I had caught small Golden’s in the Winds before and for some reason never targeted lakes I knew held trophy Golden’s. The Wind River Range in Wyoming has it all, a large expanse of wilderness (actually contains three wilderness areas and a roadless area administered by the Wind River Indian Reservation) with hundreds upon hundreds of lakes loaded with trout.
You throw in some world class trout fishing at the end of the trail, that seals the deal. Beautiful country, great fishing, and a long backpack are some of the reasons to chase after Golden’s. Many of these lakes are a minimum 25-30 mile hike, one way, with a substantial amount of that off-trail. There are scores of Golden lakes in the range and many of them are trophy Golden fisheries. I have been fortunate enough to chase these trout in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, which possibly holds the largest Golden trout in the world (IGFA world record is from the Winds). These smaller trout always display beautiful parr marks and their namesake golden hue. Most Golden trout, especially in their native range, are typically on the smaller side. They have flourished and have become self sustaining in many high mountain lakes and recently the Wyoming Game and Fish has been able to propagate the species in their facility outside of Story Wyoming, a first for this species. Native to only the high Sierra’s in California, they have been transplanted to many mountain areas across the west over the years including the Rockies of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
Golden trout are only found in the most remote drainages and highest lakes of the backcountry. The Golden Trout is perhaps the pinnacle of trout in the fly-fishing community.
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