400+ cutties in the high country

[sooperfly]

It will be a while until it's time to go back up fishing in the high country, but it doesn't hurt to keep thinking about it! 
I posted this on a couple other forums I'm on, but I thought you guys might like to see them too.

This was a stocking trip I took my dad on last fall.  His first overnighter in over 25 years.  He does lots of high mileage dayhikes and trail runs, but I finally got him to do an overnighter.  He can't wait to go back up this year and see how the kiddies are doing.

http://www.rivercolor.com/images/dad_larch2.jpg

http://www.rivercolor.com/images/dad_larch1.jpg

[backwoods_boy]

thats awesome!

[jackelope]

beautiful pic's and country all for a good cause.

i sent you a pm.

[PacificNWhunter]

awesome!

[TeacherMan]

What is the success rate on those trout when you pack them in like that?

[popeshawnpaul]

I just didn't get to do a lot of the lakes I wanted to hike this year.  Thanks for reminding me sooper.  I have a need to nail some goldens this summer...

[sooperfly]

What is the success rate on those trout when you pack them in like that?

I don't really know....  depending on how far I have to go, I swap out the water every few miles.
Folks have been packing them in for years so I'm pretty sure the success rate is okay! 

[sooperfly]

I just didn't get to do a lot of the lakes I wanted to hike this year.  Thanks for reminding me sooper.  I have a need to nail some goldens this summer...

Mmm.. goldens...Mmmm

[Skyvalhunter]

Been there caught that many a time!!

[boneaddict]

   ahhhh life is good!

[HawkenBob]

 

[boneaddict]

ok I'll say it.  I am always the pain in the ass....... pretty sure those aren't Golden Cutts you have pics of there. If there is an official biologist present, I'd love to hear about it.  The goldens I have caught looked nothing like that and the other million Cutts I have caught did. 

[jackelope]

i agree.
westslope cutts in spawning colors.

[luvtohnt]

If you will notice they do look alot like cutthroats but lacking the infamous cutthroat jaw slash leads me to beleive they are goldens.

Brandon

[rasbo]

I agree spawn colors

[jackelope]

check this out to see pic's of goldens:
http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/~auborn/agua/goldentrout.html

and this one for westslope cutt pics:
http://fwp.mt.gov/fieldguide/detail_AFCHA02088.aspx

[luvtohnt]

Yes but like many animals you can't base it off of one picture. They will have varying shades and coloration. The one thing a cutthroat has regardless of what sub-specied is the jaw slash.

Goldens
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/golden_trout.JPG
http://library.humboldt.edu/~rls/golden_trout.jpg
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cvff.org/images/goldentrout1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://cvff.org/golden_trout.htm&usg=__9T7PFjGiSeV6Lptttwa4NUI35cw=&h=269&w=340&sz=12&hl=en&start=82&tbnid=v6kOZo4l-1bFvM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgoldentrout%26start%3D63%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

and cutthroats
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ecoangler.com/species/subspecies/images/Westslope_cutthroat_trout_inhand_1_crop350text.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.ecoangler.com/species/subspecies/Westslope_Cutthroat.html&usg=__ki_qIWhK16XBZAYyC-M3qceIP1k=&h=316&w=350&sz=36&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=2zj7TahCC3yCSM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3DWestslope%2Bcutthroat%2Btrout%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG
http://www.scienceprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/fish_591.jpg
http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/images/Westslope_cutthroat_trout.jpg

Brandon

[boneaddict]

hmmmmm, I see the jaw slashes in those pics.  They are in the slit and its the angle of the pic as far as I was concerned. 

[jackelope]

right...
not here starting a pissing match.
i do however see the slashes in both pictures...just my .02

[jackelope]

luv2hunt...all of the links you posted further my opinion that the fish in the pic's on this thread are not goldens.

[luvtohnt]

First off I don't think this is turning into a pissing match, I was simply showing my point of view. Now if you look at the second picture you can see the barring on the side of the fish in question, cutthroats do not have those bars they are a golden's trait. Secondly I don't see a definate jaw slash on either picture, it may perhapes just  be spawning colors on the golden's. Besides don't you think the guy that stocks them would know what they actually are? Sorry for any frustrations I may have caused.

Brandon

[boneaddict]

They are also a rainbow trait (hence why the goldens have them) and unfortunatly there are very few pure west slope cutts anymore as they hybridize with rainbows quite readily. Again, not positive, but they look nothing like the pure goldens I have caught.  Those had much more prominent par markings.  I agree that WScutts shouldn't have that lateral line as the second fish does. 

[boneaddict]

I just chimed the two biologists that I know, to see if they could talk to us about it.  I would like to know for myself.

[walt]

I would have to say cutthroat.  They are my favorite of the trout and I have probably caught over a thousand in my time. I have only caught 3 goldens so I am no expert on them but the pics look a whole lot more like the cutties I have caught.  Just my thoughts.

[sooperfly]

Wow.. lots of opinions here. 

To clear the record, all the pictures of goldens I have posted ARE goldens, planted by the WDFW.
The second picture of the golden in the hands, is of me, taken by a WDFW Bio.  On that trip we caught/released dozens of goldens.
They were measured/poked/prodded/photographed and various samples sent to the state lab.

On that same trip, in that lake with tons of goldies, lots of them had varying colors. It's something I've noticed over the years. Of all the goldy lakes I've visited and at different times of the year, their colors can vary drastically.  The age of the fish can be factor also.  The can change quite a bit as they get older.

Skepticism is healthy, and why should you believe me?  Ya don't know me from Adam!

This fish pic might help. It was checked by several local and district bios, and also, poked/prodded/photographed/samples taken,  etc, etc, at a Washington State DFW lab.
I think that should be enough hard "proof".  I'm in the record book if you care to look it up.   



And, yes, I do know the difference between cutties and goldies !   

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[boneaddict]

Very cool sooperfly, I'd have called the fish you are holding a Golden in Spawning colors.  Very distinct.  I still would argue with you in guarded skeptism of the first two posted.  Never claimed to be an expert.  Maybe I have caught a bunch of goldens and didn't realize it.  I was fishing for them. LOL  figured oops, another Cutt.  Congrats on that fish by the way.  Well done!

[boneaddict]

Is that seriously the West slope record.  DANG  I think I have slaughtered that a couple times.  I better quit this catch and release stuff. 

[jackelope]

I better quit this catch and release stuff.

nahhh....don't do that.

[sooperfly]

Is that seriously the West slope record.  DANG  I think I have slaughtered that a couple times.  I better quit this catch and release stuff. 

Yes, and it's not that big. A lot of people didn't realize the record was that small, my friends and I decided to bump it up a bit.  Before this it was 2.43 lbs.  There have been MANY much, much larger fish taken.  Just never recorded.

Here's me with one that's waaaaaaay bigger than my current record. This is the biggest cutt that either the retired ( 30 yr ) or current district bio have ever seen out of a Washington State high lake.  25 inches in length and well over the current record weight.

[boneaddict]

I caught a 7.5 pounder that made wonderful fillets for the fryer on the campfire, rich after all those devoured scuds, same background as that pic .  Most go back though. 

[boneaddict]

I'll have to get soem better pics of my next "goldens" to see if they qualify or not.  Now I wonder.

[popeshawnpaul]

It looks like a golden to me.  It has the black bars, although faint, down the side of the fish.  It also has some golden color and markings on fins.

I have caught goldens in probably 25+ different lakes.  They never look the same for some reason.  To make matters even more complicated, they will hybrid with other species in the lakes sometimes.  There is a lake I know of near Glacier peak that use to have golden/cutt hybrid fish.  I took some into the biologist in Mill Creek back at the time to determine age etc.  It was the most beautiful fish I have ever seen.  (and great tasting)

Back in high school my goal was to catch goldens and go for the record.  I never got close to the record but I tried.  Back when the record was broke in the 90's, I tried to break the record at upper enchantments which is where the previous record was taken.  I have heard of the lake or lakes Sooper has pictures of there.  I have never been there and heard it was a long long hike...lol.  I vow to make a golden trout trip this year and I'll take plenty of pictures and do a thread on it.  It would be fun.

Sooper knows his stuff.  My money is on him.

[tlbradford]

Any of you read Chuck Yeagers Biography?  I love his stories about stocking goldens in the high country lakes.

[Skyvalhunter]

I know that some of my fellow Hilakers have planted plenty of Goldens in the years back. But some of them have went thru there 8yr or so cycle and died off. But I will continue the quest.

[boneaddict]

How do you get involved in it.  Go to the WDFW and inquire. I amke plenty of hikes intot he back country.  It would be cool to get some of them with more fish, especially since I heard restocking efforts were going to get hammered due to budget cuts and that was prior to this last round.

[popeshawnpaul]

I use to go to local Trailblazer meetings back in high school Bone.  They were fun.  I went on one planting trip and it was a good time.  I would say find a local Hilaker or Trailblazer club.  There is a guy around named Curtis that makes the high mountain raft the Curtis Raft.  He knows his stuff and does a lot of this.  It would be great to get him on here.  I've tried to contact him about it but didn't get a response some time ago.  Maybe I'll try again.  There is a trailblazer forum I know but last time I checked it wasn't very active.

[walt]

I guess I never realized how much a big golden can look like a cutt.  The only goldens I have caught were small and had very distinct bands and coloring.

[boneaddict]

Thanks Pope.  There are a couple lakes that I go into that historically have had them but have cycled out.  I'd love to see if I could get some more planted.

[sooperfly]

Walt and Brian Curtis have discontinued their "Curtis Raft".  If I'm not mistaken, this was well over a year ago.
They are highly prized, once you use one ya gotta have it! 

The trailblazers and hilakers are a great asset to the high lake fisheries.  However, you don't have to be a member of a group to plant fish.
Call up your local bio and volunteer. They need all the help they can get. 

[boneaddict]

   sounds good

[cascademountainhunter]

man that sounds like fun fishin in the high country. nice lookin fish you get up there too.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Not like the Golden's I've seen, but nice fish anyways.

 Is there anywhere you can get Cutt fry to stock private ponds? We have a beaver pond on our property that used to have a ton of Cutts until the otter's fished it out years ago.