Home » California State Symbols » Freshwater Fish – California Golden Trout

Freshwater Fish – California Golden Trout

State Animal

State Freshwater Fish

California Golden Trout

Oncorhynchus mykiss aquabonita

California’s state freshwater fish, the California golden trout, is native to California’s southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. They live at 6-10,000 feet elevation in clear, cold water at 37-71 F°. Golden trout are one of the most beautiful and colorful of the trout family.

They have an olive-green topside fading to bright gold on their sides and large, round, dark spots. Bright red-orange coloring is found on their under belly, gill-cheek patches, and along their sides.  They can live up to 9 years and reach 8 inches long. Females spawn in late spring or early summer, laying 300-2,300 eggs in gravel beds. These hatch in about 20 days. On-going efforts are underway to protect the golden trout by raising and transplanting them into lakes and streams in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

(Assembly Resolution, 52 Chapter 90, 1947)

Explore our State Symbols

 
State Symbol Search
Filter for State Symbols
  • All
  • Activities (5)
  • Animals (8)
  • Aquatic (6)
  • Artifacts (3)
  • Minerals (4)
  • Miscellaneous (10)
  • Places (6)
  • Plants (6)
Animals
Animals
Animals
Animals
Miscellaneous
Aquatic
Activities
Artifacts
Miscellaneous
Activities
Miscellaneous
Plants
Activities
Artifacts
Aquatic
Minerals
Places
Plants
Miscellaneous
Animals
Places
Plants
Aquatic
Aquatic
Aquatic
Places
Minerals
Miscellaneous
Plants
Miscellaneous
Plants
Animals
Artifacts
Miscellaneous
Animals
Minerals
Miscellaneous
Aquatic
Places
Animals
Minerals
Activities
Activities
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Places
Plants
Places