‘Cause I’ve got a golden ticket… I’ve got a golden chance to make my way… And with a golden ticket, it’s a golden day!
OK, OK… I haven’t really lost it; not completely, anyway. Although, over the last couple of weeks, I really thought some of y’all had! I’m sorry, really I am… There have been a couple of people tell me that they’ve caught this bright “golden” trout. Honestly, I thought they were just having trouble identifying a cutthroat, or perhaps they’d happened upon one of the long-forgotten moonshine stills rumored to still be in operation in the nearby hills…
But, you were right! I was wrong… There, I said it, OK??? Trout Diva was wrong! Put it down in your diaries boys & girls, because you won’t hear those words coming from the Trout Diva too often!
So, what IS going on with these weird, beautiful new trout in the White River??? Is it a freak of nature? Have the mad scientists been tweaking the genome of trout for some wonderful, new fishing experience for you?
Well, yes to both questions, really…
AGFC, in order to make up for the shortfalls of hatchery production last year, have purchased and introduced Golden Rainbow Trout into the White River. Jeff Williams, our Trout Biologist at AGFC, told me this at our last Outfitter’s meeting. Here’s a photo of one caught a little bit upriver from me; photo courtesy of Phyllis at Wildcat Shoals. Check it out!
OK, so just exactly what are these trout and where did they come from? Let me start by telling you what they are not…
They are not Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita). A Golden Rainbow Trout’s scientific designation is identical to that of the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) you’re all familiar with. This is because they were created (or engineered, depending on your point of view) from a naturally occurring color variation of your “run-of-the-mill” Rainbow Trout.
Yes, from what I could find out, all “West Virginia Golden Rainbow Trout” originated from “Eve”, a single female trout; a true genetic “Super Freak” of nature that occurred in 1954 in West Virginia, hence the name. Pretty cool, huh?
(Yes, Trout Diva is listening to old 70’s & 80’s funk this morning… can you tell? It’s good for you every once in awhile… That Rick James song will now be playing in your head all day, too, as it will be in mine… I had to turn it on to chase the Willy Wonka “Golden Ticket” song out of my head…)
This is where the mad scientists jumped in… They took one look at this captured female and thought, “Wow… this is cool… Let’s make some more!” It took several generations of selective breeding to create the true, breeding Golden Rainbow Trout.
So, you think you’ve seen these before? You called them a Palomino Trout? Nope… They’re not Palomino Trout, either… not exactly…
The result of a “true” Golden Rainbow Trout crossed with a normal Rainbow Trout is today called a Palomino Trout, (still an Oncorhynchus mykiss) which is typically much lighter in color than a Golden Rainbow Trout.
However, when you remember that all Golden Rainbow Trout came from our single, super-freaky female that was crossed with normal Rainbow Trout, (how we get Palominos today) the distinction does become fuzzier and less relevant the further back you trace their origin. Gotta love those mad scientists! You GO, you genome-tweakin’ maniacs, you! Cool stuff!
So, now to address a more practical matter; one might wonder how the game wardens view these trout when looking at harvest regulations, posession limits, etc. They’re to be treated just like Rainbow Trout. All the same regulations apply.
However, they’re SO cool looking that the Trout Diva hopes you will not harvest them so others can get a chance to see one! Just take a picture, give it a quick kiss, and put it back!
They have enough going against them, anyway. Think about it for a minute… They are bright! You can see them half-way across the river. And so can the Great Blue Herons… and the Bald Eagles… and other Brown Trout. Although there is no scientific evidence I can find to reference at this time; common sense would clearly indicate that the survivability of these trout would be substantially lower; they just do not “blend in” to their surroundings at all.
But CAN they be successful? Well, apparently they can; at least they have been in some other locations… check out this “mature” Golden Rainbow Trout at 13 lb, 4 oz.
Mature Golden Rainbow Trout
Now, THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about! At this point, of course, no one really knows if they have the potential to get this large in the White River… But, hey… We grow huge trout here, so maybe someday we’ll see something of this size. Why not?
Anyway, just wanted to share this information with you… Just add this potential experience to the long list of reasons to come and visit us on the White River, in the Arkansas Ozarks.
The Trout Diva awaits your arrival…
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