I’m not sure Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote “America the Beautiful,” Never wet a line. But I would like to think so. And as a fisherman who has been fortunate enough to fish from sea to shining sea in this country, I believe that many of our trout-filled waters are part of the grace showered here by God. Over the past 250 years we have increased this abundance by stocking non-native trout and displacing our native salmonids in all directions.
Brown trout This is a perfect example of tampering. Although they are naturalized and completely wild in many places across the country, browns are still a European import. So, this year, in honor of America’s upcoming birthdayI would encourage anglers to consider pursuing some of the cold water species that have been swimming here since long before the American Revolution.
There are over a dozen of these fish to choose from, but for this list, I’ve highlighted four native trout species that should be on every angler’s bucket list. Technically speaking, one of these is a char, but we call them trout, they look like trout, and they act like trout. So, for the purposes of this roundup, they’ll be trout.
1. Lahontan Cutthroats
Cutthroats are native to the American West. Today their range is mostly restricted to the high country, and they can be found in almost every mountain range in the region. You can also catch sea bass (coastal jackfruit) in parts of the Pacific Northwest.
There are at least 10 different subspecies of cutthroat native to the Americas, but by far the largest subspecies is the Lahontan Strangler. These fish, found mostly in eastern California and western Nevada, can easily reach 20 or 30 pounds, and historical records show Lahontans as large as 61 pounds. modern times world record This species was caught in Nevada in 1925 and weighed 41 pounds.
near lahontan an interesting historyBecause their range was limited and they were almost headed towards extinction. But thanks to fisheries managers and especially Work done by Native American tribesHe has made an incredible comeback in the last 20 years.
Pyramid Lake This is the most famous place for Lahontan radicals to target. The huge desert lake, located less than an hour north of Reno, was where the world-record catch was made, and it continues to produce the largest Lahontans in the country. If you go to the Pyramids, be prepared to have some company, as this lake is no secret. You can also find Lahontan in Lake Tahoe and in some remote lakes in central Washington. (You’ll have to do your own homework there.)
2. Golden Trout
golden trout Don’t be as big as Lahontan – The world record Is 11 pounds. But what these California natives lack in size, they make up for in sheer beauty.
According to, “The back is dark olive-green, fading to bright gold at the edges.” California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “The coloration is brilliantly bright: the abdomen, opercula, lower jaws and lateral line are bright red to red-orange.”
Goldens are a high-alpine species, which means they also live in some of the most beautiful places in the country. (His Latin name, aguabonita, Roughly translates as “beautiful water”.) Although they are native only to two watersheds in the Sierra Nevada, they have become stocked in high-mountain lakes throughout the Intermountain West. The Wind River Range in Wyoming is a premier destination, with more than 100 lakes managed for golden waters. Colorado also has some quality gold lakes.
Read further: Trout fishing in the West isn’t doomed – if you’re willing to work for it
No matter where you go to chase golden trout, there’s usually a lot of hiking involved to get there. This is part of their appeal.
3. Brook Trout
Another amazingly beautiful and uniquely American fish, Brook trout Technically four species are native to the eastern US and Canada. Here their historical range extends from the Atlantic coast in Maine to the Great Lakes, then through the Appalachians to Georgia. They have also been stocked throughout the West, where they are now extremely abundant in some places.
Brookies thrive in small water. They are bold, aggressive and love to eat dry flies, making them perfect for creek fishermen with fly rods. In most streams where you can find them, brook trout are small, with the average fish being about 5 to 10 inches long. But in some of Maine’s larger lakes, they can still reach trophy size.
4. Steelhead
Saving the best for last, steelhead In this writer’s opinion, these are the worst fish in America. Sometimes called the “fish of a thousand species,” they can be hard to find and challenging to hook, especially on fly gear. But when they take a fly or lure, it’s like lightning. Built like a torpedo, Steelheads are extremely powerful and acrobatic fighters.
Biologically speaking, there is some confusion about the steelhead, a West Coast fish that old-timers called “salmon trout.” In fact, the steelhead is a rainbow trout that decides to go to sea, and then return to its birthplace river to spawn. (Unlike Pacific salmon, they don’t die after spawning.) The epic journeys these fish make are a big part of the charm – as well as the challenge – of steelheading. Because they are migratory and only found in certain rivers during certain times of the year, it is important to be in the right place at the right time.
Some of the confusion surrounding steelhead is that rainbow trout are only native to a handful of states in the Pacific Northwest. But because they are fast-growing and hard-fighting fish that perform well in hatcheries, rainbows are now the most common and widely distributed trout species in the US. (You can also catch them in Texas.)
As part of the expansion of rainbow trout across the country, some strains from Washington State were introduced into the Great Lakes long ago. The fish thrived there, using the vast lakes as miniature oceans, and creating what fishermen today call Great Lakes steelhead. Now, whether or not these rainbows on the lake should be considered true steelhead is debatable. At the risk of angering some Midwesterners, I stand firm: “No salt, no steel.” But the only steelhead I’ve caught have come from the rivers of Alaska, Oregon, Idaho and Washington. So I may be a little biased.
final conclusion
Sure, big browns are great. And I would never turn down a chance to catch a Stocker Rainbow or Tiger Trout. But there’s also something fun about catching wild fish in its native environment, and we have plenty of places to do so in this country. So, this year, as a way to celebrate the Motherland, consider going out of your way to chase some of America’s best native trout.
