Golden Trout

 Golden Trout are the only trout that are actually native to the Golden State. The headwaters of the Kern River in the southeastern Sierra Nevada are the only native habitat of this special fish. They are not big, but they are beautiful. Their back is dark brown like most other trout, but it is almost completely free of spots. They have a mottled pink strip running the length of the lateral line, and their belly is usually a brilliant golden yellow. In the Sierras, they rarely get any bigger than eight inches. Along with several other species of trout, they have been introduced in lakes and creeks all throughout the Sierras, but they today they only survive in a few places because they can rarely coexist with others trout species. Brook trout are voracious feeders and will outcompete the golden. Brown trout are cannibals and will eat goldens into extinction. Because the golden trout is a subspecies of the rainbow trout, they will hybridize and eventually lose their distinctive gold color. They can only live at high elevations, in waters that other trout can't access.