Embedded Files
Work in progress!
The Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus henshawi) is one of four species making up the cutthroat trout complex. They are native to most of northern Nevada as well as portions of southeastern Oregon and eastern California. The species is named after ancient Lake Lahontan.
The Lahontan cutthroat trout is the state fish of Nevada.
Evolutionary Lineages
Lahontan cutthroat trout are believed to have diverged from coastal cutthroats during the time ancient Lake Lahontan was forming.
Paiute Cutthroat Trout are believed to the earliest group to split off Lahontan cutthroat trout. This population was isolated from other Lahontan cutthroats due to a landslide on the Silver King Creek which created a barrier separating it from populations lower in the Carson River drainage.
Ancient Lake Lahontan, at its high stand, spanned most of northwestern Nevada and into southeastern Oregon and eastern California. As the lake level subsided, it separated into three separate basins: the western Lahontan, the eastern Lahontan, and the northwestern Lahontan. From time to time, the western Lahontan basin would rise again and spill over into these basins. Summit Lake at different times has been connected to the Lahontan basin and the Alvord basin. The Coyote Lakes basin, while not believed to have connected to the Lahontan basin, may have been connected to the Alvord basin in the past.
The geological history of Lahontan basin and neighboring basins has not only allowed Lahontan cutthroat trout to spread widely throughout these basins but allowed the separated populations to diverge into distinct evolutionary units.
Ancient Lake Lahontan (USGS)
Distribution of Lahontan cutthroat trout subspecies (N8vetrout, cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Subspecies
There are six different modern subspecies (or uniquely identifiable evolutionary units) of Lahontan cutthroat trout today:
Lahontan cutthroat trout, the type subspecies (O.h. henshawi), is native to waters of the western Lahontan basin,
Alvord cutthroat trout (O.h. alvordensis), extinct, is native to waters of the Lake Alvord basin,
Coyote Basin cutthroat trout (O.h. ssp.) is native to the waters of the Coyote Lake basin,
Humboldt cutthroat trout (O.h. humboldtensis), is native to waters of the eastern Lahontan basin.
Paiute cutthroat trout (O.h. seleniris) is native to Silver King Creek,
Quinn River cutthroat trout (O.h. ssp.), is native to waters of the northwestern Lahontan basin.
The term Lahontan cutthroat trout, depending on context, may refer collectively to all six subspecies of the Lahontan cutthroat trout or just the type subspecies. For instance, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Game generally use the term to refer collectively refer to all six subspecies of Lahontan cutthroat trout. On the other hand, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) generally uses the term to refer to the type subspecies.
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
The Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) subspecies is native to waters of the western Lahontan basin as well as the Summit Lake basin. The western Lahontan waters including waters of the Carson, Susan, Truckee, and Walker river drainages in western Nevada and eastern California.
This subspecies is world famous for having very large lake-form specimens, especially those caught quite regularly at Pyramid Lake. There are many stream-form populations within the range which, I believe, have a stunning beauty to them.
While once abundant throughout their range, they were largely extirpated. They have been reintroduced to various waters including Pyramid Lake, Lake Tahoe, and the Truckee River, along with various headwater streams within the Carson, Truckee, and Walker river systems. They are no longer present within the Susan River drainage.
The subspecies is vulnerable and many of its populations are being supported by federal, state, and tribal programs. It is currently listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Self sustaining populations are limited. They include a few headwater streams in the Carson, Truckee, and Walker drainages and Independence Lake and Cascade Lake. They can also be found, of course, in a few lakes, rivers, and streams that are supported ongoing stockings of hatchery fish, including Pyramid Lake, Heenan Lake, and the Truckee River.
A wild, native Lahontan cutthroat trout in stream form.
A Lahontan cutthroat trout in lake form. Photo by Jan Nemec.
Alvord Cutthroat Trout
The Alvord cutthroat trout was native to waters of the Lake Alvord basin, including the Virgin Creek / Thousand Creek drainage in northern Nevada and Trout Creek drainage in southeastern Oregon. Virgin Creek turns into Thousand Creek as it leaves the Virgin Valley.
The subspecies is considered extinct due to hybridization with non-native rainbow trout introduced 100 years ago.
The subspecies is named after ancient Lake Alvord.
Coyote Basin Cutthroat Trout
The Coyote Basin cutthroat trout, also known as the Coyote Lake or Willow-Whitehorse (Basin) cutthroat trout, are native to the waters of the Coyote Lake basin, including the Willow and Whitehorse river drainages, in southeastern Oregon.
The subspecies is named after Coyote Lake.
Humboldt Cutthroat Trout
The Humboldt cutthroat trout (HCT) is native to waters eastern Lahontan basin, namely the greater Humboldt River drainage, in northern Nevada. This drainage includes the Little Humboldt River, the Marys River, the North Fork Humboldt RIver, the Reese River, and the South Fork Humbodlt River drainages.
The subspecies is named after the Humboldt River.
Paiute Cutthroat Trout
The Paiute cutthroat trout (PCT) is native to the Silver King Creek drainage, a tributary of East Carson River in California. This drainage is located within the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. The Paiute is critically imperiled and is the subject of a major restoration project to return them to their native range. The subspecies is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The Paiute cutthroat trout has the smallest historic range of all cutthroats which included just 11 miles of riverine habitat within the Silver King Creek drainage. The historic range ran from Llewellyn Falls downstream to series of natural waterfalls located upstream of the confluence of Snodgrass Creek. They were transplanted to waters upstream of Llewellyn Falls in the early 1900s and subsequently a number of in-basin and out-of-basin refuge populations were established.
The population within the native range was lost due to introgression with non-native species. The non-native species were removed and, after ensuring the stream was free of non-natives, pure strain Paiute cutthroats are being reintroduced. But as it's quite the undertaking and one has to be careful not to harm the viability of the refuge populations, only a few dozen fish are transplanted each year.
We can only hope that one day we may be able to fish for Paiute cutthroat trout within its native range. Until then, we'll have to be content with other species or targeting one of the out-of-basin populations open to sport fishing. These won't count for the California Heritage Trout Challenge but at least one can personally experience their beauty.
The subspecies is named after the Northern Paiute people indigenous to the Lahontan basin.
Paiute cutthroat trout. Photo by Jeff Weaver/CDFW.
Quinn River Cutthroat Trout
The Quinn River cutthroat trout (O.h. ssp.), is native to waters of the northwestern Lahontan basin including the Quinn River drainage in northern Nevada and southeastern Oregon.
The subspecies is named after the Quinn River.
Challenges
The Western Native Trout Challenge (WNTC) requires all native trout to be caught within "their historic range or watershed". Likewise, California also requires catches for the California Heritage Trout Challenge (CHTC) be within their historic drainages. For instance, an Lahontan cutthroat trout caught at Heenan Lake qualifies for both challenges as LCTs are native to the East Fork of the Carson River and Heenan Lake is within the East Fork of Carson River drainage. This is so despite LCTs being not native to Heenan Lake itself.
LCTs caught in the Carson, Truckee, Walker river drainage in California counts for both the WNTC and the CHTC.
Rules for the Nevada Native Fish-Slam are more lax than the WNTC, the catch only needs to within the state to qualify for the slam. Hence, if trying to complete both at the same time with shared catches, follow the more restrictive WNTC rule. Note that for the Nevada Native Fish-Slam as well as the WNTC, any LCT, regardless of subspecies, counts.
For the WNTC, in Nevada, any LCT, regardless of subspecies, legally caught in the Lahontan basin, as well as the Alvord basin, counts. For the Nevada slam, any LCT legally caught anywhere in the state count. Likewise, in Oregon, any LCT legal caught in species-wide native range, namely the Alvord and Coyote Lake basins and the northern portion of the Quinn River basin, counts for the WNTC.
For the WNTC, I recommend getting your LCT in Nevada. In the western Nevada, lake-form LCT can be readily caught at Pyramid Lake, Marlettle Lake (currently closed to fishing), and Verdi Mills Ponds in Crystal Peak Park in Verdi, NV. While also present in the Truckee River, they can be hard to get hooked into as this river mostly sports non-native rainbow and brown trout. The Summit Lake and its tributaries are closed to fishing year round. While there are a few other waters within the western Lahontan basin that do hold qualifying trout, they are generally quite remote and difficult to access. If you want to get into stream-form LCT in Nevada, your best bet is to target Humboldt cutthroat trout subspecies out to northeastern Nevada, namely to Elko County. Likewise for the Nevada Native Fish-Slam.
See challenge rules and state regulations for restrictions.
This article was authored by Kurt Zeilenga. Suggestions on how to improve this article may be sent to info@ztrout.org.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse