Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) was native to the McCloud River below the Lower Falls to Shasta Lake. This is the only area in which the Bull Trout was native to California. However, it is widely distributed throughout the interior portions of Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia. It was our only native char.

Dolly Varden

The name to this trout was originally the “Dolly Varden”. The name is possibly a California origination. A publication in 1919 noted that when this fish was taken by scientists, they noted the distinctive spotting. The spots had a resemblance to a dress material called Dolly Varden and this dress material was the rage at the time. Thus, the female members of the party provided the name, “Dolly Varden”. In addition, “Dolly Varden” was also a character in the Charles Dickens’s novel “Barnaby Rudge” and the character was well known as being quite flirtatious. She wore flashy attire and colorful dresses, one of which was green with pink polka dots.

The names, Bull Trout and the Dolly Varden, were used interchangeably until 1980 when the Bull Trout was genetically proved to be a separate species. Since that time, the “Dolly Varden”, which was named on the McCloud River, was actually the Bull trout.

However, the Dolly Varden does exist. It is a coastal fish which is distributed just south of the Canadian Border to Seward Alaska and in Asia from the Yali River, Korea to the Anadyr River.

No Plans to Restock

Due to competition from introduced Brown Trout, the Bull Trout no longer exists within the McCloud Watershed. It was reintroduced by the CA. DFG at least once but this reintroduction was not successful. Nevada has a single Bull Trout population isolated in the Jarbridge River with about 50 fish. Also, there are about 70 populations in the Columbia Basin and 9 populations in the Klamath Basin. It is hypothesized that the origin of this species may have occurred during the last glacial period.

There is currently no program to recover the Bull Trout in California. The problem is that too many other species can outcompete the Bull Trout for survival. Closely related brook trout and lake trout juveniles can push out young bull trout. Lake trout, a voracious predator, can prey on bull trout. Brown trout, pike, and bass can also compete with or prey on bull trout. In addition, brook trout can interbreed with bull trout. This creates mostly sterile hybrids. This interbreeding saps reproductive energy from the bull trout population. The McCloud River portion in which the Bull Trout were originally found has since been supplanted with competing species and it is politically impossible to remove those competing species in order to reintroduce the Bull Trout. There are plans to recover the species in other areas.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

The Bull Trout has an Gray to Silvery Gray body with a light gray or white belly. The back can be infused with an olive coloration. It has pale yellow spots. There are no Black spots on the body or fins. Small orangish spots are located on the lower sides. Fins are plain and unmarked.