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Legendary Species · Trout

Cutthroat trout

Oncorhynchus clarkii[1]

Cutthroat trout get their name from the red slashes near the lower jaw.[2]

  • 209waters list it
  • 8states and regions
  • 11agency sources
A cutthroat trout laid on a white sheet beside a pen for scale, dark-spotted with red-orange colour under the jaw
Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii), photographed by James E. Johnson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: James E. Johnson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Identification

  • Cutthroat trout get their name from the red slashes near the lower jaw.[2]
    What the source says
    “Cutthroat trout are so named for the red slashes near the lower jaws.”
  • Utah DWR says that, except for the Bear Lake form, cutthroat are best told by the crimson slash along the lower jaw, and that they lack the rainbow trout's iridescent pink stripe and white-tipped pelvic and anal fins.[3]
    What the source says
    “Except for the Bear Lake cutthroat trout, cutthroats are best distinguished by their crimson slash along the lower jaw. Cutthroat trout lack the iridescent pink stripe or the white-tipped pelvic and anal fins of the rainbow trout.”

Westslope cutthroat

  • NPS describes a red slash along the jaw and dark spots along the top and tail, features shared by all cutthroat varieties.[5]
    What the source says
    “Red slash along jaw and dark spots, common to all cutthroat varieties, along top and tail.”

Yellowstone cutthroat

  • the black spotting pattern varies a lot, but there are few or no spots on the head.[6]
    What the source says
    “Highly variable black spotting pattern, but few to no spots on the head.”

Colorado River cutthroat

  • CPW describes a bright yellow-gold body with a brassy-green back and an orange belly.[7]
    What the source says
    “bright yellow-gold body with a brassy-green back and orange belly”

Greenback cutthroat

  • CPW describes two blood-red stripes on each side of the throat under the jaw[8]
    What the source says
    “two colorful blood-red stripes on each side of the throat under the jaw”

Bonneville cutthroat

  • sparse, large, distinct round spots over the upper body, with few spots on or near the head.[3]
    What the source says
    “They have sparsely scattered, large and very distinctive round spots over the upper body, with few spots on or near the head.”

Snake River finespotted cutthroat

  • many small, fairly even-sized black spots cover the whole body except the belly.[11]
    What the source says
    “numerous small, relatively evenly-sized dark, black spots covering the entire body except the belly”
  • Wyoming Game and Fish describes the colour as yellowish-brown to silver or brassy bronze.[11]
    What the source says
    “yellowish-brown to silver or brassy bronze”

Bear Lake cutthroat

  • often lacks the bright crimson jaw slash, which can be yellow, gray or missing.[3]
    What the source says
    “Bear Lake cutthroat trout often lack the bright crimson jaw slash, which may at times be yellow, gray or nonexistent.”
  • deep orange pelvic and anal fins and few or no spots on the head set it apart from rainbow trout.[3]
    What the source says
    “Deep orange pelvic and anal fins and the presence of few, if any, spots on the head readily distinguish Bear Lake cutthroat from rainbow trout (see rainbow trout description).”

Habitat and range

Westslope cutthroat

  • in Montana the historical range was all of the state west of the Continental Divide plus the upper Missouri River drainage.[2]
    What the source says
    “historical range was all of Montana west of the Continental Divide as well as the upper Missouri River drainage.”

Yellowstone cutthroat

  • NPS says it is native to the Yellowstone River, Snake River and Fall River drainages.[6]
    What the source says
    “Native to the Yellowstone River, Snake River, and Fall River drainages.”

Colorado River cutthroat

  • historically lived in parts of the Colorado River drainage in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.[7]
    What the source says
    “historically occupied portions of the Colorado River drainage in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah”

Greenback cutthroat

  • originally lived in the mountain and foothill areas of the South Platte River system.[8]
    What the source says
    “originally lived in the mountain and foothill areas of the South Platte river system”

Bonneville cutthroat

  • originally lived in the Bonneville Basin.[3]
    What the source says
    “Bonneville cutthroat trout originally inhabited the Bonneville Basin.”

Lahontan cutthroat

  • range runs from the Sierra Nevada crest in California northeast into Nevada, with a small part in Oregon.[9]
    What the source says
    “Their range extends from the Sierra Nevada crest in California northeast into Nevada, including a small portion in Oregon.”

Snake River finespotted cutthroat

  • Wyoming Game and Fish lists its native waters as including the Hoback, Salt, Greys, Gros Ventre and Snake rivers.[11]
    What the source says
    “Hoback, Salt, Greys, Gros Ventre, Snake River”

Bear Lake cutthroat

  • Utah DWR describes it as a lake-dwelling form of the Bonneville cutthroat.[3]
    What the source says
    “The Bear Lake cutthroat trout is a lake-dwelling form of the Bonneville cutthroat trout.”

Life history

Bonneville cutthroat

  • USFWS says they spawn in spring near the mouths of streams over gravel.[1]
    What the source says
    “They spawn near the mouths of streams over gravel substrate in the springtime”

Lahontan cutthroat

  • USFWS says the subspecies has three life histories: stream-type, migratory and lake-dwelling (lacustrine) forms.[10]
    What the source says
    “This subspecies exhibits three life histories including: stream-type, migratory and lacustrine forms.”

Status, protections and rules

Legal status and rules as the agency stated them on the date read. Rules change: check the current regulations for the water.

Westslope cutthroat

  • Montana FWP says it has been designated a Fish of Special Concern in Montana.[2]
    What the source says
    “it has been designated a Fish of Special Concern in Montana.”

Yellowstone cutthroat

  • non-native lake trout caused a dramatic decline in Yellowstone cutthroat in the early 2000s.[6]
    What the source says
    “Nonnative lake trout caused a dramatic decline in YCT in the early 2000s.”

Colorado River cutthroat

  • Colorado Parks and Wildlife lists its status as State Special Concern.[7]
    What the source says
    “State Special Concern”

Greenback cutthroat

  • Colorado Parks and Wildlife lists it as federally threatened and state threatened.[8]
    What the source says
    “Federally Threatened, State Threatened”

Lahontan cutthroat

  • listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (CDFW).[9]
    What the source says
    “Lahontan cutthroat trout are a threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species Act.”

Fishing for it: what the agencies say

What agencies and extension services say about catching it, with the source for each line.

  • In Yellowstone National Park, all native fish, including cutthroat trout, must be released unharmed (NPS rule).[4]
    What the source says
    “All native fish must be released unharmed, including cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish, and Arctic grayling.”
General advice (ours, not an agency's)
  • Ask the nearest fly shop what is hatching on the water this week; it is the most current information there is.
  • Match the size and colour of the insects you see on the water before changing anything else.
  • Read the water page's gauge before you go: flow and water temperature change by the day.
Try the fly finderHatch & season chartsIdentify an insect or fly

Water temperature

Warm water stresses trout, char and salmon. These are the published temperature lines we show on every gauge, chosen state first: the state agency's own where it publishes one, otherwise federal guidance (said so). Each water page applies them to the gauge's live reading; the flow and temperature checker does the same for any gauge.

Whose temperature guidance applies in each state
StateWhose linesSources
IdahoIdaho Fish and Game (the state's own)Idaho Department of Fish and Game · Idaho Department of Fish and Game
UtahFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Utah line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WyomingWyoming Game and Fish (the state's own)Wyoming Game and Fish Department · Wyoming Game and Fish Department · National Park Service
MontanaMontana FWP (the state's own)Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
AlaskaFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Alaska line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
OregonODFW (the state's own)Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
ArizonaArizona Game and Fish (the state's own)Arizona Game and Fish Department
TennesseeFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Tennessee line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Where to fish for cutthroat trout

Our 209 water pages whose agency species list names cutthroat trout (each list links to the agency page it comes from). A species missing from a list does not mean it is absent: many agencies publish no list for a water.

United States 209 waters

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

  1. Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read Oct 24, 2026.
  2. Westslope Cutthroat Conservation & Restoration | Montana FWP Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, read Oct 24, 2026.
  3. 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, read Oct 24, 2026.
  4. Fishing - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service, read Oct 24, 2026.
  5. Westslope Cutthroat Trout - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service, read Oct 24, 2026.
  6. Fish Ecology - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service, read Oct 24, 2026.
  7. Colorado River Cutthroat Trout | Colorado Parks and Wildlife Colorado Parks and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
  8. Greenback Cutthroat Trout | Colorado Parks and Wildlife Colorado Parks and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
  9. Lahontan Cutthroat Trout California Department of Fish and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
  10. Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read Oct 24, 2026.
  11. Wyoming Cutt-Slam | Wyoming Game & Fish Department Wyoming Game and Fish Department, read Oct 24, 2026.

6 states and regions have a page of cutthroat trout waters of its own (five or more waters).