New Guy

Hi Scott,

Welcome to a great site.  I don't post very often, but I will check in quite frequently as there are many very knowledgable folks here who share lots of great information.  I found my here the same way you did; researching native trout.  I share your desire to catch and photograph all the different Cutthroat subspecies.  I will be heading out your way from CA this summer in an attempt to accomplish the Cuttslam.  For your goal, you will want to add the Paiute, which is native to the Silver King Creek drainage in Alpine County, CA.  It's only about an hour and a half from my home.  There is little chance of catching one there, though, as the occupied stretches are closed to fishing.  Several years ago, one could fish the pools directly below the closed sections and try to cherry-pick one that had gone over the falls, which were both the natural barrier to the hybrids as well as the demarcation for the open section of legally fishable water.  In the last couple of years, CDFG closed another half mile or so of creek.  One of the CDFG biologists put in 32 hours of fly fishing "creel survey" time on the newly established legal sections of Silver Creek and said out of the hundreds of fish hooked, not a one was a Paiute or even a hybrid.  It is possible that the stream is reestablished with Paiute in the near future.  I believe F&G are getting the reports and paperwork together for another shot at rehabiliting the creek and have increased the take limit on the open stretches of the creek for the 2010 regulations.  I'm rambling now, but basically, if you want the Paiute within a year or two, there are some non-native streams that they have been established in that are legal to fish. I can help you with information on those if you so wish.  There are several on this site who have photos of the Paiutes they have caught in such waters. There are also folks here who caught Paiutes in Silver King Creek before the most recent closures.  I'm sure they can all add more info than I know.  Good luck in the quest and feel free to inquire about any other California native trout.  I have a long way to go on the Cutthroat list.  I do have the Coastal, Lahontan (stream and lake forms), Willow/Whitehorse, Bonneville, Yellowstone, and a very hybridized Alvord. 

Take it easy, Scott (my name too)