Golden trout are vibrantly colored and feature pronounced lateral lines. They also have parr marks or dark, vertical, oval marks on each side. Their dorsal, lateral, and anal fins have a white leading edge.
It is a subspecies of rainbow trout, and its scientific name is Oncorhynchus mykiss aquabonita, a beautiful fish indeed.
The golden trout was introduced in Montana in 1907. Originally from California, numerous high-country lakes of southwestern Montana hold this beautiful fish in pristine environments. They are popular with anglers fly fishing Montana's remote lakes in the Beartooth Mountains on multi-day excursions.
This fish typically reaches 6-12 inches, but a golden trout up to 4 pounds has been caught in Montana. They are spring spawners, but spring happens much later at high elevation lakes, so don’t expect to be able to target them until around the Fourth of July. They are opportunistic feeders eating a variety of aquatic and terrestrial insects.