wes k
Active member
Caught my first golden trout over the weekend. What a pretty fish.
Golden trout
- Thread starter wes k
- Start date
GrtLksMarlin
Well-known member
Do you know what elevation you caught it at?
B.E.F.
B.E.F.
wes k
Active member
Probably bout 500' IL is pretty flat. Lol. State stocks rainbows twice a year and let's fly fishers have a week of c&r season before they unleash the bucket brigade to clean them out.
GrtLksMarlin
Well-known member
Well Wes, I think what you have there is even rarer than a "Golden Trout", being a "Golden Rainbow Trout" also known as a "Palomino Trout." I'll let you do a google search as to them, in that it's quite interesting in that they originate I believe from a single Trout in West Virginia round about 1954 which they can all be traced back to.
A "Golden Trout" will only be found at very high elevations, and has significantly different markings then what you have there. They are very different fish. However, yours I believe would be much rarer.
B.E.F.
A "Golden Trout" will only be found at very high elevations, and has significantly different markings then what you have there. They are very different fish. However, yours I believe would be much rarer.
B.E.F.
weiliwen
Well-known member
Wait, what? You caught a golden trout in Illinois? And to think I went up to the Driftless Area in Wisconsin for browns and brookies, and I could have stayed here to catch a fish I've never caught.
wes k
Active member
Driftless is way better. Been there a couple times.
---------- Post added at 08:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:14 PM ----------
Gotcha, I called it a golden trout because it was a gold colored trout. I'll check em out.
---------- Post added at 08:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:17 PM ----------
Looks like there are the golden trout you mentioned, golden rainbow trout and palamino ranbow trout. Good to know!
---------- Post added at 08:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:14 PM ----------
Gotcha, I called it a golden trout because it was a gold colored trout. I'll check em out.
---------- Post added at 08:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:17 PM ----------
Looks like there are the golden trout you mentioned, golden rainbow trout and palamino ranbow trout. Good to know!
GrtLksMarlin
Well-known member
So it seems that Golden Rainbow Trout are even slightly different (though make up the basis of) Palomino Trout. So I'm going to guess (check with your regional fish hatcheries and/or DNR) that it is actually a Palomino Trout.
Congratulations! What a great find :thumbsup:
B.E.F.
jeep.ster
jeepster
Congrats. A very nice catch on your very nice bamboo fly rod.
wes k
Active member
Thanks for the compliments on the rod, lots of hand planing! I'd plane till my hand would go numb and I couldn't hold onto the plane anymore, take a couple days off and start again.
I did check the dnr website and they called em golden trout and a genetic anomaly in the rainbow trout causes the gold color.
I did check the dnr website and they called em golden trout and a genetic anomaly in the rainbow trout causes the gold color.
Here is a timely article discussing this very thing.
https://journal.amberjack.com/2016/06/the-golden-trout/
https://journal.amberjack.com/2016/06/the-golden-trout/
wes k
Active member
Wow the California golden trout is a beautiful fish! Have to add that one to the bucket list.
nimblybimbly85
Well-known member
I believe that's a gila trout.
GrtLksMarlin
Well-known member
Although, he did catch this in Illinois. Gila Trout are found in very specific river systems only in Arizona and New Mexico. Below is a "historic distribution." The locations they can be found today are much more limited.
B.E.F.
nimblybimbly85
Well-known member
Yup the gila I've caught in Arizona looked exactly like that. Must be on the run!