From PA to Utah: A Cutthroat Slam Story
About a year ago, I casually hinted to a friend from Facebook that he should come out from Pennsylvania to tackle the Utah Cutthroat Slam. A program that allows you to catch the four native trout of Utah and rewards you with a certificate and medallion for success. The four indigenous trout are Bonneville cutthroat (BCCT), Bear River cutthroat (BRCT), Colorado River cutthroat (CRCT), and Yellowstone cutthroat (YCT). Greg Shafer – a Pennsylvania tenkara enthusiast and the “East Coast Tight Lines Ambassador” for Wasatch Tenkara Rods usually comments on any post I make that involves WTR rods and the scenic areas the Beehive state offers.
Fast track to late Spring of 2024, Greg gave me a call with two additional friends Albert, and Tony and asked if I would seriously consider helping them through the adventure. The conversation lasted about an hour and covered a multitude of topics of interest to make the most of their travel time and I hung up that phone feeling exhilarated that I was going to share my passion of native cutthroat with three new friends that would otherwise never get that opportunity at their home waters.
The PA boys arrived by plane in Salt Lake City in the middle of the state’s largest monsoon storm of the summer with an arsenal of tenkara rods and a couple of western fly rods. Accompanied on this trip was Kelly Walker – the only known angler to finish the UCTS in under 24 hours exclusively on a tenkara rod. Kelly and I being super fans of the program and multi-completers developed an itinerary to help them stay on the path of success and traveled with them to their destinations to ensure success.
In fact, we didn’t skip a beat and immediately after leaving the airport, the group went straight North to Cache Valley with the assistance of Kelly and they each caught a BRCT. It was a smashing success to have all three of them catch their prize while roll over storms flashed around the state and just hours off of the plane.
A quick in and out trip allowed us the very next day to drive east of Evanston, Wyoming and back south into Utah towards the infamous Uintas. Here we unleashed the group into a wonderful meandering and meadow creek chock full of CRCT. Albert was the first to hook up on a fish with his Baby Rodzilla, and quickly one by one, the entire group picked off native CRCT. The entire group was 50% done with their slam in under 24 hours of hitting the tarmac! Being accustomed to sea level was a unique challenge for our PA group as we were fishing at 10,000+ elevation for a good chunk of the day but it was clear this group had the resilience and skill necessary for the challenge ahead.
Speaking of challenges, the Yellowstone cutthroat is the famous fish of the UCTS because it has the smallest native range and the reputation of being the hard fish to catch. The Raft River mountains is the only mountain range to catch these landlocked trout and anglers can expect the tightest quarters to combat for their prize. We didn’t sugarcoat this fish and it was the only trout in the slam that truly had me worried that someone would go home without.
The strategy for a fishery like this is to have each member of the group collapse their rods and hang back to watch once they get their catch to ensure everyone has an equal chance of success. The perseverance of our group was tough and after patiently guiding and advising them, the first angler to land a YCT was Tony. Immediately, the pressure was lifted off my shoulders and I knew at that moment everyone was catching a fish that day. Just like the day before and one by one, you could hear “I got one!” from each group member as they caught and landed their YCT. It was pretty clear Darth Quattro was the fan favorite tenkara rod for a creek like this.
By the end of the day, I boldly promised that the group was guaranteed to finish their slam because the very last fish was known to have the broadest native range and is our respective state fish; the Bonneville cutthroat. In fact, we assumed this fish would be the first for them to target due to its easy nature, but perhaps this kind of allowed for a more laid back experience to really enjoy the scenery of trout country.
The PA boys each had their final fish secured in the first hour and a half of the morning with Baby Rodzilla being our clear cut choice for a pristine BCCT river just a hop and a skip from the state capital. We shared high fives, laughs, and our favorite parts of the journey as we reminisced on the previous days. It was an adventure that will go down as a personal favorite of the year for me. Kelly and I had both completed our slams the day of the Yellowstone and this would mark Kelly’s 5th slam and my 4th.
Coincidentally, the very next day the UCTS announced that it had raised $100,000 since the program debuted in 2016. 49 states and some residents from Canada have all submitted success photos with the only known state yet to share a completion being Vermont. The PA boys spent a couple extra days visiting additional waters for larger targets, sightseeing, and of course meeting Ruben Garza, the primary owner of Wasatch Tenkara Rods.
Passion for the brand aside, it was clear we all shared equal passion for native fish and the exclusive nature that Utah would help them experience as part of this once in a lifetime journey.
Comments
Post a Comment