Were Any Trout Species Native To The Ozarks?

[txspecks04]

Anyone familiar with the Apache Trout or the Gila Trout in Arizona and New Mexico? I am certainly no expert, but my understanding is that they are native species.

[ness]

The old Nebraska Territory...covered present day Nebraska and big chunk of the mountain west including the Yellowstone area before it was divided into the Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska Territories...then divied up into states...There is no doubt that there would have been cutthroat trout within the original boundaries of the Nebraska Territory...Present day Nebraska, not likely, but we will never know for sure. Fun to speculate...better to to fishing.

Good point!

[ness]

Yes they're native. Same genus as rainbows and cutthroats.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Overall the native trout story in the US isn't a pretty one. Stocking has wrecked havoc on the true native trouts.

[Gavin]

This is a pretty good read if you have an interest in Wild Trout out West.

http://books.google.com/books/about/Many_Rivers_to_Cross.html?id=HJI9smood0gC

[ness]

This is a pretty good read if you have an interest in Wild Trout out West.

http://books.google....id=HJI9smood0gC

Agree -- it will explain a lot of what Wayne talked about -- how we've muddied up and eliminated native populations through stocking, and ongoing habitat destruction. Good book.

[steve l]

Anyone familiar with the Apache Trout or the Gila Trout in Arizona and New Mexico? I am certainly no expert, but my understanding is that they are native species.

Well, not overly familiar, but I did catch Gila trout when my wife & I backpacked in the Gila in NM. My understanding is that the Gila are native. When we went a few years ago there were only two streams that were open to fishing for them due to their endangered status. That is two more streams than had been open for quite a long time. We hiked into Mogollon creek.

I'll put a second post out with a few pics.

[steve l]

Couple of Gila trout pics. Geez, would like to bore you all with pics of the very cool hike in & Mogollon Creek, but won't hijack the thread more then this.

[ness]

Sweet, Steve. I've got those on the bucket list. Very cool fish and a great part of the country.

[Bill Anderson]

This is just a technical point, not anything earth shaking. We all refer to brook "trout", but the fish is actually not a true trout, but a char.