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Fish: Cutthroat Trout

Fish Id

Post By: randog      Posted: 8/10/2021 2:08:47 PM     Points: 1788    
Nice colors on this one. Is it just a mutt cutty
 Reply by: WapitiStalker      Posted: 8/10/2021 4:05:02 PM     Points: 150
I say its a cutthroat for sure just not sure which one.. beautiful fish!
 Reply by: Elrod      Posted: 8/10/2021 4:05:06 PM     Points: 115
Looks like a Colorado River Cutthroat.
 Reply by: yard dogs      Posted: 8/10/2021 4:35:27 PM     Points: 758
Beautiful fish
 Reply by: Golfprogreg      Posted: 8/10/2021 4:39:16 PM     Points: 36
Nice! I love the colors !!!
 Reply by: Mattastrophy      Posted: 8/10/2021 4:54:27 PM     Points: 2096
First: Beautiful Fish. Well Done!

I have posted a few times on here about this same question.

After many years of research and experienced observers this is what I would determine as the identification of your fish:

Colorado River Cutthroat.

You have the large spots congregating mostly at the tail. (Peduncle)

There are no visible spots on the anal, pelvic and pectoral fins.

The colors are usually indicative of spawning Cutthtroats which make for a more beautiful specimen. Wonderful catch.
 Reply by: randog      Posted: 8/11/2021 3:52:26 PM     Points: 1788
 Reply by: not too old to fish      Posted: 8/12/2021 11:05:31 AM     Points: 8440
I would say it's a greenback due to overall color and the larger spots toward the tail. Check the picture of the greenback under the ' Fish Species' block at the top of the page.
 Reply by: crappie-slayer      Posted: 8/14/2021 11:42:22 AM     Points: 179
It’s a fish
 Reply by: devon234      Posted: 8/14/2021 11:41:28 PM     Points: 309
if you caught it on the west side of the divide than it most likely is a colorado river cutthroat and if its on the east side than it is a greenback. they can look vey similar. just looking at it without knowing where you caught it i would say greenback because they tend to have more extreme coloration than other cutthroats but colorado river cutts can be pretty colorful as well.
 Reply by: brookieflyfisher      Posted: 8/16/2021 10:24:43 AM     Points: 6193
Assuming you're not trolling us by posting something from the Yellowstone region, then my guess is a Colorado river cutt with a metric ton of salt grains.

The "east side=greenback, west side=colorado" isn't quite true anymore. Recent genetics work on Colorado's native cutthroat has formed a case that a variety of state and federal agencies were stocking a fish on the eastern slope that was probably a greenback/colorado river cutthroat hybrid. There's also evidence that the Arkansas basin was home to a genetically distinct form of cutthroat from the South Platte basin, though last I heard that one's still up for debate? I dunno. Anyways, if you want to learn more about Greenbacks, including how to identify them and where to catch them, you should really check out the following sources:

A plain-English report (with all known recovery locations to date) can be found from Trout Unlimited and Western Native Trout Initiative: [log in for link]

If you prefer your information in the form of a story, you can find a good write-up in HCN: [log in for link]

If you want more nitty-gritty details about Greenback Cutthroat trout morphology, genetics, and the current recovery effort, check out the CPW's Greenback Cutthroat page: [log in for link]

TLDR: CO's native cutthroat are a mess on the eastern slope. To my understanding, the only thing that's clear is that locations with Bear Creek (aka "true") Greenbacks are well documented (see the TU/WNTI report above). If OP was fishing at one of the recovery locations, then it's a greenback. If not, it's...something else.
 Reply by: randog      Posted: 8/24/2021 6:24:52 PM     Points: 1788
Brokie... lol isn't there a wyoming forum for that, and a bit bummed you mention troll smh. nope caught less than an hour from longmont. Moose dancers honey hole
 Reply by: randog      Posted: 9/30/2021 11:49:57 AM     Points: 1788
 Reply by: ND Transplant      Posted: 9/30/2021 11:58:55 AM     Points: 14545
Randog, I know exactly where that spot is. Thank you for hotspotting. I'll be keeping from that hole. Tightlines! LMAO
 Reply by: ND Transplant      Posted: 9/30/2021 3:37:09 PM     Points: 14545
My dude... over 2/3rds of Americans are obese. They ain't blowing up any of the lakes I go to anytime soon. What laws do you think I would be breaking exactly? Sounds like you're butthurt one, cupcake.
 Reply by: Trailerman      Posted: 9/30/2021 4:58:27 PM     Points: 407
Randog = classic trolling. Keep up the good entertainment. Popcorn emoji.
 Reply by: randog      Posted: 10/6/2021 12:38:49 PM     Points: 1788
Gladly treailerman

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