Sacramento River Redband Trout

Work in progress!

Sacramento River redband trout  (O.m. stonei) isone of three redband trout subspecies of rainbow trout.  They are native to the upper Sacramento River basin, namely including the McCloud River and Pit River drainages.  The complex includes two extant populations:

• McCloud River redband trout (O.m. calisulat) and

• Pit River redband trout  (O.m. stonei).

Historically, the term (Northern) Sacramento River redband trout referred collectively to populations of redband trout present in the upper Sacramento river basin: including those of the McCloud River, the Pit River, and the Feather River drainages.

The term McCloud River redband trout referred to population of redband trout found in the McCloud River below McCloud Falls whereas the distinct redband trout above the falls were known as Upper McCloud River redband trout or Sheepheaven Creek redband trout.  With the loss of redband population below the falls, the term McCloud River redband trout is now most commonly used to refer to population above the falls. 

Likewise, Pit River had two distinct redband populations.  The warm waters of the Modoc Plateau serves as an ecological barrier that hinders movement of cold water species, such as redband trout, between the upper and lower portions of the river. With the lower population lost, the term Pit River redband trout now commonly refers to the upper population.

The Sacramento River redband trout

Historically, the term (Northern) Sacramento River redband trout referred collectively to populations of redband trout present in the upper Sacramento river basin: including those of the Sacramento River, the McCloud River, the Pit River, and the Feather River drainages.

The term McCloud River redband trout referred to population of redband trout found in the McCloud River below McCloud Falls whereas the distinct redband trout above the falls were known as Upper McCloud River redband trout or Sheepheaven Creek redband trout.  With the loss of redband population below the falls, the term McCloud River redband trout is now most commonly used to refer to population above the falls. 

Likewise, Pit River had two distinct redband populations.  The warm waters of the Modoc Plateau serves as an ecological barrier that hinders movement of cold water species, such as redband trout, between the upper and lower portions of the river. With the lower population now lost, the term Pit River redband trout now commonly refers to the upper population. 

Little is known about the extant populations of Sacramento River redband trout, including whether they were regarded as distinct from each other and/or from coexisting coastal rainbow trout in the lower portions of northern Sacramento River basin.

The McCloud River redband trout

The McCloud River redband trout (O.m. calisulat), as known as the Sheepheaven Creek redband trout, are native to the McCloud River and its tributaries above McCloud Falls.  Today, they only present in a few isolated tributaries including Edson Creek, Dry Creek, upper Moosehead Creek, Sheepheaven Creek, Swamp Creek. Tate Creek, and Trout Creek.  The upper McCloud River itself is dominated by redband hybrids and non-native trout.

The Pit River redband trout

The Pit River redband trout (O.m. stonei) is native to Pit River and its tributaries above the confluence of the Fall River. Today, they are mostly occupy headwater streams on the westslope of the southern Warner Mountains.

This population has long been believed to be closely related to Goose Lake redband trout as they have similar physical traits and Goose Lake is known to flood from time to time in the Pit River drainage.  Recent studies have shown it is even more closely related to the Warner Lakes redband trout.

Additional Reading

• Trout and Salmon of North America by Robert Behnke

• SOS II: Fish in Hot Water and underly reports by California Trout

• Molecular Systematics of Redband Trout from Genome-Wide DNA Sequencing Substantiates the Description of a New Taxon (Salmonidae: Oncorhynchus mykiss calisulat) from the McCloud River by Matthew A Campbell, et. al.