown, and cutthroat/rainbow hybrid trout. if you want to find out about golden trout look at trout species. in colo. good luck. Fly-fishing for golden trout is a time-consuming, obsession-creating adventure of a time. Definitely a hidden gem, and hopefully stays that way over the years. The Golden Trout placer is a twenty acre un-patented Gold claim in the Colorado Gold Belt. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Required fields are marked *, Pingback: Photos: More Gold in the Colorado High Country | Orvis News. Golden Trout Creek is a designated Heritage and Wild Trout Water. This is the start of my research again to make it happen. California Golden Trout. Soon after that record-setting catch, the Sunapee golden trout could no longer be found in its resident lakes. Thank you for the kind words Jacob! These gorgeous trout made the arduous hike into the wilderness all worthwhile. Thread starter pogybait; Start date Mar 13, 2015; P. pogybait Member. Where was the stream?. Description. The world record Sunapee golden trout was most likely a hybrid between the two species. We didn’t believe them. 30 years ago I caught a Golden here in Colorado and have been back to that lake several times since with no sightings of Goldens. As a tiny hatchling, this fish was one of the special few that were tagged with the year 1796 and President’s George Washington’s signature and released into these waters on July 4th, 1796 to honor the 20th Anniversary of American Independence. I recommend using a fly if you have some because that is what I am most successful with at Black Lake. Currently, the trout is native only to two high-altitude watersheds in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains. I finally landed my first 20′ golden a few years back. I planned the trip for earlier this summer, and three of my buddies—Rick, Mike, and Ryan—were dumb enough to come along. The Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita) is a subspecies of the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The next day we hiked down the valley a few miles and then fished the stream and beaver ponds back up. By continuing to use this site, you agree to their use. I hope to take many more trips like this. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Stop just about anywhere along I 25, look west, and there you have them! This is inspiration to get off my lazy ass and make some of those things happen! The lake in question was the lake that was reported to have been stocked with the golden trout. I have a buddy who landed a couple there. Email me if you would and I can initiate my lake for your stream. The South Fork Kern River is a designated Wild Trout Water. Jan 21, 2017 @ 2:43pm Still banging head against wall. About a half-mile from camp, we walked along a stream looking for any sign of fish. Keep pushing forward and never stop! Note: Please do not ask me where this was. After a few minutes of seemingly barren waters, I spotted a nice fish. Thanks for a fun read and I hope to return to bring news of a Golden caught sometime soon. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is a nationally recognized leader in conservation, outdoor recreation and wildlife management. I will tell you some useful information about a secret lake with big tiger trout if you would be willing to exchange information. Get FxR+ Gift Certificate. Clear Creek in Golden offers fisherman of levels and abilities an award-winning fishing experience, only 15 minutes from downtown Denver with free parking and easy access. They are not native and are extremely rare. It was time to leave nature and make our way back down from the mountain. Collection Info Point Map Species Profile Animated Map. As we walked past one of the larger holes, we saw a trout spook under the bank and both immediately screamed. 1-21inch the other22 inch. The great thing about trips like that is that even with no fish, they’re still a blast. I heard a hatchery close to Leadville flooded in the 70’s and released a population of Goldens into the headwaters of the Arkansas river. All the photos I’ve seen have been incredible. The closest trailhead I could find was 10 miles from our destination, with at least two of those miles off-trail on steep terrain. Fishing shallower areas (yes I tried it) like that just nets you cutties over and over. Of course, we were still gung-ho. Nestled in the shadow of 13,151-foot Pomeroy Mountain in central Colorado, these clear ponds deliver the goods. Pingback: A Quest for Golden Trout in Colorado - Orvis News. The only thing willing to strike a fly was this 8-inch salamander. You will appreciate being able to get to most activities quickly because that means more time hanging out at Golden Trout with the ones that mean the most. Golden Trout in the Colorado Rockies. Your email address will not be published. Just as quickly as they had all shown up before, they were gone, as though it was time for us to leave. NIGHT CATCH: Forbidden. Tenant Screening. In 2007, golden trout eggs from Sylvan Lake, Montana were shipped to Story and in 2009, the Story Hatchery successfully spawned captive golden trout. It was quite unbelievable and so surreal that I feel like it was all a dream. So, we decided to check. The “ Golden Mile ” of Clear Creek is a popular spot to fish for trout, including browns, brook, cuttbow, cutthroat, and rainbow. Not true. There were lots of suggestions here and there of places that occasionally get a load of stocked golden trout, but none seemed that reliable or even that interesting in the first place. Matt, Hi Matt wondering if you would like to trade info. Thanks for reading, Shawn, and that’s awesome! I would also be willing to keep your locations confidential. A 2.5-mile (one-way) hike past mining ruins and tundra delivers anglers to Pomeroy Lakes. And would be veryvsurprisedbufvi could tell him where and how to find them. I’m hooked! The only thing he could get out was “I FOUND THEM!” At this point everything gets a little blurry, but we all grabbed our rods and ran downstream. Golden Trout is well located to take advantage of all the local parks, attractions, and dining without spending forever in a car. Things started to slow down at the last fork in the trail we were supposed to hit. I checked blogs, stocking reports, books, and anything else I could get my hands on to try to pinpoint a place to go. The Grand Mesa, located just 35 miles northwest of Montrose, and a prominent landmark from both Grand Junction and Delta, is the worlds largest flat-topped mountain. We tried to make it to the trail we had missed on the way in, but it turned out to be just as much of a bushwhack has having no trail at all. Fried trout steak served with rice and vegetable salad on a white plate on a wooden table with yogurt mustard sauce We wanted to hit the golden spot one more time before making the death hike back to the car. Its coloration is spectacularly bright: the belly, opercula, lower jaws, and lateral line are a vivid red to red-orange. This one was definitely a test of will, and I wanted to quit so many times. A beautifully told story. From CPW: In the fall of 2013, CPW stocked 10,000 golden trout fingerlings averaging 1.7” in length in Old Dillon Reservoir. Orvis brought me here! 11 results for Oncorhynchus aguabonita (Golden Trout) Download Data ... CO: Gunnison: South Golden Lake (nw of Gunnison in the West Elk Wilderness Area) 1971: 14020002: Upper Gunnison: stocked: 30374: CO: Once a premier destination for colorful golden trout, Kelly Lake now dazzles hike-in anglers with equally beautiful, gold and red greenback cutthroats up to 15 inches long. West Virginia concocted the “golden rainbow” or “West Virginia centennial golden trout,” now de rigueur in states and provinces from North Carolina to Quebec to California. I don’t say this out of malice or pride, but because this is a very special area that would be destroyed if more than just those willing to research made it there. And just like that, all the fish disappeared. After hours of digging, I had a place to go. 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