Figured this would be a good community to share to. I’ve caught goldens in a number of spots across Colorado. Parks and Wildlife stocked the fish throughout the 20th century but ran out of eggs, leading to no stocking for a couple of decades until the early 2010’s.
This particular lake has no record of goldens being stocked. It’s unnamed, 7 miles from the nearest road or trail, and was last stocked in the 1960’s with rainbows. Somehow, some way, goldens made their way in. The population is fragile, and they spawn in the outlet of the lake.
I believe this is the only spot in the state that has a purely wild golden population dating back to the 1900’s. I know of two other lakes that used to qualify, but they’ve since been re-stocked with gold.
I’ve put in a lot of hours in the backcountry and this might be my favorite find. Would love to hear of other CO golden stories you may have!
Posted by Fun-Pomegranate6703