The West Virginia Centennial Golden Trout is a unique, bright yellow fish that was first widely stocked in 1963, the state's 100^th anniversary. The golden trout is not a different species but a natural color mutation of the common rainbow trout. In 1955, hatchery manager Vincent Evans noticed a yellow-mottled rainbow trout fingerling (a young fish) and called it "Little Camouflage." Hatchery managers carefully bred this fish with regular rainbow trout, selecting the best color. By 1963, they had enough golden trout to begin stocking them across West Virginia.

Golden trout are a popular part of the state's trout-stocking program. These fish tend to seek shaded water more than regular rainbow trout. Some fishermen find them harder to catch and consider them a special prize.