EC Report and a question

[Fly Guy Dave]

I fished the East Carson river this weekend and it was "OK." Friday night was the best, with a solid caddis hatch, with many solid fish on and to the net. Saturday and Sunday AM was OK, some fish, but I had to work hard to get 'em. Saturday night was kind of a bust, as the wind was howling and the bugs were blown off the river. I got a couple, but nothing like the night before.

My question is this: I've fished the EC for many years now and caught mostly rainbows, some browns, and an occasional mountain whitefish, but this time I caught an honest to goodness Lahontan Cutthroat trout (o.c. henshawi). I figured it either washed down from the wilderness area WAY upstream that is off-limits to fishing, or that it was planted. Do any of you folks know of the CA or NV DFG decided to plant Lahontan cutts in the E.C., or is this just a fluke, and I'm one lucky S.O.B.? No, I didn't get a photo of it (DUH!) but I DO know what these fish look like. Any insight or info on this would be appreciated.

Cheers!

--Fly Guy Dave

[markem8]

I fished there today with similar results. My buddy did pick up a 6-7 lb planter. He does not get to spend a lot of time on the water so it was a really nice catch for him. I shot some video that I will try to upload. I heard that in the past they would put Lahontans from Heenan Lake in the East Carson. I was told that there are some hybrids in Heenan and when they come into the hatchery they remove them and dump them in the East Carson.

[Fly Guy Dave]

This wasn't a cuttbow, it was a pure Lahontan Cutthroat, with bright parr marks, sparse spotting, but heavier near the tail, and the tell-tale cutts under the jaw. It wasn't big, only 6-7", but I know what I'm looking at when it comes to trout.

All the same, it is interesting to know that DFG stocks cuttbows from Heenan into the Carson. Now I wonder how their LC brood stock was contaminated with rainbow DNA... The mystery only gets deeper!
Thanks for the insight.

--Fly Guy Dave

[SHigSpeed]

This wasn't a cuttbow, it was a pure Lahontan Cutthroat, with bright parr marks, sparse spotting, but heavier near the tail, and the tell-tale cutts under the jaw. It wasn't big, only 6-7", but I know what I'm looking at when it comes to trout.

All the same, it is interesting to know that DFG stocks cuttbows from Heenan into the Carson. Now I wonder how their LC brood stock was contaminated with rainbow DNA... The mystery only gets deeper!
Thanks for the insight.

--Fly Guy Dave

There are rainbows higher in the creek that feeds Heenan that sometimes fall in is what I've been told. Every year there are some NICE rainbows that get caught in there that can't legally be kept or bonked... Maybe a light tap and then osprey food? They clip the adipose of the fish they rear at Heenan so that they can be sure to minimize the risk of using hybrid fish as brood stock.

_SHig

[IronMtn]

In the past, DFG has dropped some "leftover" fingerling LC trout into the W. Carson and the E. Walker under the radar (of which most became trout food)... Haven't heard about any in the E. Carson, but I wouldn't put it past the DFG to do something like that... The unofficial species "shotgun" approach.

[Ned Morris]

How fun! I only got one "LCT X Rainbow" out of the EC once but it was a beastly broodstocker most likely from Heenan or other Hatchery. Sorry but even with looking and seeing all characteristics of LCT, guaranteed there are enough Rainbow Alleles to classify as cutbow. No more pure LCT's. Populations of true pure Carson drainage LCT are in the most remote tiny streams totally closed to fishing and near impossible to get to. All the fish from Heenan and 99.99999% of Lakes LCT historically occupied are all hybrids even though most look like pure LCT. Sorry to break it to most but Kirman Lk. Cutts are hybrids. You have Trotter's book so review the Lahontan chapter. It's really sad what we lost.

[Fly Guy Dave]

When I said "pure" it should've had quotes around it, knowing that it wasn't pure (in the laboratory sense, like checking gill rakers and DNA and the like), but it certainly wasn't a cuttbow. I do know the difference. Those have a rather distinctive rainbow-ish look, yet with the crimson cutts under the jaw. That is NOT what I caught, so perhaps I used the word "pure" to leniently.

Either way, it was a nice surprise and rather fun to catch an unexpected species in very familiar water.

--Fly Guy Dave

[amoeba]

Lahontan CT have always been there, they reproduce, and the one you caught wasn't necessarily or even likely to have been a plant. The pure LCT are upstream on the Silver King (closed to fishing) and such but they aren't restricted to there. There are some LCT on the EC and the nearby tribs that run into it.

[Jay]

The closed section of Silver King only has Paiute Cutthroat in it.

[Bob Laskodi]

Currently, Silver King Creek above Llewellyn Falls has Paiute Cutts. Currently, Silver King Creek below the falls, has Lahontan, along with rainbows, and infrequently Paiute Cutt's (that have washed over the falls). Historically, Paiute Cutt's were found below the falls, but that was many moons ago. There is a joint project underway to restore the Paiute to it's historic native range below the falls, but that's a long way from completion. In addition, the EC gets planted Lahontan Cutts, usually old broodstock.

[Fly Guy Dave]

Very cool! Thanks to all for the info, insights and background.

Cheers!

--Fly Guy Dave