Cutthroat Trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii. Dark green to olive back with silvery sides and irregular dark spots covering the entire body.
Photos
Click a photo to expand it for a closer look.
Identification
- Dark green to olive back with silvery sides and irregular dark spots covering the entire body.
- Red-orange slash marks on the underside of the lower jaw, the feature that gives the species its name.
- Small teeth on the back of the tongue, a trait rainbow trout lack.
- Typically 7 to 9 inches in resident populations, though quality lakes can produce fish 10 to 18 inches.
Depth by season
| Season | Depth | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | – | One of the best seasons to fish; cool water lets fish use shoreline shallows and submerged debris. |
| Summer | – | Warming water pushes fish deeper and closer to bottom, often into offshore areas to escape the heat. |
| Fall | – | Cooling water brings another strong bite as fish return to shallower shoreline habitat. |
| Winter | – | Catch rates drop during the spawning period; fish are less active and harder to locate. |
Top lures
- Blue Fox Vibrax spinner (spinner , silver/gold/fluorescent orange): Cast along shoreline drop-offs and submerged debris, best in spring and fall.
- Little Cleo spoon (spoon , silver/gold): Cast-and-retrieve or troll deeper water once fish drop toward bottom in summer.
- Flatfish (crankbait , silver/black/frog pattern): Slow-trolled near submerged structure and shoreline drop-offs.
- Leech pattern streamer (fly , black/olive/maroon): Stripped slowly along drop-offs where cutthroat forage on leeches and small fish.
Top baits
- Nightcrawler: Fished below a small split shot, still-fished near drop-offs and submerged debris.
- Small minnow (where legal): Hooked through the lips or back and slow-trolled or drifted near submerged structure.
Line & tackle
- Rod power: Light spinning rod for casting small spinners and spoons
Stocked behavior
Utah's high alpine lakes often get cutthroat as 1-3 inch fingerlings dropped by aircraft, not catchable-size fish, needing a full growing season or more to reach catchable size. That program is specific to Utah's remote high lakes; check a lake's own stocking history for its actual plant size. Small fish hold near shoreline drop-offs and debris like wild cutthroat, not near the release point.
Common mistakes
- Fishing summer days in the shallows; cutthroat move deep and toward bottom once surface water warms.
- Skipping spring and fall trips, the two windows when cutthroat feed most actively in shallow water.
- Overlooking small headwater streams; WDFW puts most resident cutthroat above impassable barriers, and they average 7 to 9 inches.
State records
| State | Weight | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 12.00 lbs | W. Welsh | Lake Crescent, Clallam County | 1961 |
| Utah | 26 lbs. 12 oz. | Mrs. E. Smith | Strawberry Reservoir | 1930 |
Sources: Washington's official record page , Utah's official record page , accessed 2026-09-19.
Best time to fish Cutthroat Trout
Computed from every real stocking date on record, not a general seasonal guess.
Washington
Most commonly stocked in December in Washington, based on 29 stocking events on record.
Utah
Most commonly stocked in May in Utah, based on 575 stocking events on record.
Where it's stocked
31 locations shown. Click a pin for details.
Washington
- Goose Lake (6)
- Munn Lake (4)
- Island Lake (3)
- Lake Leland (3)
- Lake St. Clair (3)
- Battle Ground Lake (2)
- Klineline Pond (2)
- Longs Pond (2)
- Spencer Lake (2)
- Lost Lake (1)
- Trails End Lake (1)
Utah
- Strawberry Reservoir (216)
- Bear Lake (66)
- Scofield Reservoir (63)
- Panguitch Lake (39)
- Little Dell Reservoir (34)
- Lost Creek Reservoir (26)
- Currant Creek Reservoir (17)
- Koosharem Reservoir (15)
- Otter Creek Reservoir (13)
- Manning Meadow Reservoir (12)
- Flaming Gorge Reservoir (11)
- Silver Lake Flat Reservoir (10)
- Jordanelle Reservoir (9)
- Electric Lake (8)
- Fish Lake (7)
- Navajo Lake (6)
- Upper Enterprise Reservoir (4)
- Tibble Fork Reservoir (4)
- Minersville Reservoir (2)
- Palisade Reservoir (2)
Sources
- identification (accessed 2026-09-18)
- depth_by_season (accessed 2026-09-18)
- top_lures (accessed 2026-09-18)
- top_baits (accessed 2026-09-18)
- line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-18)
- stocked_behaviour (accessed 2026-09-18)
- common_mistakes (accessed 2026-09-19)