<P> Also called at (Upper) Soda Springs the' Varden' trout...The handsomest trout, and, on the whole, having the most perfect form of all the trout we saw on the McCloud . Also, the only fish that had colored spots . This one was profusely spotted over most of the body with reddish golden spots...The local name at (Upper) Soda Springs is the Dolly Varden . </P> <P> Although the name "Dolly Varden" was originally given to the bull trout of the McCloud River, bull trout (S. confluentus) and Dolly Varden trout (S. malma) were considered the same species (S. malma) until 1978 . Thus the common name "Dolly Varden" gained acceptance for S. malma for over 100 years . Additionally, the Arctic char (S. alpinus) and Russian subspecies have been referred to as Dolly Varden . It is known as belyi golets in Russian . </P> <P> The back and sides are olive green or muddy gray, shading to white on the belly . The body has scattered pale yellow or pinkish - yellow spots . There are no black spots or wavy lines on the body or fins . Small red spots are present on the lower sides . These are frequently indistinct . The fins are plain and unmarked except for a few light spots on the base of the caudal fin rays . S. malma is extremely similar in appearance to the bull trout (S. confluentus) and Arctic char (S. alpinus), so much so that they are sometimes referred to as "native char" without a distinction . </P> <P> The Dolly Varden trout is found in coastal waters of the North Pacific from Puget Sound north along the British Columbia Coast to the Alaska Peninsula and into the eastern Aleutian Islands, along the Bering Sea and the Arctic Sea to the Mackenzie River . The range in Asia extends south through the Kamchatka Peninsula into northern Japan . </P>

Char fish related to dolly varden found in northwest