Sacramento River Redband Trout

The Sacramento River redband trout  (Oncorhynchus mykiss stonei) is one of three redband trout subspecies of rainbow trout. They are native to the upper Sacramento River basin. The complex includes two extant populations:

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

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

Historically, the term Sacramento River redband trout referred collectively to populations of redband trout present in the upper Sacramento River basin, including those of the McCloud, Pit, 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 the redband population below the falls, the term McCloud River redband trout is now most commonly used to refer to the population above the falls. 

Likewise, Pit River had two distinct redband populations. The warm waters of the Modoc Plateau serve 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 generally refers to the upper population.

The lineages of the Sacramento River redband trout populations are not well understood.

Angler Challenges

See parent article.

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.