We were trout fishing near South Fork, Colorado on the South Fork Rio Grand River when we were shocked to catch a beautiful, bright yellow Rare Golden Rainbow Trout. We were not sure what it was that we had caught but were later told that it was a rare Golden Rainbow Trout, that we would most likely never catch again.
It was about 3pm in the afternoon and we weren’t catching many trout. We decided to try a stream near the river and saw several small trout and had some nibbles, but then tried a hard to reach location on the creek and that’s when Mike let out a loud holler and I quickly turned on my camera to see what he was so excited about.
Check out this video!
Extended YouTube Videos with video from Mike’s GoPro Hero 9 Black.
We didn’t measure it but it looked to be around 12 inches long. Take a look at the beautiful yellow color of this golden rainbow trout.
We caught the golden rainbow with a MEPPS Comet 1 minnow spinner seen below.
- Great for muskee, pike and bass fishing
- Balsa wood design keeps the lure semi-buoyant for a realistic retrieve
- Flashing spinner reflects light into the water, driving the predatory instincts of game fish to initiate a strike
- Spinning action disturbs the water, drawing in fish that may not otherwise see the lure
- Size 2 Blade
This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
We keep hearing that the rivers are over fished, plus fishing is more challenging due to the recent drought, but we have found ways to catch enough trout to make us happy, plus some large and rare trout to make both recent fishing trips to Colorado extremely memorable.
- Sport type: Outdoor Lifestyle
- Natural minnow profile
- VMC Hook is extremely sharp for quick penetration and strong to resist bending
- Stamped brass blade features plated and printed patterns
This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
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Awwwn. What a beautiful aquatic creature. Fresh and glowing. A lesson I picked from this article is that, no matter the challenge, don’t give up. If it’s not working here, it may work there. Getting beautiful golden fish like this is truly rare . I see it as a very big privilege. Thank you for sharing this here with us. I think this fish deserve to be in an aquarium
You may be right about it being in an aquarium, but we decided to release it and let it keep living in the wild. We do shoot some animals from time to time, but we almost always catch and release and let someone else enjoy the catch another time.
Rick
Hello there, thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful piece of information here with us. I must say i really did enjoyed going through your website. I am really wowed by this, I have never seen a golden trout before now. It’s sad to see that this beautiful specie is not always available everywhere.
I have heard that the State of Colorado is starting to stock these golden’s here but I’m not sure how accurate that is.
It’s truly incredible to see something beautiful like this in nature, especially when we didn’t even know they existed. It makes me want to keep exploring the outdoors.
Rick
That is pretty interesting. I’ve been fishing since I was a little kid with my Grandpa, and rainbow trout is what we are usually after. I have never seen anything like this fish. It really has beautiful coloration. Do you know what causes this? Is it environment, a defect, or just genetics?
I don’t know enough to answer your question, other then they may be like an albino animal. I have seen several photos and videos of golden rainbows in the northeast but they are very rare here in Colorado. I overhead someone say that the state is starting to stock these golden’s. I’m not sure if that’s true. As I said, I’m really not qualified to answer this question.
We just feel really fortunate to have caught this golden rainbow, plus we released it back into the creek for someone else to enjoy later.
Rick
Hey, that is awesome, man. That indeed is a beautiful yellow golden rainbow trout. I have also been concerned about how challenging it’s to fish these days due to the recent drought. But your post and this fish has encouraged me. I have also just finished reading the Old man and the sea, by Ernest Hemingway, and it has inspired me too.
I think we have to be a little more resourceful these days to find areas that are not over fished. It may mean trying more areas and being willing to wade farther upstream or downstream to go places where some people aren’t willing to go, but as you have seen and said, the fish are still out there, and there are some big ones.
Rick
I actually caught one of these beautiful fish last year near Victor, CO. It was the third trout I have ever caught in my life.
I’d like to attach a picture for you but unsure how. Let me know and I’ll send a pic.
When I caught this I had never even heard of a Golden Trout. I had no idea how rare they were. Pretty cool!!
Send the image to mikenrickoutdoor2@gmail.com and I’ll add it to the article and give you credit for the pic. Thank you for the comment and I look forward to seeing and adding the picture to the article.