Objective

Conservation

Not all fish are created equal and that’s why we have partnered with California Trout and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to create and institute Native Trout education programs to imply responsible fishing practices which benefit native fish populations In high impact recreation fisheries. Please take a minute to review this page and learn about native fish species of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Wild Trout are members of a wild-spawning trout population and were born in the wild. Stocked Trout are born in a hatchery, then released into the wild. Native Trout are those that are indigenous to the Southern Sierras. Introduced Trout are species not indigenous to the Southern Sierras. Native Wild Trout are of the greatest conservation concern and should always be released when caught.

Meadows & Headwaters

Sierra Nevada headwaters provide roughly 60% of California’s domestic water supplies, are home to the majority of California’s inland native trout species and are critical to supporting local and downstream economic livelihoods.

Sierra meadows are a critical piece of the Southern Sierra Headwaters, providing clean, cool and attenuated water flows to wildlife and downstream communities. It is estimated that between 40-60% of meadows throughout the Sierra Nevada are in a degraded state due to drought and historic land-uses. Degradation in headwater meadows has severe negative impacts to native trout populations from the mountain meadows downstream to the our rivers. CalTrout is working to restore meadows that feed our rivers to improve recreational fishing opportunities and make native trout populations more resilient to climate change

For more information or to learn more about Sierra meadows, visit www.caltrout.org

Catch and

Release Tips

• Always use barbless hooks.

• Use a rubber net. (without knots)

• Keep hands wet when handling fish.

• Return trout in same area caught.

• 5 Second rule out of the water.