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This article provides information about significant fish species currently found in waters originating in central eastern Sierra, namely the waters within the Carson River, Truckee River, and Walker River drainages.
How to identify native and wild trout? Check out the Native Trout Streamside Identification Guide produced by FlyFishingtheSierra.com and WildTroutStreams.com.
What is the difference between a native trout and a wild trout? A wild trout is one which has spent its entire life in the fishery. A native trout is one in a water where they existed before human influences. For instance, a Lahontan cutthroat trout caught in the Truckee River would be regarded as a native fish regardless if it was raised in a hatchery or was naturally produced in the fishery. If naturally produced in Truckee River, it would be a wild and native trout. Brook trout are non-native to our waters and may or may not be wild. The tiger trout found in our waters are neither wild nor native as all in our waters are hatchery-produced sterile fish.
Please keep fish wet.
Brook Trout
The brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), or simply brookie, is a char that is native to eastern North America. They were introduced to many of our high lakes and streams in the Sierra and flourish in most of these waters. Large brookies can be found at Kirman Lake.
I encourage fishers to legally take as many small (under 10") brook trout as they can eat to help keep their populations in check. California has a brook trout bonus daily bag limit of 10 under 10" in addition to the general trout daily bag limit! This applies statewide except in Red Lake in Alpine County and any water that has a special trout regulations (i.e., no-take, no barbs, etc.), like Kirman Lake.
Brook trout populations in our waters are generally self-sustaining however occassionally stocking of hatchery-raised brook trout may be used to help in the recovery of a suffering population (e.g, such as due to drought conditions).
Brown Trout
The brown trout (Salmo trutta) is native to Europe and neighboring areas. They were introduced to Americas, including the Sierra, in the late 19th century.
Brown trout were once more widely stocked in the eastern Sierra than they are now. Those stocked today are typically infertile. Wild brown trout can still be found in many of our fisheries. We encouraged fishers to release brown trout unharmed to preserve their populations.
The California state record brown trout was caught in Upper Twin Lake at 26 1/2 pounds!
Golden Trout
Three subspecies of rainbow trout make up the golden trout complex:
The California golden trout (O. mykiss aguabonita), also known as the Volcano Creek golden trout or Bridgit;
The Little Kern golden trout (O. mykiss whitei); and
The Kern River rainbow trout (O. mykiss gilberti).
All three are native to the Kern River basin in the southern Sierra. The California state fish is the California golden trout.
The California golden trout have been transplanted in various high elevation lakes and streams within the eastern Sierra. A number of self-sustaining wild, non-native populations exist in our area.
The golden trout should not be confused with the palomino trout or golden rainbow trout, which are mutated forms of rainbow trout. Palomino trout and golden rainbow trout are believed to be not present in the eastern sierra.
While the golden trout qualify for California's Heritage Trout Challenge, those caught in the east slope drainages of Sierra do not count as they are not native to these drainages.
A wild, native Lahontan cutthroat trout in stream form.
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus henshawi), or LCT for short, are native to Lahontan, Alvord, and Coyote basins in northern Nevada, souteastern Oregon, and eastern California. The Nevada state fish is the Lahontan cutthroat trout.
In fisheries of the eastern Sierra, you'll find two subspecies, the type subspecies (O.h. henshawi) and the Paiute cutthroat trout (O.h. seleniris).
Any Lahontan cutthroat trout legally caught in the Carson, Truckee, or Walker river drainages qualifies for the California's Heritage Trout Challenge. Paiute cutthroat trout separately qualifies for this challenge (see below).
Any Lahontan cutthroat trout (regardless of subspecies) legally caught anywhere in Nevada qualifies for the Nevada Fish Slam.
For more information about LCTs, see my Lahontan cutthroat trout article.
The remainder of this section discusses the type subspecies whereas the Paiute cutthroat trout is further discussed in a separate section below.
The type subspecies can be found in waters of the western Lahontan basin, including the Carson, Truckee, or Walker river drainages, as well as off-limit waters of the Summit Lake basin.
Very large specimens are routinely caught at Pyramid Lake. Decent sized specimens can also be found in Fallen Leaf, Heenan, Independence, Kirman, Marlette, and various other lakes in the area. They are stocked in the Verdi Mill Ponds in Crystal Peak Park in Verdi.
They can be found in a number of local rivers and their tributaries, including the Truckee and Upper Truckee rivers and the forks of the Carson River. They are especially pretty in stream form.
The world and Nevada state record Lahontan cutthroat trout were caught on Pyramid Lake, weighting 41 and 24 pounds, respectively. The California state record Lahontan, weighting 31 pounds, was caught on Lake Tahoe.
A Pyramid Lake LCT. Photo by Jan Nemec.
Lahontan Bowcutt and Cutbow Trout
Bowcutt trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss × O. henshawi) are hybrids resulting from the crossing a male rainbow trout with a female cutthroat trout, while Cutbow trout (O. henshawi × O. mykiss) are hybrids resulting from crossing a male cutthroat trout with a female rainbow trout. The terms bowcutt and cutbow are commonly used interchangingly. The terms may be qualified to indicate the lineage of contributing cutthroat trout.
In waters where both fertile rainbows and cutthrouts are present, such as the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe, hybridization will occur naturally. Hybridization between native and non-natives species is amongst the leading causes in the demise of native species.
Nevada Department of Wildlife raises Lahonton bowcutts for stocking in Nevada fisheries such as the Hinkson Slough and Topaz Lake.
The Nevada record bowcutt, weighting over 24 pounds, was caught on Lake Pyramid.
Lake Trout (aka Mackinaw)
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), also known as mackinaw, are freshwater char that are native to northern portions of North America. They are present in a few local lakes, namely Caples, Donner, and Tahoe. Mackinaw, as they are locally called, live primarily in deep waters; hence they are generally not the target of fly fishers. However, when spawning (in the fall), one might find them cruising shallow waters.
Both the California and Nevada state record mackinaw, each weighting over 37 pounds, were caught on Lake Tahoe.
Mountain Whitefish
The mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) is a bottom feeder native to waters of the western North America, including the eastern Sierra. Their presence in the water is generally an indication of healthy water conditions for other salmonids. They are present in forks for Carson, Walker and Truckee rivers and their some of their tributaries.
The Nevada state record mountain whitefish, weighting over 3 pounds, was caught on the Truckee River. The California state record mountain whitefish, also weighting over 3 pounds, was caught on Lake Tahoe.
Any mountain whitefish trout legally caught in Nevada qualifies for the Nevada Fish Slam.
Paiute Cutthroat Trout
Paiute cutthroat trout is a (Oncorhynchus henshawi seleniris) subspecies of the Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus henshawi) species.
The Paiute cutthroat trout are native to the Silver King Creek drainage. The Silver King is a tributary of the East Carson River. The Silver King is currently the subject of a recovery program and is closed to fishing.
While few out-of-basin self-sustaining refuge/refugial populations exist, we recommend sport fishers avoid targeting these populations as they are under considerable stress.
While the Paiute cutthroat trout is a qualifying trout for the California's Heritage Trout Challenge, all waters in which they are native to are currently closed to fishing.
A nice rainbow trout caught during a community service event.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) can be found throughout the Sierra. The coastal rainbow trout is native to the western slope of the Sierra. While you certainly can find plenty of wild rainbows on the eastern slope of the Sierra, none are native.
Rainbows now stocked in the eastern Sierra are sterilized to prevent them from cross-breeding with any cutthroats that may be present in the fishery. Various kinds of rainbow trout have been stocked in local waters over the years, including coastal rainbow trout, Eagle Lake trout, and Kamloop rainbow trout. The Eagle Lake trout is native to Eagle Lake and Pine Creek on the Modoc Plateau. The Kamloop rainbow trout is native to British Columbia.
Rainbow trout are closely related to redband trout. While not present in eastern Sierra, various subspecies of redband trout can be found in northern California and northern Nevada.
While the coastal rainbow trout and Eagle Lake trout qualify for California's Heritage Trout Challenge, those caught in the east slope drainages of Sierra do not count as they are not native to these drainages.
Sockeye Salmon (aka Kokanee)
Kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka) are sockeye salmon that spend all of their life in freshwater. They are native to the Pacific Northwest from the Columbia River drainage north to southern Alaska and the Yukon. They have been transplanted into a number of lakes in the Sierra including Lake Tahoe and Twin Lakes. In the fall they can be seen spawning upstream in small streams such as Robinson Creek above Twin Lakes and Taylor Creek between Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe.
Kokanee are not typically targetted by fly fishers as they prefer the cold of deep waters.
The California and Nevada state record Kokanee, weighing over 5 and 4 pounds each, respectively, were caught on Lake Tahoe.
Tiger Trout
Tiger trout (Salmo trutta × Salvelinus fontinalis) are a sterile, intergeneric hybrid trout produced by crossing a brown trout with a brook trout. They have been planted in a number of eastern Sierra waters, including Hobart Creek Reservoir, Spooner Lake, and Topaz Lake. As they are quite piscivorous, they are often planted to help manage populations of wild fish, namely brookies and chubs.
The tiger trout's name comes from the vermiculated pattern on its body, which suggests the striping of a tiger.
Dick O. at Knott Creek Reservoir with a nice tiger trout.
Other Species
Carp
Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) can be found in our local warmer waters such as Hinkson Slough. Common carp, also known as European or Euroasian carp, are targetted by fly fishers as they are known to be hard fighters. Grass carp are generally stocked to help maintain the health of the fishery and should be immediately returned to the water unharmed.
Catfish
Bullhead (Ameiurus) and channel (Ictalurus punctatus) are present in a number of warmer waters, such as the Carson River, Lahontan Reservoir, and Washoe Lake.
Centrarchidae (Sunfish family)
A wide range of sunfish can be found in local waters.
Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) can be found Lahontan Reservoir and various ponds in the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area.
Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) can be found in the Carson River.
Crappie be found in Lahontan Reservoir and Washoe Lake.
Sacramento perch (Archoplites interruptus) can be found in Pyramid Lake and Washoe Lake.
Various species of bass (Micropterus) are present in warmer waters of western Nevada, such as Lahontan Reservoir and Washoe Lake.
Cui-ui
The cui-ui (Chasmistes cujus) is a large lake sucker found only in Pyramid Lake and the lower part of the Truckee River during their spawn. They are endangered. They should be immediately returned to the water unharmed.
Lahontan Tui chub
The Lahontan tui chub (Siphateles bicolor) is native to the Great Basin. They can be found in Pyramid Lake, Spooner Lake, and many other eastern Sierra waters.
Tahoe Sucker
The Tahoe sucker (Catostomus tahoensis) is a sucker native to Lahontan basin including the Truckee River and Quinn River drainages. It is most commonly found in lakes, such as Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe, where it is known to grow to up to 24" in length.
Walleye
Walleye (Sander vitreus) can be found in some northern Nevada waters, such as Lahontan Reservoir.
This article was authored by Kurt Zeilenga. Suggestions on how to improve this article may be sent to info@ztrout.org.
Additional Reading
Cutthroat Trout by Kurt Zeilenga
Fly Fishing the Sierras by Steve
Native Trout Fly Fishing by Gary
Fish For... (in California) by CDFW
Nevada Species Information by NDOW
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