Currently browsing… Western Native Trout Initiative
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Everything you wanted to know: California golden trout
California golden trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita) Species summary and status: The state fish of California, California golden trout once occupied about 450 miles of stream habitat in the upper South Fork Kern River and the adjacent Golden Trout Creek. Currently, the trout is native only to two high-altitude watersheds in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains. The…
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When terminal doesn’t have to mean the end
Sometimes you get what you ask for. Sometimes you get much more, but my experience pursuing Lahontans served me a reminder that things worth having are always worth earning.
Conservation success and concern for Lahontan cutthroat trout Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to reach the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge, attempting to land each of the 20 native trout species in their historical ranges of the 12 states in the West. You can follow Ritz as he…
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Everything you wanted to know: Lahontan cutthroat trout
Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi) Species Summary and Status: The Lahontan cutthroat trout is native to the Lahontan Basin of northern Nevada, northeastern California, and southeastern Oregon. One of the oldest lineages of cutthroat trout, it originally inhabited the ancient Lahontan Basin at least several 100,000 years ago. As of publication, 72 self-sustaining Lahontan…
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Being more than ‘a trout guy’
“New Mexicans have been here on this land for more than 400 years,” Mitchell said. “You can’t come in with a ‘trout guy’ perspective. These are age old relationships that we have to foster and work together with to build trust.”
A high alpine meadow in New Mexico. Daniel A. Ritz photo. How community is key in Rio Grande cutthroat conservation in New Mexico Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to reach the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge, attempting to land each of the 20 native trout…
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Everything you wanted to know: Rio Grande cutthroat trout
Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) Species status and summary: Rio Grande cutthroat trout (RGCT) were first discovered in 1541 by Francisco Coronado’s expedition in the upper Pecos River, although they were not formally described until 1856. They represent the southern extent of the cutthroat trout species, historically ranging from the mountainous headwaters of…
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Collaboration and compromise restore trout almost lost in Colorado
A Colorado River cutthroat landed in Colorado. Daniel A. Ritz photo. Progress and discovery alive and well in the center of the fly fishing universe Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to reach the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge, attempting to land each of the 20…
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Everything you wanted to know: Colorado River cutthroat trout
Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus) Species status and summary: The Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT) historically occupied most cool water habitats of the Colorado River watersheds in Colorado, southern Wyoming, eastern Utah, extreme northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona. Currently, however, Colorado River cutthroat trout occupy approximately 16 percent of their historic range, primarily…