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Colorado River cutthroat trout

Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus

Identifying Characteristics

	Body is bright, golden yellow with a brassy green back, the most colorful Wyoming cutthroat
	Large spots distributed uniformly on body and caudal fin, which can be rectangular in shape on the caudal peduncle
	Adipose fin usually has a black border
	Orange tint along belly
	Red or orange slash mark under jaw
	Distinguished from other cutthroat subspecies by is bright colors and large spots
	Distinguished from rainbow trout by the lack of white tips on fins

Other Information

The Colorado River cutthroat trout is native to the Green River and Little Snake river drainages in Wyoming. In fact, they were the only trout found in those drainages. Numbers of Colorado River cutthroats were reduced through hybridization and competition with introduced non-native trout, like the brook trout and rainbow trout.

Colorado River cutthroat prefer small, clear streams and rivers along with small to medium size lakes. Cutthroat are spring spawners. The principal food of the cutthroat is plankton and aquatic insects in lakes, and aquatic insects in streams. Cutthroat over twelve inches, especially Snake River cutthroat, often feed on small fish and crayfish.

Angling Tips

Most conventional trout fishing techniques work fine for cutthroat – in fact, they are one of the easiest trout to catch on hook and line.