Wyoming Fish Species: Snake River Cutthroat

Identifying Characteristics
- Body is brownish yellow with dull silvery, green or bronze tints- Very fine spots profuse and 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 principle food of the cutthroat is plankton and aquatic insects in lakes, and aquatic insects in streams. Cutthroat over 12 inches often feed on small fish and crayfish.