Sierra Nevada’s Volcano Creek is home of the very first Golden Trout, known as “protogoldens.” Today less than two dozen protogoldens remain. Keith Brauneis Productions and Caltrout want to create a short film about Golden Trout that will raise awareness of this magnificent fish, its habitat, and its plight. The film will examine current conditions and explore future threats to this species. The story of the California Golden Trout will be the over arching theme and will unfold within a real life adventure story about six men’s quest to find liquid gold in the great American west. The filmmakers plan to submit it to F3T and Wild & Scenic, and other film tours.
Protogoldens are in real danger, and this film will help drum up support.
BUT, they need our help to complete this project, and their Indiegogo campaign has just two days left. It’s a great project that should produce a killer film, all in the name of protecting vital trout habitat. What more could a fly fisherman ask for?
So check out the Indiegogo page and, if you can, offer some help.
An admirable and worthy thing to fight for. Any species under threat of extinction must be protected. It must be a very surreal feeling to see the last of a species essentially in a small creek in front of you. I would like to play the devils advocate a bit here as it is a situation that is dire to a particular species, and keep in mind this is judged solely on the images shown of the fish out of water. Perhaps fishing for such an endangered species is not the correct way to go about it. While I very much understand the idea of catch and release and see its many benefits to ensure a species stocks for many years to come, I also see what removing a specimen like fish out of their natural habitat. Removing a fish for any period of time severely decreases that individuals chances of survival, and in an instance such as this the remaining population. Add a hook through the mouth and it even further lowers that percentage. Now I as a fly fishermen, among other ways I enjoy both the ocean and fresh water mediums, know that my comrades are about as clued in as it possibly gets in terms of conservation and protecting the species and water that give us so much, from the plain simplicity of fun to a meal on the table. But I would like the creators of this to consider this, and to consider the reality that a species such as this must be better viewed from a distance, not from the hook of your fly. Allow them to survive in their habitats and if further action must be taken, be it relocation or some other way, then approach it. But if it is a natural course that is to be taken, then so be it.
Regards for reading, I hope this makes a bit of sense and please do not take it the wrong way as it is very clear the makers are passionate and have a deep personal feeling toward this project.
Jake
this fish exists in other isolated, secreteive areas with cascades below to keep other fish out – not for sure where they came up with only 24 left