# Found Rich Osthoff's lakes and we caught some gold!



## grousehunter (Sep 11, 2007)

I am currently going through some of the pictures I took on my 45 mile journey chasing this fish. Thought I would share one of the pictures taken of the one I caught. We didn't spend as much time as needed to catch bigger fish due to severe weather and distance from base camp but we accomplished the goals we had set. We found his lakes and we caught 20 plus Golden trout. All of the fish caught were 8" or smaller and most were caught on stimulators, however we did catch a few on spinners.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Beautiful fish- been there- I could say a lot of things that would be meaningless in the long haul but the one thing I will say is that your an honest fisherman and at times that can be rare. That is a great experience.


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## stillhunterman (Feb 15, 2009)

Yep, beautiful fish! I don't know that I ever had as much pure joy fishing as I did when I chased and fished for Goldens in the Sierra's. I'm sure you had one heck of an adventure, congrats!


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

We should be catching some next weekend.


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

Well done. If I could match any of Rich's accomplishments I would be proud. You'll get the 20"+ fish next trip. Pat yourself on the back because you've earned it. Hats off!!
( I've got his book also. It's a must for the alpine angler.)


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Pardon my ignorance, but who is Rich Osthoff?


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

Catherder said:


> Pardon my ignorance, but who is Rich Osthoff?


http://www.amazon.com/Fly-Fishing-Rocky-Mountain-Backcountry-Osthoff/dp/0811727661/ref=la_B001JS7Y0Q_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407006084&sr=1-1


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## spencerD (Jan 14, 2014)

I had the chance to call Rich a while ago and speak with him about the Golden Lakes. Scheduling made me wait for a while to head to the Wind Rivers, but I'll be there sometime this fall. 

Rich knows his stuff, guy's amazing. Beautiful fish, I'm jealous! Goldens are really begging my attention these days. Between getting up to Wyoming for those and to Ontario for the Aurora Trout (brookieguy better go get those!) I've got a lot on my plate.


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## grousehunter (Sep 11, 2007)

spencerD said:


> I had the chance to call Rich a while ago and speak with him about the Golden Lakes. Scheduling made me wait for a while to head to the Wind Rivers, but I'll be there sometime this fall.
> 
> Rich knows his stuff, guy's amazing. Beautiful fish, I'm jealous! Goldens are really begging my attention these days. Between getting up to Wyoming for those and to Ontario for the Aurora Trout (brookieguy better go get those!) I've got a lot on my plate.


 I'd call the Wyoming Game and fish before you go. We fished several lakes that should of had Goldens and even ones listed in Rich's book that are possibly dead now due to a fire at Alpine lake in 2012 on the Indian Reservation. If I would have known about the fire It would have saved me some serious miles. It was terrible to see such gorgeous water full of insects and not one fish! Good luck.


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## spencerD (Jan 14, 2014)

grousehunter said:


> I'd call the Wyoming Game and fish before you go. We fished several lakes that should of had Goldens and even ones listed in Rich's book that are possibly dead now due to a fire at Alpine lake in 2012 on the Indian Reservation. If I would have known about the fire It would have saved me some serious miles. It was terrible to see such gorgeous water full of insects and not one fish! Good luck.


Heh, funny story. I did call them. I now have topographic maps, stocking and netting reports for the Pinedale side of the Wind Rivers, and parts of the Lander side as well. The data shows me where the Goldens have been historically, where they were in 2009 and 2011, and what size the average fish was during netting surveys. It's gold!


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

spencerD said:


> I had the chance to call Rich a while ago and speak with him about the Golden Lakes. Scheduling made me wait for a while to head to the Wind Rivers, but I'll be there sometime this fall.
> 
> Rich knows his stuff, guy's amazing. Beautiful fish, I'm jealous! Goldens are really begging my attention these days. Between getting up to Wyoming for those and to Ontario for the Aurora Trout (brookieguy better go get those!) I've got a lot on my plate.


By Fall I hope you mean early September. Snow can happen any month in the Winds, but is practically guaranteed by mid September. 
I'm sure you're aware of this though. Good luck on the gold! 
BTW, I have been yearning for an Aurora Trout also. Even more intriguing and rare are the Sunapee Trout, native to only a small number of ponds and lakes in the Northeastern U.S., they are very rare and endangered. Possibly the most difficult and rarest trout or char species to find on the North American Continent.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

brookieguy1 said:


> BTW, I have been yearning for an Aurora Trout also. Even more intriguing and rare are the Sunapee Trout, native to only a small number of ponds and lakes in the Northeastern U.S., they are very rare and endangered. Possibly the most difficult and rarest trout or char species to find on the North American Continent.


Isn't the Sunapee trout the one that was nearly extinct in its native range but discovered in a lake in Idaho? (Sawtooth lake)

(I looked it up and it is. Might be worth some research and a trip)


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## grousehunter (Sep 11, 2007)

That would make a good trip! The thrill of the hunt!


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

Catherder said:


> Isn't the Sunapee trout the one that was nearly extinct in its native range but discovered in a lake in Idaho? (Sawtooth lake)
> 
> (I looked it up and it is. Might be worth some research and a trip)


I kind of doubt it. Sunapee Trout are a char species, like brook trout, none of which are native west of the Continental Devide. It must be a species of cutthroat or rainbow that you're thinking of. Unless for some reason Idaho F&G got hold of some eggs or fish years ago. Could have happened.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

brookieguy1 said:


> Unless for some reason Idaho F&G got hold of some eggs or fish years ago. Could have happened.


That was exactly what happened. The IF&G got some Sunapee eggs from back East in the 1920's and stocked them in a few lakes. They were essentially forgotten and eventually the strain that lived in Sunapee lake went extinct. In recent times, an Idaho biologist discovered these odd looking char in this particular lake, reviewed the historical stocking records, and then confirmed that they were indeed Sunapee trout.

From Wikipedia; "The Sunapee Lake strain of the blueback trout was rediscovered in 1977 when Kent Ball, of Idaho Fish and Game, discovered a char species living with brook trout in a mountain lake in Idaho. Analysis by Robert Benhke, Eric Wagner, and Steve Culver proved the species to be the sunapee trout. Later research found reports of a trout egg trade between the Idaho and the New Hampshire Fish and Game departments.[1]"

There have been a couple of articles about this in the Trout Unlimited magazines.


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

Awesome research, Catherder. It would be neat to go catch some. I hear they only reach a maximum length of around 15" but it would still be a treat to go catch one of these rare char.
I bet they would hit 18" and fat as footballs on Boulder!8)
All this char talk has me wondering....have they stocked any Aurora Trout in the lower 48? Those things are purty!


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## spencerD (Jan 14, 2014)

brookieguy1 said:


> Awesome research, Catherder. It would be neat to go catch some. I hear they only reach a maximum length of around 15" but it would still be a treat to go catch one of these rare char.
> I bet they would hit 18" and fat as footballs on Boulder!8)
> All this char talk has me wondering....have they stocked any Aurora Trout in the lower 48? Those things are purty!


My gut says no, to the aurora being stocked in the lower 48. Since they were discovered in Canada, and I think they're classified as endangered, it'd probably be a really long shot to get them anywhere else.

However, Canada's F&G is raising them in hatcheries now, so it's possible to get them, I'm just not sure how that'd work with international laws and stuff.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

brookieguy1 said:


> I hear they only reach a maximum length of around 15" but it would still be a treat to go catch one of these rare char.
> I bet they would hit 18" and fat as footballs on Boulder!8)


Not necessarily on the 15 inches.

From the original TU article (spring 1984) and the book, About Trout pg. 27 by Behnke.

"Subsequent surveys by Kent Ball found the Sunapee golden trout to persist in two lakes. In these high elevation cold lakes, with sparse food supply, the Sunapee trout attains a larger maximum size than coexisting brook trout. The largest brook trout in the collections are about 9 inches; *my largest specimen of Idaho Sunapee trout is slightly more than 19 inches*."

Another tidbit from that article;

"The cold, deep high elevation lakes of the Rocky Mountains have environmental conditions similar to Arctic waters where Arctic char are found in maximum abundance. Various forms of Arctic char can probably create greater fish production in these waters than any other gamefish. This is due to their optimal functioning in coldwater (50 degrees F or less) and their greater plasticity in feeding on a wide spectrum of organisms from tiny zooplankton, bottom invertebrates, (benthos), insects, crustaceans, to fishes. Fisheries in many Rocky Mountain lakes that now contain stunted brook trout populations might be vastly improved if Arctic Char could be established."

I wonder if they'd do better than the frankenfish tigers so popular now.


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## spencerD (Jan 14, 2014)

Catherder said:


> Not necessarily on the 15 inches.
> 
> From the original TU article (spring 1984) and the book, About Trout pg. 27 by Behnke.
> 
> ...


I've asked the DWR about stocking arctic char here in Utah, and the response I've gotten is that they're worried about possibly introducing diseases into our fishery that the arctic char may carry.

Whether or not this is a legitimate concern, I don't know.

I've always thought that splake might be a better option in higher elevation lakes than tigers, because they're a char hybrid, as opposed to trout/char with tigers, and would do better in colder water than something that's 50% brown trout.

However, splake grow slower than tigers (from what I understand) so if the idea is to reduce fish numbers in higher lakes by natural predation, than tigers are probably a good bet.

Personally, I love tigers, but I'd love to see arctic char, or even dolly varden and bull trout here. They could do really well in Uintas and Boulder lakes where the brookies are stunted. Just my thoughts.


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## paddlehead (May 30, 2014)

I hope one day to make it up there to chase gold. They have been a life long dream. My brother just got his first up in Montana. He has the fever and is planning on going WAY back for more and bigger.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

spencerD said:


> I've asked the DWR about stocking arctic char here in Utah, and the response I've gotten is that they're worried about possibly introducing diseases into our fishery that the arctic char may carry.
> 
> Whether or not this is a legitimate concern, I don't know.


I would imagine it is a legitimate concern and I also suspect that there aren't a large number of Sunapee eggs available for widespread use anyway. Nevertheless, it is fun to muse about it.

Truthfully, I'd be happy if/when they start putting in drainage specific cutts (CRC's or Bonnevilles) back in the high Uintas lakes traditionally managed with cutts (as was promised) and keep going with their golden program.

(Maybe save the frankenfish only for the roadside lakes too ;-))


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## spencerD (Jan 14, 2014)

Catherder said:


> I would imagine it is a legitimate concern and I also suspect that there aren't a large number of Sunapee eggs available for widespread use anyway. Nevertheless, it is fun to muse about it.
> 
> Truthfully, I'd be happy if/when they start putting in drainage specific cutts (CRC's or Bonnevilles) back in the high Uintas lakes traditionally managed with cutts (as was promised) and keep going with their golden program.
> 
> (Maybe save the frankenfish only for the roadside lakes too ;-))


I'm sure it's a concern, I just haven't done research to see the risk factors, etc.

I'd love to see that as well. Cutts back where they belong, along with some Goldens, some Brookies, and then everyone is happy!

I was catching cutts on Boulder 3 weeks ago, and every one fought very hard for their size. The only Cutts I feel like are wussy are the Bear Lake cutts.


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## Jackalope (Oct 30, 2007)

spencerD said:


> Personally, I love tigers, but I'd love to see arctic char, or even dolly varden and bull trout here. They could do really well in Uintas and Boulder lakes where the brookies are stunted. Just my thoughts.


Dollys have already been here.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...odhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YkgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2834,4764308

I wonder what happened to the eggs? Did they work?


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

That's a beautiful fish. Congrats on the find.


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