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95-780: The park derives its name from the Great Basin , the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains . Topographically, this area is known as the Basin and Range Province . The park is located about 290 miles (470 km) north of Las Vegas and protects 77,180 acres (31,230 ha). The park is notable for its groves of ancient bristlecone pines , the oldest known living non- clonal organisms; Lehman Caves ; Wheeler Peak Glacier , below 13,063-foot (3,982 m) Wheeler Peak ; and some of

190-502: A riverine ecotype called river trout or Salmo trutta morpha fario ; a lacustrine ecotype or S. trutta morpha lacustris , also called the lake trout (not to be confused with the lake trout in North America ); and anadromous populations known as the sea trout or S. trutta morpha trutta , which upon adulthood migrate downstream to the oceans for much of its life and only returns to fresh water to spawn in

285-525: A favoured target for fly fishing . Sea trout are fished for especially at night using wet flies . Brown trout can be caught with lures such as spoons, spinners, jigs, plugs, plastic worm imitations, and live or dead baitfish . Brown trout rarely form hybrids with other species; if they do, they are almost invariably infertile. One such example is the tiger trout , a hybrid with the brook trout . Field studies have demonstrated that brown trout fed on several animal prey species, aquatic invertebrates being

380-772: A language in the Numic language group. To close a 1951 Indian Claims Commission case, the Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act of 2004 established the United States payment of $ 117 million to the Great Basin tribe for the acquisition of 39,000 square miles (100,000 km ). European exploration of the Great Basin occurred during the 18th century Spanish colonization of the Americas . The first immigrant American to cross

475-438: A lighter golden cast with some red spotting and fewer dark spots. Notably, both strains can show considerable individual variation from this general description. Early stocking efforts in the United States used fish taken from Scotland and Germany . The brown trout is a medium-sized fish, growing to 20 kg (44 lb) or more and a length of about 100 cm (39 in) in some localities, although in many smaller rivers,

570-570: A marble and limestone solution, for the most part, that forms the many cave decorations throughout the caverns. The cave system became much deeper during the Pleistocene, when a prolonged and increased flow of water eroded through the cave's fracturing bedrock. Eventually, the water level dropped, leaving glare rooms and cavities in the rock, creating the depths of the Lehman Caves system. The park's scenic features include Lexington Arch,

665-652: A marked reduction in intraspecific competition in the fish population, facilitating the partitioning of resources. First feeding of newly emerged fry is very important for brown trout survival in this phase of the lifecycle, and first feeding can occur even prior to emergence. Fry start to feed before complete yolk absorption and the diet composition of newly emerged brown trout is composed of small prey such as chironomid larvae or baetid nymphs. The species has been widely introduced for sport fishing into North America , South America , Australia , New Zealand , and many other countries, including Bhutan , where they are

760-526: A mature weight of 1.0 kg (2.2 lb) or less is common. S. t. lacustris reaches an average length of 40–80 cm (16–31 in) with a maximum length of 140 cm (55 in) and about 60 pounds (27 kg). On September 11, 2009, a 41.45-lb (18.80-kg) brown trout was caught by Tom Healy in the Manistee River system in Michigan, setting a new state record. As of late December 2009,

855-509: A metamorphic core complex, creating mafic and rhyolitic dikes and sills. Extensive volcanism also occurred during the middle to late Cambrian, contributing further to the uplift of the area. This also contributed to a second round of block faulting, in which conglomerates , ash flows, and tuffs accumulated in the Snake Range. Both continuous and intermittent fault movements also occurred, with individual fault surfaces on both sides of

950-580: A popular game fish of European anglers for centuries. It was first mentioned in angling literature as "fish with speckled skins" by Roman author Aelian ( circa 200 AD) in On the Nature of Animals . This work is credited with describing the first instance of fly fishing for trout, the trout being the brown trout found in Macedonia. The Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle (1496) by Dame Juliana Berners , O.S.B

1045-421: A reduction in dissolved oxygen levels which can cause "summer kills" of local populations if temperatures remain high for sufficient duration and deeper/cooler or fast, turbulent more oxygenated water is not accessible to the fish. This phenomenon can be further exacerbated by eutrophication of rivers due to pollution —often from the use of agricultural fertilizers within the drainage basin . Overfishing

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1140-564: A slender body with a long, narrow head. The mouth is large, and on its roof, vomerine teeth are developed in a zig-zag pattern. The caudal fin is deltaform without forking, unlike that of the related Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). Dark and red spots are often present on the sides, but do not extend to the tail. Parr trout (juvenile) often have a red margin on their adipose fin , with dark blotches along their sides that also become inconspicuous with age. Freshwater brown trout range in colour from largely silver with relatively few spots and

1235-413: A white belly, to the more well-known brassy reddish-brown cast fading to creamy white on the fish's belly, with medium-sized spots surrounded by lighter halos. The more silver forms can be mistaken for rainbow trout. Regional variants include the so-called "Loch Leven" trout, distinguished by larger fins, a slimmer body, and heavy black spotting, but lacking red spots. The continental European strain features

1330-713: Is a 97-centimetre (38 in) fish caught in Milwaukee Harbor, Wisconsin on 16 December 2011. The spawning behaviour of brown trout is similar to that of the closely related Atlantic salmon . A typical female produces about 2,000 eggs per kg (900 eggs per lb) of body weight at spawning. Brown trout can live 20 years, but as with the Atlantic salmon, a high proportion of males die after spawning, and probably fewer than 20% of anadromous female kelts recover from spawning . The migratory forms grow to significantly larger sizes for their age due to abundant forage fish in

1425-590: Is a fish that feeds clean and purely, in the swiftest streams, and on the hardest gravel; and that he may justly contend with all fresh water fish, as the Mullet may with all sea fish, for precedency and daintiness of taste; and that being in right season, the most dainty palates have allowed precedency to him. Throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, angling authors, mostly British, some French, and later American, writing about trout fishing were writing about fishing for brown trout. Once brown trout were introduced into

1520-427: Is a problem where anglers fail to identify and return mature female fish into the lake or stream. Each large female removed can result in thousands fewer eggs released back into the system when the remaining fish spawn. In small streams, brown trout are important predators of macroinvertebrates , and declining brown trout populations in these specific areas affect the entire aquatic food web . Global climate change

1615-452: Is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus Salmo , endemic to most of Europe , West Asia and parts of North Africa , and has been widely introduced globally as a game fish , even becoming one of the world's worst invasive species outside of its native range . Brown trout are highly adaptable and have evolved numerous ecotypes / subspecies . These include three main ecotypes:

1710-487: Is also of concern. S. trutta morpha fario prefers well-oxygenated water in the temperature range of 60 to 65 °F (16 to 18 °C). S. trutta bones from an archaeological site in Italy, and ancient DNA extracted from some of these bones, indicate that both abundance and genetic diversity increased markedly during the colder Younger Dryas period, and fell during the warmer Bølling-Allerød event. Cover or structure

1805-426: Is applied to hydrographic , biological , floristic , physiographic, topographic , and ethnographic geographic areas. The name was originally coined by John C. Frémont , who, based on information gleaned from Joseph R. Walker as well as his own travels, recognized the hydrographic nature of the landform as "having no connection to the ocean". The hydrographic definition is the most commonly used, and

1900-456: Is considered a foundational work in the history of recreational fishing , especially fly fishing. One of the most prominent fish described in the work is the brown trout of English rivers and streams: The trout, because he is a right dainty fish and also a right fervent biter, we shall speak of next. He is in season from March until Michaelmas. He is on clean gravel bottom and in a stream. The renowned The Compleat Angler (1653) by Izaak Walton

1995-454: Is important to trout, and they are more likely to be found near submerged rocks and logs, undercut banks, and overhanging vegetation. Structure provides protection from predators, bright sunlight, and higher water temperatures. Access to deep water for protection in winter freezes, or fast water for protection from low oxygen levels in summer are also ideal. Trout are more often found in heavy and strong currents. Defining characteristics include

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2090-447: Is located on Nevada State Route 487 in the town of Baker. The Lehman Caves visitor center is located on Nevada State Route 488 , about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) from Baker, 1 ⁄ 2 mile (800 m) inside the park boundary. The Forgotten Winchester , a rifle manufactured in 1882 that was found leaning against a juniper tree in the park in 2014, is on display inside the Great Basin visitor center. Both centers feature exhibits about

2185-551: Is nicknamed "The Loneliest Road in America", and Nevada State Route 375 is designated the "Extraterrestrial Highway". The Great Basin is traversed by several rail lines including the Union Pacific Railroad 's Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad) through Reno and Ogden , Feather River Route , Central Corridor and Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad . There has been a succession of indigenous peoples of

2280-524: Is noted for both its arid climate and the basin and range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin in Death Valley to the highest point of the contiguous United States , less than 100 miles (160 km) away at the summit of Mount Whitney . The region spans several physiographic divisions, biomes , ecoregions , and deserts . The term "Great Basin"

2375-425: Is replete with advice on "the trout": The Trout is a fish highly valued, both in this and foreign nations. He may be justly said, as the old poet said of wine, and we English say of venison, to be a generous fish: a fish that is so like the buck, that he also has his seasons; for it is observed, that he comes in and goes out of season with the stag and buck. Gesner says, his name is of a German offspring; and says he

2470-967: Is the only fish native to Great Basin National Park. It arrived in the mountain waters naturally and was eventually isolated by changing climatic conditions. Other trout species, such as Lahontan cutthroat trout , rainbow , brook , and brown trout , were stocked in the lakes and streams of the South Snake Range until the park's incorporation in 1986. Many species of birds can be found in Great Basin National Park, including Canada geese , hawks , sparrows , bald eagles , tundra swans , barn owls , snow geese , killdeer , golden eagles , woodpeckers , mallards , wrens , greater roadrunners , chickadees , great horned owls , ravens , magpies , and swallows . Only two species of amphibians have been positively identified in

2565-621: Is the only one with a definitive border. The other definitions yield not only different geographical boundaries of "Great Basin" regions but regional borders that vary from source to source. The Great Basin Desert is defined by plant and animal communities, and, according to the National Park Service , its boundaries approximate the hydrographic Great Basin but exclude the southern " panhandle ". The Great Basin Province

2660-522: Is the result of extension and thinning of the lithosphere , which is composed of crust and upper mantle . Extensional environments like the Basin and Range are characterized by listric normal faulting , or faults that level out with depth. Opposing normal faults link at depth producing a horst and graben geometry, where horst refers to the upthrown fault block and graben to the down dropped fault block. Sediment build-up over thousands of years filled

2755-941: The Arctic Ocean to the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. The western limit of their native range is Iceland in the north Atlantic, while the eastern limit is in Aral Sea tributaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan . Brown trout have been widely introduced into suitable environments around the world, including North and South America, Australasia, Asia, and South and East Africa. Introduced brown trout have established self-sustaining, wild populations in many introduced countries. The first introductions were in Australia in 1864 when 300 of 1500 brown trout eggs from

2850-842: The Cold Spring Hatchery operated by Mather, one in Caledonia, New York , operated by pisciculturalist Seth Green , and other hatchery in Northville, Michigan . Additional shipments of "von Behr" brown trout eggs arrived in 1884. In 1885, brown trout eggs from Loch Leven, Scotland , arrived in New York. These "Loch Leven" brown trout were distributed to the same hatcheries. Over the next few years, additional eggs from Scotland, England, and Germany were shipped to U.S. hatcheries. Behnke (2007) believed all life forms of brown trout—anadromous, riverine, and lacustrine—were imported into

2945-599: The Cui-ui sucker fish (endangered 1967) and the Lahontan cutthroat trout (threatened 1970). Large invertebrates include tarantulas (genus Aphonopelma ) and Mormon crickets . Exotic species, including chukar , grey partridge , and Himalayan snowcock , have been successfully introduced to the Great Basin, although the latter has only thrived in the Ruby Mountains . Cheatgrass , an invasive species which

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3040-643: The Great Basin fence lizard , longnose leopard lizard and horned lizard are common, especially in lower elevations. Rattlesnakes and gopher snakes are also present. The Inyo Mountains salamander is endangered. Shorebirds such as phalaropes and curlews can be found in wet areas. American white pelicans are common at Pyramid Lake . Golden eagles are also very common in the Great Basin. Mourning dove , western meadowlark , black-billed magpie , and common raven are other common bird species. Two endangered species of fish are found in Pyramid Lake:

3135-725: The Humboldt Sink are a few of the "drains" in the Great Basin. The Salton Sink is another closed basin within the Great Basin. The Great Basin Divide separates the Great Basin from the watersheds draining to the Pacific Ocean. The southernmost portion of the Great Basin is the watershed area of the Laguna Salada . The Great Basin's longest and largest river is the Bear River of 350 mi (560 km), and

3230-463: The Lehman Orchard and Aqueduct , Rhodes Cabin , Stella and Teresa Lakes , and Wheeler Peak Glacier . 39°00′20″N 114°13′13″W  /  39.00556°N 114.22028°W  / 39.00556; -114.22028 The Lehman Caves were originally protected as a national monument in 1922, which was combined with the national park in 1986. The cave is about two miles long, making it

3325-574: The Natal and Cape Provinces of South Africa took place in 1890 and 1892, respectively. By 1909, brown trout were established in the mountains of Kenya . The first introductions into the Himalayas in northern India took place in 1868, and by 1900, brown trout were established in Kashmir and Madras . In the 1950s and 1960s, Edgar Albert de la Rue  [ fr ] , a French geologist, began

3420-636: The Northwest Territories . Introductions into South America began in 1904 in Argentina . Brown trout are now established in Chile , Peru and the Falklands . Sea-run forms of brown trout exceeding 20 lb (9.1 kg) are caught by local anglers on a regular basis. The first introductions into the U.S. started in 1883 when Fred Mather , a New York pisciculturist and angler , under

3515-762: The River Itchen survived a four-month voyage from Falmouth, Cornwall to Melbourne on the sailing ship Norfolk . By 1866, 171 young brown trout were surviving in a Plenty River hatchery in Tasmania . Thirty-eight young trout were released in the river, a tributary of the River Derwent in 1866. By 1868, the Plenty River hosted a self-sustaining population of brown trout which became a brood source for continued introduction of brown trout into Australian and New Zealand rivers. Successful introductions into

3610-466: The cold Great Basin and Oregon High Deserts in the north. The deserts can be distinguished by their plants: the Joshua tree and creosote bush occur in the hot deserts, while the cold deserts have neither. The cold deserts are generally higher than the hot and have more even spread of precipitation throughout the year. The climate and flora of the Great Basin are strongly dependent on elevation; as

3705-1062: The gravel beds of headstreams . Sea trout in Ireland and Great Britain have many regional names: sewin in Wales , finnock in Scotland , peal in the West Country , mort in North West England , and white trout in Ireland. The lacustrine and riverine morphs of brown trout are both potamodromous , meaning they are also migratory, though only between freshwater bodies. Lacustrine trout mainly inhabit large lakes with calm and stratified deep water, while riverine trout forms fluvial populations typically in large rivers but sometimes in shallower creeks and alpine streams , both still migrating upstream during reproductive seasons. Anadromous and potamodromous morphs coexisting in

3800-535: The Basin and Range Province contains the Great Basin, but extends into eastern Oregon , southern Idaho , and the Colorado River watershed and the northwest corner of Arizona ). The Basin and Range region is the product of geological forces stretching the Earth's crust, creating many north–south trending mountain ranges. These ranges are separated by flat valleys or basins. These hundreds of ranges make Nevada

3895-564: The Fremont built small villages and grew crops like corn and squash. Seven hundred years ago, the Shoshone inhabited the area after the Fremont. They were hunter-gathers and lived in temporary homes to be able to follow animal herds and collect plants. Now, Shoshone descendants live in nearby areas. Other tribes in the area included the Ute , Mono , and Northern Paiute . All of the tribes speak

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3990-466: The Great Basin . Paleo-Indian habitation by the Great Basin tribes began as early as 10,000 B.C. . Archaeological evidence of habitation sites along the shore of Lake Lahontan date from the end of the ice age when its shoreline was approximately 500 feet (150 m) higher along the sides of the surrounding mountains. The Paleo-Indians were mainly hunters and hunted bison, the extinct mammoth, and extinct ground sloth. For housing, since they followed

4085-712: The Great Basin from the Sierra Nevada was Jedediah Strong Smith in 1827. Peter Skene Ogden of the British Hudson's Bay Company explored the Great Salt Lake and Humboldt River regions in the late 1820s, following the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada to the Gulf of California. Benjamin Bonneville explored the northeast portion during an 1832 expedition . The United States had acquired claims to

4180-745: The Great Basin into three ecoregions roughly according to latitude: the Northern Basin and Range ecoregion , the Central Basin and Range ecoregion , and the Mojave Basin and Range ecoregion . Great Basin wildlife includes pronghorn , mule deer , mountain lion , and lagomorphs such as black-tailed jackrabbit and desert cottontail and the coyotes that prey on them. Packrats , kangaroo rats and other small rodents are also common, and are predominantly nocturnal. Elk and bighorn sheep are present but uncommon. Small lizards such as

4275-475: The Great Basin's central Lahontan subregion. The hydrographic Great Basin contains multiple deserts and ecoregions , each with its own distinctive set of flora and fauna. The ecological boundaries and divisions in the Great Basin are unclear. The Great Basin overlaps four different deserts: portions of the hot Mojave and Colorado (a region within the Sonoran Desert ) Deserts to the south, and

4370-543: The Snake Range thinning and stretching. Glaciation , mostly during a series of ice ages in the Pleistocene , heavily eroded the peaks of the Snake Range, leaving canyon walls, U-shaped valleys, cirques , and moraines throughout the range. The Lehman Cave system began forming around 550 million years ago (during the Cambrian), while it was still submerged in a relatively warm, shallow ocean. The caves are made up of

4465-498: The U.S. By 1900, 38 states and two territories had received stocks of brown trout. Their adaptability resulted in most of these introductions establishing wild, self-sustaining populations. The fish is not considered to be endangered , although some individual stocks are under various degrees of stress mainly through habitat degradation, overfishing , and artificial propagation leading to introgression . Increased frequency of excessively warm water temperatures in high summer causes

4560-721: The U.S. and intermingled genetically to create what he calls the American generic brown trout and a single subspecies the North European brown trout ( S. t. trutta ). In April 1884, the U.S. Fish Commission released 4900 brown trout fry into the Baldwin River , a tributary of the Pere Marquette River in Michigan. This was the first release of brown trout into U.S. waters. Between 1884 and 1890, brown trout were introduced into suitable habitats throughout

4655-511: The U.S. in the 1880s, they became a major subject of American angling literature. In 1889, Frederic M. Halford , a British angler, author published Dry-Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice , a seminal work codifying a half century of evolution of fly fishing with floating flies for brown trout. In the late 19th century, American angler and writer Theodore Gordon , often called the "Father of American Dry Fly Fishing", perfected dry-fly techniques for

4750-492: The United States . The "section" is somewhat larger than the hydrographic definition. The Great Basin culture area , or indigenous peoples of the Great Basin , is a cultural classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas and a cultural region located between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. The culture area covers approximately 400,000 sq mi (1,000,000 km ), or just less than twice

4845-497: The Wheeler summit trail starting at 10,160 feet (3,097 m). The Wheeler Summit trail is quite strenuous, and the altitude presents significant hazards for unprepared or inexperienced hikers. Backcountry routes are occasionally maintained throughout the more remote southern portion of the park. A number of these trailheads are accessible by the road that terminates at the primitive Shoshone campground. The Great Basin visitor center

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4940-615: The animals they were hunting, they had no permanent villages. The next group to live in the area was the Great Basin Desert Archaic, from approximately 9,000 to 1,500 years ago. They hunted animals like mule deer and antelope and gathered onions, wild rye, and pinyon pine nuts. Then, from 1,500 to 700 years ago, the Fremont lived in the area. Unlike the Paleo-Indians, who moved around to follow bison herds,

5035-535: The area of the hydrographic Great Basin. The hydrographic Great Basin is a 209,162-square-mile (541,730 km ) area that once drained internally. All precipitation in the region evaporated, sank underground or flowed into lakes (mostly saline). As observed by Fremont, creeks, streams, or rivers find no outlet to either the Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific Ocean . The region is bounded by the Wasatch Mountains to

5130-552: The authority of the U.S. Fish Commissioner, Spencer Baird , obtained brown trout eggs from a Baron Lucius von Behr, president of the German Fishing Society  [ de ] . The von Behr brown trout came from both mountain streams and large lakes in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg . The original shipment of "von Behr" brown trout eggs were handled by three hatcheries, one on Long Island ,

5225-501: The basin experiences a semi-arid or arid climate with warm summers and cold winters. However, some of the mountainous areas in the basin are high enough in elevation to experience an alpine climate . Due to the region's altitude and aridity, most areas in the Great Basin experience a substantial diurnal temperature variation . Brown trout Salmo trutta morpha trutta Salmo trutta morpha fario Salmo trutta morpha lacustris The brown trout ( Salmo trutta )

5320-488: The cave, but must leave to forage for food. These include chipmunks , mice , pack rats , and several species of bats . Only insectivorous bats occur in the Great Basin. At least 10 species of bats have been found in the vicinity of Great Basin National Park, including the Townsend's big-eared bat . The park has 12 trails ranging from 0.3 to 13.1 miles (0.48 to 21.08 km). Trails range from short nature trails at 6,825 feet (2,080 m) (Mountain View Nature Trail), to

5415-748: The darkest night skies in the contiguous United States. President Warren G. Harding created Lehman Caves National Monument by presidential proclamation on January 24, 1922. The monument and its surroundings was designated a national park on October 27, 1986, following the advocacy of Congressman Harry Reid . A number of developed campsites are within the park, as well as backcountry camping opportunities. The Highland Ridge Wilderness lies adjacent to Great Basin National Park. These two protected areas provide contiguous wildlife habitat and protection to 227.8 square miles (590.0 km) of eastern Nevada's basin lands. Eleven species of conifer trees and over 800 species of plants are found in Great Basin National Park and

5510-557: The down-faulted basins between ranges and created relatively flat lacustrine plains from Pleistocene lake beds of the Great Basin. For example, after forming about 32,000 years ago , Lake Bonneville overflowed about 14,500 years ago in the Bonneville Flood through Red Rock Pass and lowered to the "Provo Lake" level (the Great Salt Lake , Utah Lake , Sevier Lake , Rush Lake , and Little Salt Lake remain). Lake Lahontan , Lake Manly , and Lake Mojave were similar Pleistocene lakes. The Great Basin physiographic section of

5605-448: The east, the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges to the west, and the Snake River Basin to the north. The south rim is less distinct. The Great Basin includes most of Nevada , half of Utah , substantial portions of Oregon and California , and small areas of Idaho , Wyoming , and Baja California, Mexico . The term "Great Basin" is slightly misleading; the region comprises many small basins. The Great Salt Lake , Pyramid Lake , and

5700-442: The eastern regions of the 1848 California Gold Rush , with its immigrants crossing the Great Basin on the California Trail along Nevada's Humboldt River to Carson Pass in the Sierras. The Oregon Territory was established in 1848 and the Utah Territory in 1850. In 1869 the First transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit in the Great Basin. Around 1902, the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad

5795-402: The elevation increases, the temperature decreases and precipitation increases. Because of this, forests can occur at higher elevations. Utah juniper / single-leaf pinyon (southern regions) and mountain mahogany (northern regions) form open pinyon-juniper woodland on the slopes of most ranges. Stands of limber pine and Great Basin bristlecone pine ( Pinus longaeva ) can be found in some of

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5890-414: The era before it became a National Monument note its use and popularity among recent settlers to the region. Several species occupy the Lehman Caves. Bacteria are the most common. Crickets , spiders , pseudoscorpions , mites , and springtails may live their full lifecycles in the cave. They are dependent on organic material packed in by other animals or washed in from the surface. Other animals use

5985-399: The family Galaxiidae , which also have affinity for well-oxygenated, cold streams. Brown trout additionally are voracious predators of invertebrates and can carry microbial pathogens like Aeromonas salmonicida . Genetic background is a very important factor when determining the success of trout populations, this information is vital to restore and enhance previous populations. Because of

6080-437: The first comprehensive text, The Book of The Sea Trout , specifically addressing angling techniques for the anadromous forms of brown trout. Introductions of brown trout into the American West created new angling opportunities, none so successful from an angling perspective as was the introduction of browns into the upper Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park in 1890. One of the earliest accounts of trout fishing in

6175-453: The fish captured by Healy was confirmed by both the International Game Fish Association and the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as the new all-tackle world record for the species. This fish, which supplanted the former world record from the Little Red River in Arkansas, has in turn been exceeded by a 20.1-kilogram (44 lb) specimen caught in the Ohau Canal in Twizel, New Zealand on 27 October 2020. The all-tackle length IGFA world record

6270-453: The focus of a specialised fly fishery. The first planting in the United States occurred on April 11, 1884, into the Baldwin River, one mile east of Baldwin, Michigan . Brown trout have had serious negative impacts on upland native fish species in some of the countries where they have been introduced, particularly Australia. In Chile , Australia , New Zealand and other locations in the southern hemisphere, brown trout compete with fish from

6365-447: The higher ranges. In riparian areas with dependable water cottonwoods ( Populus fremontii ) and quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides ) groves exist. Because the forest ecosystem is distinct from a typical desert, some authorities, such as the World Wildlife Fund , separate the mountains of the Great Basin desert into their own ecoregion: the Great Basin montane forests . Many rare and endemic species occur in this ecoregion, because

6460-473: The individual mountain ranges are isolated from each other. During the Last Glacial Period , the Great Basin was wetter. As it dried during the Holocene epoch, some species retreated to the higher isolated mountains and have high genetic diversity. Other authorities divide the Great Basin into different ecoregions, depending on their own criteria. Armen Takhtajan defined the "Great Basin floristic province". The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency divides

6555-409: The introduction of several species of salmonids on the remote Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean . Of the seven species introduced, only brook trout , Salvelinus fontinalis , and brown trout survived to establish wild populations. The first introductions in Canada occurred in 1883 in Newfoundland and continued until 1933. The only Canadian regions without brown trout are Yukon and

6650-407: The largest single watershed is the Humboldt River drainage of roughly 17,000 sq mi (44,000 km ). Most Great Basin precipitation is snow, and the precipitation that neither evaporates nor is extracted for human use will sink into groundwater aquifers , while evaporation of collected water occurs from geographic sinks . Lake Tahoe , North America's largest alpine lake , is part of

6745-407: The longest known cave in Nevada. The park offers two different tours of the cave: a 0.6-mile long tour which lasts approximately 90 minutes and a 0.4 mile tour which lasts approximately 60 minutes. The cave had been known to indigenous peoples long before the arrival of Europeans. In 1885, Absalom Lehman, a rancher in the area, began guiding tours into the cave. Visitors' inscriptions in the cave from

6840-479: The low-elevation sagebrush desert. Pronghorns , coyotes , kit foxes , and badgers are less common inhabitants. In the more rugged areas on the slopes of mountains and in the valley areas nearby, cougars , bobcats , marmots , rock squirrels , and bighorn sheep can occasionally be seen throughout this park. Other animals that can be found here include elk , mule deer , spotted skunks , shrews , ringtail cats , and ermine . The Bonneville cutthroat trout

6935-426: The most abundant prey items. However, brown trout also feed on other taxa such as terrestrial invertebrates (e.g. Hymenoptera) or other fish. Moreover, in brown trout, as in many other fish species, a change in the diet composition normally occurs during the life of the fish, and piscivorous behaviour is most frequent in large brown trout. These shifts in the diet during fish lifecycle transitions may be accompanied by

7030-536: The most mountainous state in the country. The Great Basin's two most populous metropolitan areas are the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area to the west and the Wasatch Front to the east (with the latter being significantly more populous than the former). The region between these two areas is sparsely populated, but includes the smaller cities of Elko , Ely , Wendover , West Wendover , and Winnemucca . To

7125-476: The mythological figure who stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. Sixty-one species of mammals, 18 species of reptiles, 238 species of birds, two species of amphibians, and eight species of fish are in Great Basin National Park and the neighboring valleys. An abundance of wildlife has taken advantage of the habitat zones in Great Basin National Park. Jackrabbits , pygmy rabbits, mountain cottontails, ground squirrels , chipmunks , and various mice live in

7220-489: The neighboring valleys. The area around the Visitor Center is dominated by plants such as sagebrush , saltbush , single-leaf pinyon , and Utah juniper . Higher elevations are home to mountain meadows, white fir , quaking aspen , Engelmann spruce , and large Ponderosa pine . At treeline is an alpine area of low, delicate plants and rocky outcroppings. There are several endemic species of plants that are found in

7315-595: The newly arrived, but difficult-to-catch brown trout in Catskill rivers such as the Beaverkill and Neversink Rivers . In the early 20th century, British angler and author G. E. M. Skues pioneered nymphing techniques for brown trout on English chalk streams. His Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream (1910) began a revolution in fly fishing techniques for trout. In 1917, Scottish author Hamish Stuart published

7410-903: The north are; in California Susanville , in Oregon Burns and Hines , in Idaho Malad and in Wyoming Evanston . To the south are Cedar City , Tonopah , and Bishop and the very southern area of the basin has the communities of Pahrump , Palmdale , Victorville , and Palm Springs . Interstate Highways traversing the Great Basin are Interstate 80 (I-80) and I-15 , and I-70 and I-84 have their respective endpoints within its boundaries. Other major roadways are U.S. Route 6 (US 6), US 50 , US 93 , US 95 and US 395 . The section of US 50 between Delta, Utah , and Fallon, Nevada ,

7505-572: The park is from Mary Trowbridge Townsend's 1897 article in Outing Magazine "A Woman's Trout Fishing in Yellowstone Park" in which she talks about catching the von Behr trout in the river: Long dashes down stream taxed my unsteady footing; the sharp click and whirr of the reel resounded in desperate efforts to hold him somewhat in check; another headlong dash, then a vicious bulldog shake of the head as he sawed back and forth across

7600-519: The park's geology and natural and cultural history, as well as theaters with orientation films. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Great Basin National Park has a warm-summer humid continental climate ( Dfb ). The plant hardiness zone at Lehman Caves Visitor Center is 6b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of −3.8 °F (−19.9 °C). The park lies in an arid region and receives very little rainfall during most of

7695-683: The park, depending on elevation and location. The following data are for the Lehman Caves Visitor Center only. Higher elevations are cooler and receive more precipitation, whereas lower elevations are hotter and drier. Great Basin The Great Basin ( Spanish : Gran Cuenca ) is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds , those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America . It spans nearly all of Nevada , much of Utah , and portions of California , Idaho , Oregon , Wyoming , and Baja California . It

7790-404: The park, some of which include Mt. Wheeler sandwort and Holgrem's buckwheat. The oldest non clonal organism ever discovered, a Great Basin bristlecone pine tree at least 5,000 years old, grew at the treeline near Wheeler Peak in the national park. It was cut down in 1964 by a graduate student and U.S. Forest Service personnel for research purposes. It was given the nickname Prometheus , after

7885-418: The rocks. Every wile inherited from generations of wily ancestors was tried until, in a moment of exhaustion, the net was slipped under him. Wading ashore with my prize, I had barely time to notice his size—a good four-pounder, and unusual markings, large yellow spots encircled by black, with great brilliancy of iridescent color—when back he flopped into the water and was gone. However, I took afterward several of

7980-521: The same river appear genetically identical. What determines whether they migrate to sea or not remains unknown. The scientific name of the brown trout is Salmo trutta . The specific epithet trutta derives from the Latin trutta , meaning, literally, " trout ". Behnke (2007) relates that the brown trout was the first species of trout described in the 1758 edition of Systema Naturae by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus . Systema Naturae established

8075-891: The same variety, known in the Park as the Von Baer [sic] trout, and which I have since found to be the Salmo fario , the veritable trout of Izaak Walton. Within the US, brown trout introductions have created self-sustaining fisheries throughout the country. Many are considered "world-class" such as in the Great Lakes and in several Arkansas tailwaters. Outside the U.S. and outside its native range in Europe, introduced brown trout have created "world-class" fisheries in New Zealand, Patagonia , and

8170-688: The southern Snake Range and adjacent portions of Snake and Spring Valleys : the western spadefoot toad (Spea hammondii) and the leopard frog (Rana pipiens) . Many of the rocks formed during the Cambrian , when the region lay at the edge of a continental landmass called Laurentia . These rocks include the Cambrian strata. As the Paleozoic era progressed, several intensified geologic events occurred, including repeated episodes of faulting , and in turn, orogenies which involved upward lifting of

8265-452: The system of binomial nomenclature for animals . Salmo trutta was used to describe anadromous or sea-run forms of brown trout. Linnaeus also described two other brown trout species in 1758. Salmo fario was used for riverine forms. Salmo lacustris was used for lake-dwelling forms. The native range of brown trout extends from northern Norway and White Sea tributaries in Russia in

8360-615: The territory north of the 42nd parallel via the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty with Spain and 1846 Oregon Treaty with Britain. The US gained claims to most of the rest of the Great Basin via the 1848 Mexican Cession . The first non-indigenous settlement was in 1847 in the Great Salt Lake Valley, leading to the first American religious settlement effort of the Mormon provisional State of Deseret in 1849 in present-day Utah and northern Nevada. Later settlements were connected with

8455-523: The trout's importance as a food and game fish, it has been artificially propagated and stocked in many places in its range, and fully natural populations (uncontaminated by allopatric genomes ) probably exist only in isolated places, for example in Corsica or in high alpine valleys on the European mainland. Farming of brown trout has included the production of infertile triploid fish by increasing

8550-670: The water temperature just after fertilisation of eggs, or more reliably, by a process known as pressure shocking. Triploids are favoured by anglers because they grow faster and larger than diploid trout. Proponents of stocking triploids argue, because they are infertile, they can be introduced into an environment that contains wild brown trout without the negative effects of cross-breeding. However, stocking triploids may damage wild stocks in other ways. Triploids certainly compete with diploid fish for food, space, and other resources. They could also be more aggressive than diploid fish and they may disturb spawning behaviour. The brown trout has been

8645-456: The waters where they spend most of their lives. Sea trout are more commonly female in less nutrient-rich rivers. Brown trout are active both by day and by night and are opportunistic feeders. While in freshwater, their diets frequently include invertebrates from the streambed , other fish, frogs, mice, birds, and insects flying near the water's surface. The high dietary reliance upon insect larvae , pupae , nymphs , and adults allows trout to be

8740-492: The year. Most precipitation is winter snow or summer thunderstorms. All precipitation in this region evaporates, sinks underground, or flows into lakes — i.e., it is endorheic . No water reaches the ocean. Winters are cool and summers are mild to hot. Weather can change quickly, especially in the back country or on Wheeler Peak at high elevations. Lehman Caves maintain a fairly constant temperature of 50 °F (10 °C) with 90% humidity year round. The climate varies throughout

8835-402: Was constructed in the lower basin and Mojave Desert for California-Nevada rail service to Las Vegas, Nevada. The climate varies throughout the Great Basin by elevation, latitude, and other factors. Higher elevations tend to be cooler and receive more precipitation. The western areas of the basin tend to be drier than the eastern areas because of the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada . Most of

8930-804: Was defined by botanist Armen Takhtajan to extend well beyond the boundaries of the hydrographically defined Great Basin: it includes the Snake River Plain , the Colorado Plateau , the Uinta Basin , and parts of Arizona north of the Mogollon Rim . The Great Basin physiographic section is a geographic division of the Basin and Range Province defined by Nevin Fenneman in 1931. The United States Geological Survey adapted Fenneman's scheme in their Physiographic division of

9025-422: Was unintentionally introduced, forms a critical portion of their diets. Feral horses ( mustangs ) and feral burros are highly reproductive, and ecosystem-controversial, alien species. Most of the Great Basin is open range and domestic cattle and sheep are widespread. The Great Basin includes valleys, basins, lakes and mountain ranges of the Basin and Range Province . The basin and range topography

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