here in my area of Cali., as far as i know, cutthroats arent regulated other than standard trout regulations. there isnt really a distinction between species of trout as to wether they can be kept or not. the only one im aware of thats protected is the Paiute Cutthroat, which is rumoured to be the rarest trout in the world.

in fact, our local hatchery programs regularly use bred cutthroats, as well as cuttbow hybrids as brooders. they will eventually stock these cuttys and hybrids as tagged trophies. ive caught upwards of 6 lb'ers in the smaller streams and canals around here that were brood-stock.

they hybridize them using lahontans and kamloops, which results in a very heavy-bodied rainbow that may or may not have the orange slashes distinguishing it as a cutt or cuttbow.

given this "manufactured" species of cutthroat, it is nearly impossible to determine, without a tag, the difference between a stocked cuttbow and a wild cutty. the average fisherman using spinning gear and worms is barely able to determine the differrence between a bow and a brown. trying to enforce regulations that force people to know the difference between a 'bow and cutty would not only be a logistical nightmare, it would ruin the fishing economy in our area.

people dont fish here for the beauty. they fish here because they know we are heavily populated in almost all of our local waters, either through stocking or self-sustaining wild populations. unfortunately, most people (on average) dont know the difference between a stocked trout and a wild trout. so they keep what they catch, regardless of the species.

luckily, our "rare" trout, such as the golden and the paiute cutthroat, really need to be searched out to be caught. its also illegal to target paiute cutts, as far as i know. the folks searching for these fish, know exactly what they are searching for, and are typically releasing them when caught. you have to really go out of your way, for the most part, to catch these guys. rarely, a golden or a paiute is caught in an area that is heavily fished. typically, they are caught in backcountry areas, where a large amount of planning and knowledge is needed to find them.

one of my biggest goals when fishing is to help the "lesser knowledged" learn to distinguish between the species of trout, and also which ones are most likely stockers versus wild trout. luckily, the majority of stocked trout in this area have, at the very least, their adipose fin removed, making identification easier. suprisingly, alot of fisherpersons have never seen an "in tact" adipose fin. they are shocked when you point one out on a big ol' brown. theyve only caught stocked trout, and are surprised to learn that the fins, often including the fore fins, are clipped for ID purposes.

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Everyone dies. Only the lucky ever truly Live. Take your time.

Chris-Bishop, CA, USA