Home >> Freshwater Species >> Trout Fishing >> Cutthroat Trout

Cutthroat Trout

Introduction

Native to the western United States and Canada, the cutthroat trout (salmo clarki) obtains its name from a streak of red colour beneath its lower jaw. Cutthroats often hybridize with other trout, especially the rainbow. In many areas, the two varieties exist as an indistinct strain. Like the brook trout, the cutthroat is vulnerable to over-fishing and to disruptions in the local environment.

Also like the brook trout, the cutthroat tires relatively easily and is top-quality table fare. The cutthroat ranges from Alaska to northern California, and inland to the Wyoming-Yellowstone-Idaho regions.

Behaviour

Anadromous (migratory) coastal cutthroats swim to the ocean when they reach two or three years of age. They remain in the ocean for about two years, after which they return to the rivers to spawn. When cutthroats reach at least four years of age, they begin to spawn on alternate years. Coastal cutthroats spawn in February and March, while inland cutthroat spawn in April and May. The life span of the cutthroat is six to ten years; consequently, most fish spawn only once or twice in a lifetime.

Cutthroats are piscivorous, meaning their diet consists almost entirely of other fish. Young cutthroat that are too small to compete with other residents of their ecosystem feed on small freshwater shrimp and insect larvae.

In many popular fishing areas, the cutthroat population is dwindling. Over-fishing and the introduction of dominant trout species into the same waters as the cutthroat have contributed to smaller catches and fewer fish. Most cutthroat fishing is restricted to smaller streams away from heavily fished rivers and lakes, but even in these sheltered areas, the cutthroat struggles to sustain itself. Today, in a dwindling fish population, a catch over five pounds is significant.

Fishing Techniques

Where the river current is fast, wary cutthroats can be caught on a variety of artificial stonefly and caddis nymphs, fished slowly along the river bottom. In these faster waters, the presence of rainbow trout usually indicates areas preferred by cutthroats also. To catch larger fish, bait such as night crawlers and minnows (where legal) are effective. Interestingly, often a particular area or stream will produce fish with minnows as the sole bait, or another area with night crawlers alone.

Mature cutthroat are typically piscivorous, and biologists do not know why some fish show a marked fondness for night crawlers in some streams. In high, discoloured streams as in spring or after a heavy rainfall, try small silver spinners with bright bodies. Always fish the bait or lure slowly and along the bottom - cutthroats are habitual bottom-feeders.

In early spring, cast a small silver spoon into pockets of open water amidst floating ice. Again, let the lure sink to the bottom, then slowly retrieve it with an intermittent jerking motion, then let it sink. As the lure quivers to the bottom, anticipate a strike and set the hook at the first change in line pressure. Ensure that many spoon lures are on hand; this technique results in many hang-ups and lost lures.

In warmer waters, cutthroats swim to deeper areas off points and drop-offs. Deep troll 'cowbells' or 'Davis-rigs' - lures comprising a string of spinners and beads, attached by a leader to a spoon or bait. Rainbow trout baits such as worms, cheese, marshmallows, and minnows (where legal) are used by shore anglers in summer months.

In the cooler fall waters, cutthroats approach nearer the surface, but their natural wariness remains. Cutthroats spook easily, and spin-fishing with a small wet fly or midge and a spinning bubble work best. Tie a ten or twelve-foot leader below the spinning bubble. This rig is awkward to cast, but the long leader helps avoid alarming the fish into deeper water.

In an attempt to ensure a future cutthroat population, some fish and game departments have increased size limits and lowered daily bag limits. Anglers introduce non-native minnow species that feed on cutthroat eggs. Native cutthroat waters have been invaded by hardy brown trout that feed on young cutthroats. New dikes and dams block access to feeder streams and spawning grounds. Like the brook trout, the cutthroat population is being pushed into remote wilderness areas and isolated lakes and streams.

If you would like to see additional species added to our list of freshwater fish, please email your request to admin@fishresource.com and we will do our best to add it. Or, if you have specific questions regarding individual species, please email ask@fishresource.com and we will do our best to answer them.

Freshwater Fish Species

Search Fishresource.com Try searching Fishresource.com or search Google for additional information on freshwater fishing, North American freshwater fishing resorts, guides, camps and lodges and let us know if you have a link that we should add to this site by sending an email to: links@fishresource.com.

Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web www.fishresource.com