Little Kern Golden Trout
The Little Kern golden trout appears brightly colored with profuse spots on the back and tail. The belly and cheeks are bright red to red-orange, the lower sides are bright gold, the lateral band is red-orange, and the back is deep olive green. Little Kern golden trout typically retain up to 10 parr marks (vertical dark oval spots) on each side as adults.
The Little Kern subspecies is distinguishable from the California golden trout found in the South Fork of the Kern River primarily by spotting characteristics and parr marks. Unlike the South Fork population, the Little Kern golden trout typically has many spots on the head and below the lateral line. The parr marks are arranged vertically on both sides of the body with an intermediate row of smaller ones often occurring just below the main row.
Distribution
The Little Kern golden trout native habitat is the Little Kern River (above the falls on the lower river) and the accessible reaches of its major tributaries in Tulare County. The Little Kern drainage occurs predominately within the Golden Trout Wilderness of Sequoia National Forest. A portion of the Little Kern drainage occurs in Sequoia National Park. Transplants and introgression with coastal rainbow trout have drastically altered this range. Later transplants of nonnative trout into the Little Kern River basin displaced the species from many of its historic habitats.
California Heritage Trout Challenge
The Little Kern Golden trout caught, photoed, and released in its native range qualifies for the California Heritage Trout Challenge. What is the Little Kern golden trout's native range? Send an email to the EcoAngler and I can recommend some waters to fish.
