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Snake River cutthroat trout

Oncorhynchus clarkii ssp.

Identifying Characteristics

	Body is brownish yellow with dull silvery, green or bronze tints
	Spotting profuse and of very fine spots covering the body except the belly, which is white
	Red or orange slash under lower jaw
	Distinguished from other subspecies by its profuse fine spotting
	Distinguished from rainbow trout by its lack of white tips on its paired fins

Other Information

The Snake River cutthroat trout is also called the finespotted cutthroat. The native distribution is the Snake River. It is most sought after in the Jackson area by anglers, but is the most widely stocked subspecies outside of its native range. The Snake River cutthroat is the most widely adaptable subspecies of cutthroat trout.

The Snake River cutthroat prefers large rivers, but is widely adaptable to streams and 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.