Golden Trout Stocking: A California Native, Mostly Planted in Washington and Montana
California's state fish is native to the Sierra Nevada — but in this dataset, Washington and Montana each record more golden trout stockings than anywhere else.
California's golden trout — the state fish, native only to the southern Sierra Nevada's Kern River drainage — doesn't show up by name in this site's California data at all, because California's own source report lumps every trout into one "Trout (unspecified)" category. But Washington has recorded 430 golden trout stockings across 119 high-alpine lakes since 1995, more than any other state this site tracks, with Montana close behind.
Key takeaways
- Washington leads every state in this dataset with 430 recorded golden trout stockings across 119 lakes since 1995; Montana follows with 199 stockings across 64 lakes dating back to 1931.
- California's own dataset can't confirm its golden trout numbers — the state's source report groups all trout into one "Trout (unspecified)" category rather than breaking out species.
- Every top golden trout water in this dataset is a small, high-elevation backcountry lake — places like Josephine Lake (WA) and Desolation Lake (MT) — never a roadside reservoir.
- Utah recorded a brief golden trout program from 2012–2015 (9 stockings, 6 waters) with nothing recorded since.
- Golden trout are native to alpine streams and lakes above 8,000 feet in California's Kern River drainage — the same high-elevation habitat every stocking state tries to match.
Why California's Numbers Don't Show Up Here
This isn't a gap in our data pipeline — it's a gap in what California's own hatchery report publishes. As we've written before, California's stocking data has real limitations: its species field distinguishes only "Trout (unspecified)" from catfish, so even though CDFW does stock golden trout in the high Sierra, that activity is invisible in the species-level breakdown this site relies on. We'd rather say that plainly than imply California doesn't stock golden trout at all.
Washington's High-Lake Program
Washington's golden trout program is scattered across small alpine lakes statewide: Josephine Lake in Chelan County leads with 18 recorded stockings through 2026, followed by Edds Lake in King County, Greider Lake in Snohomish County, and St. Michael Lake in Lewis County. None of these are drive-up waters — they're the kind of backcountry lakes anglers reach on foot, which fits golden trout's preference for cold, isolated high-elevation water. See the full list on our Washington golden trout page, or browse the Washington stocking hub.
Montana's Backcountry Golden Trout
Montana's program looks similar in character: West Fishtail Creek Lake, Desolation Lake, Scat Lake, and Rock Tree Lake are all small, remote high-country lakes rather than named reservoirs. Getting fish into water like this usually isn't a truck job — many of Montana's backcountry lake stockings happen the same way we've described in our guide to aerial fish stocking, with fingerlings dropped from a plane because there's no road anywhere near the lake. See the state's other waters on our Montana golden trout page.
What Makes a Golden Trout a Golden Trout
California's own wildlife agency classifies the golden trout as a subspecies of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita), native to a historic range of roughly 593 square miles centered on Golden Trout Creek and the South Fork Kern River. The identification is distinctive: a brassy, copper-toned back that shifts to bright golden yellow near the lateral line, a deep red stripe running the length of the body, about ten parr marks that persist into adulthood, and dark spots concentrated near the tail rather than scattered across the whole body. Read the full identification profile on our golden trout species page.
Frequently asked
What is a golden trout?
A golden trout is a brilliantly colored trout — brassy-copper on the back, golden yellow along the sides, with a red lateral stripe — native only to a small area of California's southern Sierra Nevada, above 8,000 feet in the Kern River drainage. It's California's official state fish.
Is a golden trout a type of rainbow trout?
Yes — California's wildlife agency classifies the golden trout as a subspecies of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita), not a separate species. It evolved its distinct coloring and high-elevation tolerance in isolation in the southern Sierra Nevada.
Why doesn't California show golden trout stocking numbers on this site?
California's own source report only distinguishes "Trout (unspecified)" from catfish — it doesn't break individual trout stockings down by species. So even though California does stock golden trout in the high Sierra, that activity isn't visible at the species level in the data this site publishes.
How do agencies stock fish into such remote alpine lakes?
Many backcountry golden trout lakes have no road access, so wildlife agencies in Washington, Montana, and elsewhere often stock them by dropping fingerlings from a plane — a real, still-used technique covered in our guide to aerial fish stocking.
Has Utah stocked golden trout recently?
Not based on the records in this dataset. Utah recorded 9 golden trout stockings across 6 waters between 2012 and 2015, but nothing since — a much smaller and shorter-lived program than Washington's or Montana's.