Try for the Cutt-Slam this Summer
by Wyoming Game & Fish
June 16, 2009
As Wyoming’s Cutt-Slam program enters its 14th year, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has recognized 567 anglers for fulfilling the requirements for Cutt-Slam certification.
In 2008, 89 anglers completed the requirements including a program milestone when the 500th Cutt-Slam certificate was issued. So far in 2009, five anglers have received their Cutt-Slam certification.
Anglers who complete the Cutt-Slam are recognized for catching Wyoming’s four subspecies of cutthroat trout in their native range in Wyoming. The four subspecies are the Yellowstone, Snake River, Bonneville and Colorado River cutthroat trout. Successful anglers receive a certificate listing the name of the angler, color artwork of the four subspecies and notation on the date and location of each catch.
The Cutt-Slam program has been featured in fly fishing magazines and on several television programs.
The Cutt-Slam was the idea of the late Pinedale area fisheries supervisor Ron Remmick who wanted to draw attention to the management efforts being done on behalf of the cutthroat. He looked at Wyoming’s four cutthroat subspecies and the Cutt-Slam was born.
One of the key components of the Cutt-Slam is that each of the fish must be caught in its native range in Wyoming. Over the years, several of the cutthroat subspecies have been stocked in waters outside of their native drainages. Cutthroat caught in these waters do not qualify for the Cutt-Slam native range requirement. A map showing the native ranges where the four subspecies can be found is on the Game and Fish web site http://gf.state.wy.us. Click on "Fish and Fishing" then scroll down to the Cutt-Slam program. In addition to the map, the different drainages where these fish can be found are also listed along with phone numbers of the regional Game and Fish offices responsible for fisheries management in each drainage. Anglers can also view the Cutt-Slam certificate and obtain applications on the Game and Fish Web site.
Anglers completing the slam come from most states and several foreign countries. To qualify, an angler needs to provide a photograph of each fish and information on the date of catch and water where it was caught.
There is no minimum size requirement. WGFD encourages releasing fish and this may be required depending on the regulations for different waters.
Wyoming’s cutthroat management efforts are ongoing. Some of the more notable efforts include the reclamation of LaBarge Creek and waters in the Little Snake River drainage for Colorado River cutthroat. Other planned reclamation efforts in the near future include several waters in the Bighorn Mountains and Dead Indian Creek in Sunlight Basin to benefit Yellowstone cutthroat.
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