As I mentioned before, there are conflicting opinions on how many subspecies of cutthroat trout there are. One of these subspecies in question is the Whitehorse Basin cutthroat. Some biologists consider them to be a population of Lahontan cutthroats. Others consider them to be a population of Humboldt cutthroats (which some consider to be Lahontans as well). Still others consider the Whitehorse Basin cutthroat to be its own subspecies.

Either way, they're a pretty special group of fish. They're native to two small drainages in SE Oregon, both of which dry up in the desert. On top of that, they're absolutely stunning fish, with deep purple sides.

Can you spot the trout stream in these photos?





In both cases, the stream is only about 100-150' away. Here's a better view:



This stream was absolutely teeming with 8-10" cutts, which are some of the most beautiful I've seen.







This was part of the other drainage that held these trout, but I didn't fish here after the recent fire.



All in all, I caught 8 new types of trout on this trip: coastal rainbows, coastal cutthroats, Warner Lakes redbands, Lahontan cutthroats, Alvord cutthroats, Catlow Valley redbands, Harney-Malheur basin redbands and Whitehorse basin cutthroats. It was a pretty unique experience. It's pretty amazing that these fish can survive and even thrive in these environments. It's certainly not what you typically think of when you think of a trout stream.