Learn about Golden trout, where to catch your Volcano Creek Golden trout for the CDFW Heritage Trout Challenge, and volunteer opportunities to assist CDFW with all things fish. 

Ken Johnson, CDFW Environmental Scientist, will be revealing the piscatorial treasure of the Golden Trout Wilderness. Conservation pro, Debbie Sharpton has been working with Ken over the last 3 years, happily to discover more and more about one of the many spectacular areas of the Southern Sierra – the Kern Plateau. The plateau is home to the Golden Trout Wilderness, Inyo National Forest (GTW). The wilderness designation, established with the Wilderness Act of 1964, is the highest level of protection and is managed by a consortium of federal and state natural resource agencies. The goal is to keep the land’s primeval character and influence. As the name implies, the GTW is the native home of Golden trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita), considered one of the most beautiful trout in the world.

Ken will also be reviewing volunteer opportunities for the 2026 season and Debbie will be handling the coordination with CDFW.   

Also learn about The Heritage Trout Challenge (https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/HTC) that takes anglers of all types to some of the most beautiful places in California. An excerpt from the CDFW website (https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/HTC#historic-drainages), “By catching six different forms of California native trout from their historic drainages, and photographing these fish you can receive a colorful, personalized certificate featuring the art of renowned fish illustrator Joseph Tomelleri. Your certificate will show six full-color images representing the trout you caught, along with the dates and locations. It is sized to fit in a standard 16" x 20" matted frame.”

Ken’s bio: 2005 – Present:  CDFW - Heritage and Wild Trout Program (HWTP - Central Region) – Responsible for Central Region’s diverse wild and native trout resources, including the monitoring of designated Heritage and Wild Trout waters and the precious Volcanic Creek golden trout population, especially through our recent droughts and post drought recovery.  He was the Central Region’s lead for the 2016 rescue and the 2017 return of golden trout from Volcanic Creek.  Focused work on the South Fork Kern River CA golden trout populations and barriers to fish passage. 

He has also participated in the Silver King restoration of Paiute cutthroat trout and Lake Davis treatment to eradicate Northern Pike. 

2001-2005:  CDFW - Salmon Program (Central Region) – Conducted Adult escapement surveys on the Merced River to estimate the Chinook salmon population returning to spawn.  This period included surveying the San Joaquin River to estimate salmon smolt production for the entire San Joaquin basin.

1991-2001:  USFS – Spotted owl demography study on Sierra National Forest and Sequoia NP.  Determined nesting success, captured and banded all spotted owls, determined gender and tracked juvenile dispersal using radio telemetry.

1990– CSU, Fresno BA Environmental Biology