Just to address the elephant in the room, yes this fish was consumed. Backpacking in the Wind River range caught this fish out of a lake that according to WGFD has Golden Trout. This fish was pretty unique with very little spots.
Posted by nuclearsquirrel2
9 Comments
I’m pretty sure this is a rainbow.
Rainbow trout. Perfect eating size, too.
The spotting on the back and tail only almost makes me think cuttie, but that’s a unique coloration. Are cutthroats native to that range?
Looks like Jeff. took him for a swim and he never came back.
See how he still has his pelvic fins and they appear to be in tact? That’s a sign that that trout is either not stocked or it has been in the wild a VERY long time after being stocked.
Also is it stocked golden rainbow trout or golden California trout in that lake?
lack of parr marks and the golden sides doesn’t bode well for this being a golden trout.
Appears to be a cut bow. Just a weird atypical spot pattern on it.
That’s a Golden
If you caught this in titcomb lakes like you said this is without a doubt a female golden. Albeit a very lightly colored one due to its diet and environment. Also the females can get like this sometimes. Some people may argue these aren’t true Goldens due to genetics, but that’s a separate argument.
I’ve fished that specific basin many times and no way is this a rainbow despite the light coloration. I’ve caught many just like this.
Don’t listen to the people telling you this is a rainbow lol. They have no idea what they’re talking about nor do they understand the area and how rugged it is to hike there. Rainbows cannot run up to the titcomb basin due to the waterfalls downstream blocking their runs…nobody is driving a stocking truck up there it’s literally impossible…and nobody is transporting rainbows in buckets to those lakes.