trophy trout

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I did say golden rainbow in the first post. Read it again. "Throughout the day-long trip, my client caught a total of 43 trout. Most were above average sized rainbows, though a few small browns and a beautiful 17 inch golden rainbow were also boated." They are the same species, but different color variations, as the link you provided states: "The golden rainbow trout originated from a single rainbow trout that was spawned in the fall of 1954 in West Virginia. This trout's body color was a chimera of golden and normally pigmented tissue. When this fish was crossed with a normally pigmented rainbow trout, the offspring (what we have come to refer to as palomino rainbow trout) were lighter in color... "Golden rainbow trout and palomino rainbow trout are not sterile hybrids, they are simply color variations of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)... "Typically, these fish are more of a brilliant golden color than the palomino rainbow trout, which has a color phase intermediate between the golden and normally pigmented rainbow trout... "In Pennsylvania, the rise of the palomino rainbow trout stemmed from obtaining fertilized golden rainbow trout eggs from West Virginia. Subsequently, when these golden rainbow trout reached maturity, they were crossed with normally pigmented rainbow trout and the offspring resulted in the development of the palomino rainbow trout." From the PFBC's "Pennsylvania Fishes": "Golden rainbows and palominos grow larger and faster than regular rainbows. They have 'hybrid vigor,' a trait often seen in crossbred plants and animals." Wikipedia states the same thing in more concise terms: "Golden rainbow trout are bred from a single mutated color variant of Oncorhynchus mykiss. Golden rainbow trout are predominantly yellowish, lacking the typical green field and black spots, but retaining the diffuse red stripe. The palomino trout is a mix of golden and common rainbow trout, resulting in an intermediate color." I'm very familiar with both. I've had this conversation many times before, because as I've said a number of people in Pennsylvania (and elsewhere) confuse the two. Palominos haven't been stocked there for years. Hatcheries stopped producing them once they had a reliable breeding stock of golden rainbows. West Virginia hatcheries never produced palominos, nor were they stocked in state waters. West Virginia stocks a large number of golden rainbows. The WV DNR fish identification guide lists them as game fish: http://www.wvdnr.gov/Fishing/Regs10/SportFishIdentification.pdf No mention of palominos appears anywhere in their literature or website. There's a reason Petersburg, West Virginia is know as the "Golden Rainbow Trout Capital of the World" and not the "Palomino Capital of the World." I have pictures of palominos around. But I'd have to dig them up and scan them. They were caught before the arrival of digital cameras. It's practically impossible to Google an image of one because of all the golden rainbows mistaken for, and thus mislabeled as, palominos. As is the case with many species, there is a lot of variance within Oncorhynchus mykiss. There are color variations (eg. golden rainbow, palominos, blue rainbow), subspecies (eg. steelhead, kamloops, redbands, eagle lakers) and hybrids (eg. cutbows).

This identification chart helps. People in PA typical mistake golden rainbow trout for palominos, but palominos haven't been stocked there for a number of years.

Golden trout (oncorhynchus aguabonita) live in a limited number of waterways in California. The fish pictured is a golden rainbow trout. It's just a color variation of a rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss). Golden rainbow trout originated as a single morph in a hatchery in West Virginia, not far from where I grew up and learned to fish for trout as a child. Through extensive selective breeding, a true breeding golden rainbow trout was eventually developed. I've literally caught hundreds over the years. They're much more common in Pennsylvania and West Virginia than they are here. Palomino trout are a cross between a golden rainbow trout and a rainbow trout. Palominos have typical coloration and markings along with some gold. Golden rainbow trout have much more brilliant gold coloration. For that reason agencies typically produce golden rainbow trout, rather than palominos. My clients and I have caught 6 this year. I've seen several more, but didn't attempt to catch any. Most were small in size.

The water in the White River remained low throughout the day, but the number of fish caught was sky high. Throughout the day-long trip, my client caught a total of 43 trout. Most were above average sized rainbows, though a few small browns and a beautiful 17 inch golden rainbow were also boated. A handful of fish came on crankbaits but the majority were taken on my special jig rig. The big fish of the day was an 18 inch rainbow though a much larger brown was on the line early in the day only to throw the hook.

I've down some limited fly fishing for muskie in Ohio and Pennsylvania, using mostly large dahlberg divers. I've had quite a few follows, but never a take. Should be able to achieve some measure of Wisconsin with even a little work.. the place is full of great muskie fishing.

Although the weather was otherwise nice, the day was marked by strong winds. Combined with the algae strewn throughout the river, fishing was a bit tough. Still, there were plenty of fish to be had. In a short afternoon trip, more than 40 fish were caught on jigs and nymphs. Just as many browns as rainbows were boated, though none had much size. A beautiful 14 inch cutthroat was the big fish of the day. A substantial hatch of caddis (size 10-14, black body, white wings) was occurring in Cotter about an hour before dark.

A certain amount of algae is natural, unavoidable and even desirable. Periodic algae blooms come along with that. But you're definitely correct that what we're seeing doesn't just spring up on its own. Beside the causes stated, livestock manure and run off in general also contribute to the problem.

The weather was great. The water was low and full of algae and debris. Plenty of fish caught, but fishing was tough. Nearly every cast resulted in algae covering line and lure. Fish came on small crankbaits and jigs. As many small browns caught as standard-sized rainbows. One bigger rainbow hit a crankbait near the bank in the afternoon.

Yea, there's no real reason why walleye couldn't survive there. I've caught them through the ice more than a few times, and they were pretty aggressive. They spawn in water temps between 40 and 50 degrees F.

Not big at all. 8 - 12"

Maggies: I always use spinning gear for trout. I don't want to be too specific about the types of crankbaits I've been using. A lot of the lures and techniques I use are fairly unique for this area. If I wasn't guiding I'd be happy to share the exact info, but as it is all I can say is go small and look for key feeding areas. As BFT mentioned, jigs have been producing as well.

It's definitely a hassle. There are a few techniques you can use to avoid it a bit, but there's really no escaping it. I've still been able to pretty well on the river.

Action was consistent today on the North Fork. Water was at a good level. Picked up a mix of 21 brown and rainbow trout on various artificials while fishing solo for 4 hours in the afternoon. Most fish came on jigs fished near structure. A few came on crankbaits. Most were of respectable size. The big fish was a 19 inch brown. Caught many rainbows in the 14 to 17 inch range.

gotmuddy I sent you a pm.