A Cutt above the rest

[riverfever]

Got to fish a high mountain lake over the weekend and caught my first ever Greenback Cut Throat. Unbelievably beautiful fish. They were simply hammering dry flies. I was astonished in the first pic.

http://i8.tinypic.com/24lk75l.jpg

Idiot Wind was having a little better luck up there. Not sure how many he landed but I was proud. You just wanted to hold them and stare for hours.

[Chero-King]

I was astonished in the first pic.

You'd never know it. :D

Nice catch.

[MogifiedXJ]

I love Colorado...I stayed with some friends in boulder a while back, if I could find a job out there I think I would just move.

Oh, nice lookin fish.

[Ramsey]

Aren't you just a cutie.

[corbinafly]

nice cutt:thumbup:

kyung

[karstic]

Nice.

Ever fish the Arkansas down by Salida?

[riverfever]

Why thank you Ramsey...you can't tell from the pic but I did put a little bit of fish slime behind my ears for the ladies.

Corbina...this fish was not big by any means but I was shaking trying to net her. I saw these at the aquarium in Denver and then heard they were in this particular lake. I threw out a 14 elk hair caddis and saw this crazy red flash and then she slowly came up and took it. As I played her, I kept saying, "Oh fawk.......she's crazy red.........oh fawk!!!!!". Didn't even matter what size she was.

And Karstic...uhhhhhhhhhh yeah!!!!! The Arkansas is a fantastic river. It's about an hour from me to BV but I fish it every once in a while for something different. Smaller fish (16 would be a treat) and predominantly browns over there. We do have much bigger fish on the S. Platte and it's only 20 minutes from the house so it's my home water.

[CanMan]

That little fishy looks tasty. :D

Nice catch. Those cutthroat are beautiful fish.

[corbinafly]

I know who I'm callin to go fishing if I'm ever in CO again.;)

Kyung

[Kittrell]

...you can't tell from the pic but I did put a little bit of fish slime behind my ears for the ladies.

I don't think I've ever seen your ears.......

[Ramsey]

Why thank you Ramsey...you can't tell from the pic but I did put a little bit of fish slime behind my ears for the ladies.

Your sick, I was talking about the fish...pervert.

[riverfever]

This was after I realized that I actually had her and my 6x wasn't going to break.

http://i8.tinypic.com/24lvrs6.jpg

This is Idiot Wind with one of his....I believe the first one.

http://i7.tinypic.com/24lvst0.jpg

[corbinafly]

Man! That is some of the most intense color i've ever seen on a cutt. Nice.

Kyung

[Idiot Wind]

Man! That is some of the most intense color i've ever seen on a cutt. Nice.

Kyung
oh man, no question. we were beside ourselves. Might just have to go back there over Labor Day.

[riverfever]

At one point I did have to pee really badly but with the weather rolling in...it just wasn't an option.

[CRASH]

Nice fish, here's their story!

Greenback cutthroat trout

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Genus: Oncorhynchus
Species: O. clarki
Subspecies: O. c. stomias
Trinomial name
Oncorhynchus clarki stomias
(Cope, 1871)

The greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki stomias) is the easternmost subspecies of cutthroat trout. This subspecies, once widespread, today occupies less than 1% of its historical range and is currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It is the state fish of Colorado.
[edit]

Description

The greenback cutthroat's maximum size is 18 inches (0.46 m). It has the largest spots of all cutthroats and is reported to have the most brilliant spawning coloration. Like all cutthroats, it has red coloration in the area of the lower jaw and throat. Historically, it has been reported to grow as large as 4.5 kg (9.9 lb.).
[edit]

Natural history

The cutthroat trout is thought to have evolved over the past two million years from other Oncorhynchus species which migrated up the Columbia and Snake river basins to the Green and Yellowstone river basins. Within the past 20,000 years, a population which crossed the Continental Divide during the most recent Ice Age gave rise to the greenback cutthroat.
The greenback cutthroat trout is the subject of recovery efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The greenback cutthroat trout today is found east of the Continental Divide in the cold, clear foothill and mountain waters of the Arkansas and South Platte Rivers. Although it was common in the late 19th century, ranging along the Front Range from Wyoming to New Mexico, it began to decline when settlers arrived in the area. Mining in its native river basins led to sediment and toxic runoff in the water. These factors, along with water diversion for agriculture and overfishing, led to the decline of many greenback cutthroat trout populations.

The introduction of non-native species such as brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), brown trout (Salmo trutta), and rainbow trout (O. mykiss) was also detrimental to the greenback cutthroat. The former two species competed with greenback cutthroats while the latter hybridized with it. Other subspecies of cutthroat were introduced to greenback habitat, further damaging populations due to hybridization.

Although the greenback cutthroat was considered extinct by the 1930s, in 1957 a population was discovered in Rocky Mountain National Park in the Big Thompson River, a tributary of the South Platte. Additional populations were found in 1965 and 1970, making possible the listing of the subspecies as endangered under the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Recovery efforts for the greenback cutthroat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are ongoing and have made it possible to upgrade its status to threatened.

Catch and release fishing of the greenback cutthroat is currently permitted in parts of both the South Platte and Arkansas River basins.

[riverfever]

Excellent summary Crash. I know I was asking a lot of questions about them after seeing that first one. Thanks.

[planefixer]

Might just have to go back there over Labor Day.

I might have to join you.

[TRNDRVR]

:chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef:
http://www.gbsfood.com/1473782/trout7.jpg
:lickout: :lickout: :lickout: :lickout: :lickout: :lickout:

[CRASH]

Sorry, illegal to "harm or harrass" this species. They are federally protected.

[Ramsey]

:chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef:
http://www.gbsfood.com/1473782/trout7.jpg
:lickout: :lickout: :lickout: :lickout: :lickout: :lickout:
those definetly look better

[TRNDRVR]

Sorry, illegal to "harm or harrass" this species. They are federally protected.
Yeah, but they'd still put a soft turd in your ass! :D