Fly Fishing Wyoming

The Wyoming cutthroat trout is Wyoming's state fish and can be found in
every part of the state. The Cutthroat Trout is the native trout of the
Rocky Mountains. Unlike Brown Trout which were originally introduced to
the Eastern part of the United States. Cutthroat Trout are originally
from the Western part of the United States.

The cutthroat is popular with
fly fishers because they are not
as wary as other species of trout. They tend to be aggressive feeders
and scrappy fighters and can be caught on a wide variety
of fly patterns.

Cutthroat trout have
unmistakable color and markings. The main
difference between cutthroats and other trout is a red line that runs
under their jaws. Cutthroats can have pink pectoral
and ventral fins. Cutthroats can grow from 10 to 20 inches in
length. They typically have longer heads and jaws than rainbow
and can often be distinguished from the rainbow by their bigger
spots.

Wyoming has four subspecies of
cutthroat trout, which is
reported to be more than any other state. They include...

The Snake River Cutthroat

The Snake River cutthroat is the most popular of the four
Wyoming cutthroat trout subspecies. The Snake River cutthroat,
is also known as the fine spotted cutthroat. This is because
of their small spots scattered along their body.

The
Snake River cutthroat's native range is from Jackson Lake to the area now flooded
by Palisades Reservoir. Snake River cutthroat trout do well in
hatcheries and have been used to stock a variety of rivers and lakes
outside of their native range. They tend to like big bushy dry flies and provide
anglers with plenty of action and scrappy fights.

The Yellowstone Cutthroat

The Yellowstone cutthroat
trout is easily distinguished from
the other trout species by its two prominent red slashes on the lower
jaw. It also stands out from other Wyoming cutthroat trout subspecies
by its large black spots.
It has drab brownish, yellow, or silvery color. Even in mature
fish, the Yellowstone cutthroat doesn't develop the brighter colors
that
the other species do.

The Colorado River cutthroat

The Colorado River cutthroat
is found in the headwaters
of the Green and Little Snake rivers. And typically reside
in the Southwest corner of the state.

The Bonneville Cutthroat

The Bonneville cutthroat
trout, also known as the Utah or Bear
River cutthroat, is Wyoming's rarest cutthroat. It's found in the upper
Bear River watershed. This includes the Smiths Fork
River, Thomas Fork river, Woodruff reservoir and Sulfur Creek
Reservoirs.

The Cutt-Slam Program

The Wyoming Game and Fish has created a program designed to
encourage anglers to become familiar with the Wyoming cutthroat trout
subspecies.

The Cutt-Slam program will also help people gain appreciation for the department cutthroat management program.

Summary

The Wyoming cutthroat trout is a beautiful native fish that
will give anglers joy for years to come. Provided we do our
part to insure and preserve their wild and natural habitat.

I encourage everyone to be
good stewards of the environment.
Practice catch and release, and when you leave the back country, take
everything that you brought with you. By practicing
good conservation we can preserve the native Wyoming cutthroat trout
for future generations.