Golden Trout

 

Paul Katsus is a Texas native who has fished for freshwater trout throughout the United States. Paul Katsus suggests the Golden Trout be placed on the Trout Fisherman’s ultimate bucket list of trout to chase. The fish is an excellent sport fish but is also said to be the best tasting of any Trout, although slightly oiler.

The Golden Trout, which is also known as the California Golden Trout, is a Rainbow Trout subspecies. This California Trout species (Golden Trout) originated from the Golden Trout Creek (which is a tributary of the Kern River), Volcano Creek (a tributary to Golden Trout Creek), and the South Fork Kern River. There are two other California Rainbow Trout subspecies that are closely related to the California Golden Trout. One of these trout sub-species is the Little Kern Golden Trout in the Little Kern River basin and the other is the Kern River Rainbow Trout which are found in the Kern River system. The California Golden Trout, Little Kern Golden Trout and the Kern River Trout are known as the Golden Trout complex of the sub-species. There is another rainbow trout subspecies known as the Redband Trout, although the Golden Trout was perhaps the best known of the California Trout subspecies. Today, the Catalog of Fishes lists the Golden Trout as an independent species of trout rather than a subspecies.

The Golden Trout can be easily be identified by the golden flanks with red, horizontal bands along the lateral lines on each side. There are also dark, vertical, oval marks on each side. In their native California habitat, mature trout range from 6 to 12 inches, with those over 12 inches considered large. However, in area lakes where they have been transplanted, Golden Trout have caught up to 11 pounds. The Wyoming Game & Fish State record Golden Trout measured 28” and weighed 11.25 pounds. The monster fish was caught in Cook Lake, Wyoming in 2012.

The Golden Trout is most commonly found at elevations from 6,890 feet to 10,000 feet above sea level and is a native fish only to California’s southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Their preferred water temperature is 58 to 62 °F but they can tolerate temperatures in degraded streams on the Kern Plateau as high as 70 °F, if those waters cool during the night. Fortunately for Trout enthusiasts, the Golden Trout has been transplanted to the Canadian province of Alberta, and the states where transplanting has taken place include Arizona, Wyoming, Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Oregon. Paul Katsus and many other trout fishermen, who love the sport of trout fishing, are proud to add the Golden Trout among their favorite Trout species.

Blue Catfish – American Monster Fish

Paul Katsus is an electrical utility professional who really enjoys fishing and sharing his passion for the sport. Blue catfish have been among the largest fish ever caught by Paul Katsus, although he has not caught any truly monster fish. The blue catfish can be a monster fish that is among one of the largest species of North American catfish. These monster fish can grow to a length of approximately 66 inches and have been reported to weigh up to 153 pounds, but the average length is 25 – 46 inches. Not too shabby for a fish found in a majority of lakes and rivers throughout the United States. This tremendous size potential is due to the long life span of the species, which can be upward of twenty years.

Because blue catfish can adapt to brackish water in some regions of the country they have colonized along inland waterways of coastal regions. In one such body of water, the Chesapeake Bay, they have become an invasive species. In the James River in Virginia, Blue catfish make up 75% of the fish population, much to the dismay of some fisherman of other game species. In the case of the James River, they have out competed with the smallmouth bass for food and even heavily feed on the smallmouth bass population. In the case of the James River, The introduction of the blue catfish in the James River had some unintended consequences, which resulted in the serious decline of the smallmouth bass fishery.

The blue catfish have two sport advantages going for it which are; the large size potential and their excellent table fare. This makes the blue catfish a tempting fish for fish and wildlife departments across the nation to stock for recreation purpose. Fortunately, the sheer size is of the species is not limited to one region of the United States; rather the trophies are spread throughout the country. In Indiana, a 104 pound record for a blue catfish was set in 1999 by Bruce Midkiff, which was caught in the Ohio River. A record 130 pound blue catfish was caught in Missouri by Janet Momphard, with the help from her boyfriend. On May 22, 2005, in the Mississippi River, Tim Pruitt caught a 124 pound record blue catfish, which broke a previous record of 121.5 pounds caught in Lake Texoma, Texas. On June 22, 2011, Nick Anderson of Greenville, North Carolina, caught a blue catfish of 143 pounds and had set a new state record for rod and reel. On February 7, 2012 a 136 pound fish was caught in South Carolina, but it was not a (near) record because it was not caught on a rod and reel.

For excellent sport and tasty fish, the blue catfish is hard to beat, in this author’s (Paul Katsus) view. Just imagine the chance to catch a 100 + pounds fish, probably close to your house. What other fish species affords you this opportunity without traveling and great expense? Yes, to Paul Katsus, the monster blue catfish is within the reach of most people in the United States.