iStockphoto / Richard Wood / Martina Birnbaum
A 15-year-old in West Virginia just landed a state fishing record for golden rainbow trout, breaking a record that had stood since 1987. Golden rainbow trout are a yellow-orange variant of traditional rainbow trout and they are one of the most treasured and prized fish in West Virginia where they were selectively bred by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources biologists and introduced to state waters in 1963.
In the Mountain State, these fish are colloquially known as ‘golden trout‘ but their proper name is golden rainbow trout as they are from a mutated strain of rainbow trout that were selectively bred in a program beginning in the 1950s before being introduce to state waters.
15-Year-Old Catches West Virginia State Record Golden Rainbow Trout
These golden trout all descend from one fish in particular who was nicknamed “Little Camouflage.” Going all the way back to 1949, 10,000 rainbow trout fry from California were introduced to the the Petersburg State Trout Hatchery in Grant County. Of those 10,000 fry, only 300 survived.
Of those 300, one of them was a “a yellow-mottled fingerling” who later grew to 14″ and used in a breeding program to selectively breed the golden trainbow trout now found throughout West Virginia, according to a history written by the West Virginia DNR.
Flash forward to modern day and 15-year-old Hunter Rohr of Buckhannon, West Virginia landed a new state record golden rainbow trout weighing 11.84-pounds and measuring 28-inches. His fish is a new state fishing record for both weight and length.
The previous West Virginia state record for weight was a golden trout was a 9.72-pound fish caught by Charles Lilly, Jr. at Little Beaver Lake in Raleigh County in 2023. But the long-standing length record dates back to 1987 at Stonecoal Lake in Lewis County when angler Gerald Estep caught a 27.5″ fish.
He bested the length record by half an inch and the weight record by over two pounds!! Check out this incredible fish that was just certified by the West Virginia DNR as a new state fishing record:
WVNR / Hunter Rohr
After Hunter had his record-setting golden rainbow trout certified, WVDNR Director Brett McMillion released the following statement: “We are proud to recognize Hunter’s accomplishment. His record-setting golden rainbow trout showcases the many fishing opportunities here in West Virginia and demonstrates the passion anglers of all ages bring to the sport.”
Where Can They Be Caught?
In search of golden rainbow trout, West Virginia is the one true destination. That said, they can be found (albeit rarely) in Pennsylvania, California, and there have been reports of them being caught elsewhere throughout the years.
West Virginia’s Petersburg and Reeds Creek Hatcheries annually supply eggs, around 80,000 of them, to other hatcheries throughout the state. And in order to preserve the rarity of the species, they are prohibited from being transported to other states. So when a golden trout is caught outside of West Virginia it is a true genetic anomaly.
Have you ever caught a golden rainbow trout in West Virginia? Let us know in the Facebook comments. Or shoot me an email anytime to cass@brobible.com, I’m always happy to discuss fishing with strangers!