TRUCKEE, Calif. — Something fishy is going on in an alpine pond high above Donner Lake.
Catfish are not typically found in the High Sierra, especially not at elevations above 7,000 feet, like the ones in a small pond near Donner Summit.
Locals call it the Chinese Catfish Pond and it's located just up the hill from Donner Ski Ranch, next to Lake Angela.
The trail is short, just over a half-mile long, but it is rocky and steep. If you need a little break, stop off at the tree swing. The location of the catfish pond is not a secret, but how the catfish got in the pond is.
“The number one idea is probably the Chinese,” said historian Greg Zirbel.
There are two theories behind the catfish pond. The first involves Chinese laborers who were building the transcontinental railroad back in the 1860s and 1870s.
“The Chinese spent, like, 16 months digging the longest and highest tunnel on the Transcontinental Railroad, and we have record that fish were being planted all over the place here,” said Zirbel.
He says the Chinese might have planted the fish in the pond for food or entertainment, but there is another theory.
“Outside the western portal of the longest tunnel on the transcontinental railroad was the Summit Hotel, and we have articles saying that the hotel proprietor was out here planting the fish,” said Zirbel. “I think for food for the restaurant.”
Regardless of who put the catfish in the alpine pond, it’s pretty amazing they can survive the freezing temperatures of a High Sierra winter.
“They must have some pretty good blood working through their system to stay defrosted like that,” said Zirbel.
ANOTHER FISH TALE FROM THE BACKROADS: Gather 'round the hole! It's ice fishing time! See what's lurking below the ice at Caples Lake.
