California Golden Trout

The California golden trout, or simply the golden trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita), is a species of trout native to California. The golden trout is native to Golden Trout Creek (tributary to the Kern River), Volcano Creek (tributary to Golden Trout Creek), and the South Fork Kern River. It is the state fish of California.

Note: There is some disagreement within the scientific community as to the classification of the California golden trout. In some places, it is listed as Oncorhynchus aguabonita and in other sources as Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita. So, some list it as a subspecies of rainbow trout and others as a full and separate species. FishBase and the Catalog of Fishes now (2014) list O. aguabonita as an independent species rather than as subspecies of O. mykiss. Likewise, while ITIS lists O. m. whitei and O. m. gilberti (the other two Kern river golden trout) as subspecies of O. mykiss, O. aguabonita instead is listed as a full species.

For more information:

California Golden Trout by Native Trout Fly Fishing