A few years ago, one of my best fishing friends sent me a picture of a fish that he called a “trophy.” It was 17 inches long, per his measurements, which is supposedly a great size for coastal cutthroat trout.
As a born-and-bred Rocky Mountain angler, I’m familiar with cutthroat, but the picture my buddy sent of his coastal looked…well, just like a rainbow trout. I couldn’t see any orange slashed below the jaw, and the spotting pattern, green back, and silverly flanks all screamed rainbow trout. Add to that my buddy lives in Washington, and fishes on the Olympic Peninsula, and I figured he’d just mistaken this fish for something else.
A quick Google search told me I was wrong, though. Coastal cutthroat do look an awful lot like rainbows, but they’re definitely their own fish. Let’s take a closer look at this oft-forgotten trout that’s one of the few natives to not be on the endangered species list.
What Are Coastal Cutthroat?
Coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) are one of the four major cutthroat trout species, alongside the Westslope (Oncorhynchus lewisi), Lahontan (Oncorhynchus henshawi) and Rocky Mountain (Oncorhynchus virginalis). They’re the only cutthroat species without a long list of recognized subspecies, showing off just how unique these fish are.
They’re native to Pacific Ocean drainages from northern California up through Alaska. As their name implies, these cutthroat are capable of living in both fresh and saltwater. However, not every coastal cutthroat will spend time in the ocean. Some forms of this fish are in landlocked lakes, or stay in rivers for their entire lives.
The ones that do venture out into the ocean rarely go more than 10 miles from their native stream, although some have been observed going 70 miles into the open ocean. Anadromous populations of coastal cutthroat will spend time at sea eating, before returning to freshwater to spawn. Many coastal cutthroat will spend the winters in rivers, as well.
Size and Color
Most coastal cutthroat that spend time at sea don’t grow much larger than 18 inches, which explains why my friend was so excited to catch his 17-inch specimen. Lake-dwelling populations of coastal cutthroat can grow past 24 inches, but that’s fairly rare. They’re typically between 6 and 16 inches long, according to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
These fish vary greatly in color, and it largely depends on whether they’re sea-run, stream-dwelling, or lake fish. Sea-run coastal cutthroat tend to have a blue-silver body with less intense spotting patterns. Their jaw slashes aren’t bright orange, but more of a faint yellow.
Lake-dwelling coastal cutthroat are uniformly silver with black spots, and a faint slash mark under the jaw.
Resident coastal cutthroat living in streams have a golden yellow body, tons of black spots on the head, and bright red slashes under their jaws.
Catching Coastal Cutthroat
Coastal cutthroat react and respond to flies just like any other trout. The key to catching them isn’t a specific tactic or fly, so much as it is fishing in places where they live. Washington and Oregon offer great coastal fishing, as does southeastern Alaska.
You can catch sea-run coastal cutthroat in estuaries, especially in early summer as they stage at river mouths before migrating upstream.
Wrapping Up
Coastal cutthroat often get overlooked, especially since they live alongside steelhead and salmon. But they’re an important part of the ecosystem, and according to my friends who fish for them, put up a decent fight for fish their size. That they spend time at sea and don’t reach monstrous sizes makes them unique, and I enjoy chasing unique trout.
Perhaps most importantly, though, coastal cutthroat are one of the few cutthroat species not facing serious population threats. While they have to deal with warming water, decreased flows, and competition from nonnative fish, they’re not listed as endangered. That’s a win worth celebrating, in my book.