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Preparing For The WNTC

 WNTC- The Adventure of a Lifetime!

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The Western Native Trout Challenge (WNTC) is a program that encompasses a goal to catch 18 species of native trout and char in 12 states. It's the grand-slam of trout fishing and a fly fisherman's dream adventure. The program started in 2019 and has the authority and compliance of each states wildlife agencies who hand picked which species that can be contributed to the challenge. There are lesser levels to achieve in the challenge as I will discuss but the proper way to tackle this challenge is to be strategic in your selected states. There is no expiration to the challenge. You can do it in one year or your entire life. 

Why am I interested?
Coming into 2025 I am two fish shy of completing my 5th Utah Cutthroat Slam. I have had so much fun tackling that challenge but I am ready to retire. The purpose of completing up to five was to collect the unique edition challenge coins Utah has produced (one for each sub-species of cutthroat). A little sad that the thrill of the adventure was coming to an end, I sought out the Wyoming Cutt Slam as an alternative and completed it with flying colors in 2024. My Yellowstone Cutthroat passively counted towards the WNTC and this is where I started to seek out my extreme interest in exploring the challenge.

The UCTS gets full credit for bringing my passion for native fish to life and my ability to explore headwater/native creeks with a tenkara has brought my confidence of my ability to target specific species particularly in creeks with small trout/char. My last reason to explore the WNTC came from a random conversation I had with a neighbor of mine who is from New Mexico. I have had the privilege in my young life to visit every western state with the exception of Oregon and New Mexico. I casually conversed with my neighbor and said "I don't know what would bring me to New Mexico...unless there was good fishing of course!" My curiosity peaked and some google searches turned me to Gila and Rio Grande trout and suddenly I am marking trips. My family is young and so am I. My goal is to complete this adventure before I hit my late 30s.

One entry can get you three various completions:
The program has three achievable levels. Completing Expert Caster will graduate you to Advance Caster which will finally graduate you to Master Caster. Each level will reward you with a certificate of achievement, and a momento (one hat, two medallions).

  1. Expert Caster- catch 6 native trout and char in "at least" 4 states
  2. Advanced Caster- catch 12 native trout and char in "at least" 8 states
  3. Master Caster- catch 18 native trout and char in all 12 states

Each species counts once!
The trick is to jot down your endemic fish first. These are the fish that won't be caught in any other state. For example the Apache trout of Arizona won't be found in any other state, while Yellowstone Cutthroat can be caught in four different states. Once you claim one YCT, you can't catch it again in a different state (there are some unique circumstances to this rule such as the fish caught in Expert Angler do not need to be the same fish in Advanced Angler).

Every state has a unique set of rules:
While I won't cover every state's rules in this article because I believe in going to the source for that information, some states have unique rules. Montana only allows you to target two native species in stocked lakes provided. Colorado only has listed waters that qualify. Utah counts the Bear River Cutt as a Bonneville, so on and so forth! So be sure to do your due diligence before traveling. Source here

My home state:
My home state has a unique perspective in this challenge. While some friends might be travelling from the east coast, those anglers may not have the luxury to travel cross country as often. Utah is central to many of these states. I gained a humbling advantage to the WNTC and was able to quickly start with some local favorites. Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada are all boarding Utah so the plan is to target these states first and move out accordingly. 

It's for a good cause!
The WNTI has contributed millions of dollars to fish conservation projects for all 21 species available in the challenge. Your entry fee goes almost entirely to the cause. Here is a link for project information

Don't forget the slams!
Many states have their own trout challenges. The Utah Cutthroat Slam, and Wyoming Cutt Slam are just a few to mention. Though I have completed both of these, I may take a pause on the WNTC to tackle some challenges as I see fit. The New Mexico Trout Challenge seems very enticing!

The Itinerary (As of this article) 
Links and updates provided to completed fish.
  • 2025- As mentioned, the goal on paper is to target the neighboring states to my home and quickly make a dent in the program
  • 2026- California has the largest selection of endemic fish and I believe this will take some serious planning to tackle. 
    • California Golden Trout- California
    • Little Kern Golden- California
    • Kern River Rainbow- California
    • Eagle Lake Rainbow- California
    • Rio Grande Cutthroat- Colorado
  • 2027- Pacific Northwest and revisiting states I failed to catch native fish in
    • Redband Trout- Oregon
    • Coastal Cutthroat- Washington
    • Revisit states that came out empty handed
  • 2028- Alaska baby!
    • Dolly Varden/Arctic Char- Alaska
    • Alaskan Rainbow-Alaska
    • Arctic Grayling- Alaska
Completed catches (updating as I complete them)
Hyper links will be added to species with individual stories tied to them. 

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