The Golden trout is native to the South Fork of the Kern River in California. Golden trout have been introduced to Wyoming primarily in alpine lakes. Most of these lakes are in the Wind River Range, but there are also populations in the Absoraka and Bighorn mountains and Snowy Range. The Golden trout is a spring spawner. Hybridization with rainbow and cutthroat trout does occur, so management programs are designed to keep these species reproductively isolated whenever possible.
Plankton is the principal food of golden trout in high lakes.
Fishermen attempting to catch Golden trout often leave frustrated due to the Golden's seeming disregard for flies, lures and bait at certain times. Most successful Golden fisherman used small baits, lures, or flies, and a lot of patience. Golden trout in high lakes often feed for very short periods during the day, so the successful fisherman must spend a lot of time to make sure he's on the water at the right time. The Wyoming and world record for Golden trout is 11.25 pounds, taken from Cook Lake, Sublette County, in 1948. Most Golden trout in Wyoming seldom exceed fourteen inches.