Golden Trout Wilderness
By Mikey Wier
August 25, 2015
Recently, I had the opportunity to spend a little time in the Kern River drainage and Golden Trout Wilderness. In addition to documenting some meadow restoration projects CalTrout is involved with, I spent a few days trying to document two of California’s unique native trout species that are endemic to this area. First on the list was the Little Kern Golden Trout. These fish are native to the North Fork of the Kern River, also known as the Little Kern. They look like a cross between classic Volcano Creek Goldens and Kern River Rainbows. Due to cross breeding with rainbows in the lower reaches and main stem, the fish with the purest genetics are tucked away high in the remote tributaries.
With limited time, I decided to try a hike into Clicks Creek on the western edge of the Golden Trout Wilderness. There were some fires burning in the area so the air was very smokey. I first encountered a few fish in a series of 5 very small pools on the south fork of Clicks Creek. The pools were completely disconnected from each other and there was no flow above or below for miles. There were two to three fish in each pool and, though it looked pretty dismal, the temperatures were low enough that they seemed like they would survive until winter. Each pool had a large rock or some kind of woody debris, like a fallen tree, that provided nooks for the trout to tuck up in and avoid predators. All these pools, however, were directly subjected to cattle, which were grazing in the area.