Emergent fry remain in the substrate for 2-3 weeks before rising into the main water column. The eggs hatch in approximately 20 days at 14вЊ.

Females dig wide shallow redds among small gravel particles and lay 300-2,300 eggs. Spawning peaks in the afternoon when water temperatures reach their daily maximum. Golden trout reach sexual maturity in 3-4 years and spawn in late spring or early summer when water temperatures range from 10-15вЊ. Lake dwelling golden trout arriving via transplants grow more rapidly and reach greater maximum sizes. Their growth rate slows to 1-2 cm/year thereafter and they may eventually reach 19-20 cm SL. Golden trout may live up to 9 years, reaching 10-11 cm SL by the end of their third summer. Despite increased vulnerability to birds and mammals, males develop especially bright colors during the breeding season. Cryptic coloration or a lack of predators may account for their feeding habits. Golden trout feed both day and night on a wide variety of items, especially aquatic insects. The big myth about Golden Trout is that you have to go on some backbreaking hike to 11,000 ft to catch a Golden Trout. I just drove right up to the creek located at about 7000 ft elevation in my Jeep 4+4 and started to fish. Individual golden trout tend to remain in a small stretch of stream measuring 16-18 m. I just went fishing in the western Sierra and caught a Golden trout even bigger than the one in the picture. Find high-quality stock photos that you wont find anywhere else. Favorable reaches include pools that provide cover in the forms of undercut banks and aquatic vegetation. Search from 1368 Golden Trout stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock.

The water is generally clear and cold (3-22вЊ) and substrates are composed of cobble, gravel, and sand. Native habitat for golden trout is primarily found at high elevations in meandering streams with little riparian vegetation. Many of these transplanted golden trout hybridize with hatchery reared coastal rainbows. Generally these new waters are at high elevations and may include stretches of stream above impassible fish barriers. California golden trout are found in their natal streams of Golden Trout Creek and the South Fork Kern River and in addition have been transplanted to many other isolated lakes and locations for the purpose of sportfishing. Little Kern golden trout are still found in their native habitat in the Little Kern River. Today Kern River rainbows are found in the Kern River between Durrwood Creek and Junction Meadow, though other transplanted populations exist. California has three distinct subspecies of rainbow trout commonly grouped as golden trout: Kern River rainbow trout, Little Kern golden trout, and California golden trout.

California'sВ official state fish is the California golden trout.