WNTC-Bonneville Cutts in Utah

 WNTC-Bonneville Cutthroat

*Format changes based on cell phone or desktop*

BCCT Poster- WNTC

For those that take resident in any state that contributes to the Western Native Trout Initiative, they have a natural advantage to the program. As a native to Utah, the Bonneville Cutthroat are no secret to me and I take pride in our beloved state fish. However I didn't catch my first BCCT until I was in my late twenties and adventuring the Utah Cutthroat Slam for the first time. I was completely ignorant to an idea that we only had rainbow trout because they are stocked everywhere in the state. Awareness programs like the UCTS deserve so much credit for delivering passion to native trout enthusiast. Before exploration grew to passion, the BCCT seemed like a mystery to me and a remarkable achievement but after years of targeting them, I say with bias off my shoulders that this fish should be one of the easier ones to catch in the entire program.

To remain humble though, it wasn't always this way. The BCCT was thought to be near extinct by the 1970s and by 1978 only six populations were known to exist. Utah now serves 200+ conservation populations thanks to amazing programs implemented by Trout Unlimited, UCTS, WNTI, and government programs with over two million dollars contributed by the WNTI. The BCCT can be caught in other states such as Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada with Wyoming being the only other state I have had success with but this story will serve for Utah respectively and may lack some adventurous format due to the hundreds if not thousands I have caught by 2025.

The map provided is a historical range of the BCCT but keep in mind Utah is a desert state that seems to split the Great Basin equally with the Rocky Mountains. It was believed that the Pioneer settlers regularly caught BCCT from Utah Lake but it would feel like an urban legend based on today's heat and standards of the Utah Valley. The Southern end of the state can be mountainous as it is red rock desert geology. You would think trout couldn't survive in these conditions considering they can peak 100 degrees in the late summer. However a few gems exist in the southern end of the state that may give you the "one of a kind" experience but obtaining public help may be limited as the individuals who know of them understand the gravity and fragility of the waters hidden in red rock canyons. 

For the purpose of the WNTC, the Bear River Cutthroat is not recognized as a sup species but merely a strain of BCCT. This means you can target the native waters to the Bear Lake watersheds and tributaries and count them equally. I find these waters fun to target because they are distanced enough to warrant occasional visits from me and yet they feel brand new to me every time. 

Perhaps the two likely places you will find your BCCT will be right in the crown jewel of the canyons located just a hop and a skip from the capitol of Salt Lake City. Some of these creeks have been restored to native pure strain populations thanks to Trout Unlimited and are so easy to access you may wonder what the catch is? Well.... easy opportunities equal more people. The canyons flowing into SLC tend to see an intense people presence. I would argue that most are there to ride bicycles, hike, and sight-see, but solitude is impossible in the summer given the accessibility. Though it's still worth the visit in my humble opinion because they really do seem untouched in ways and when you are standing in the creek with a native BCCT in your hands; you may just forget the largest city in the state is right in front of you. 

The second grand opportunity is the scenic Mirror Lake Highway- AKA the Uintas. Utahn's revere this highway as the Disneyland of fly fishing. Brook trout and tiger trout seem a plenty here but if you find the right waters, you can complete 3/4 of the Utah Cutthroat Slam in a single day.

The Cutthroat Slam is my personal "go to" when it comes to location opportunities. They don't sugar coat need to know information and it's an admirable level of hot spotting that I dare say hasn't affected me in any negative way yet and the slam coordinators do a great job with their website.

I have caught some spectacular BCCT and they are often tied with red bellied CRCT as my favorite trout to catch. They seem to change color based on environment; meaning my southern Utah edition BCCT have that desert camo vibe where the northern BCCT have a bit of purple hue and par marks linked to them. My particular favorite bonnie patterns tend to be concentrated tail patterns and naked upper body designs. I revisit my pictures often because of the joy they give me. 

It is important to note that the large blue ribbon fisheries such as Strawberry Reservoir, Scofield, Lost Creek, and a few other locations are stocked with broodstock BCCT and will not qualify for the WNTC or UCTS due to the waters not being a native shed and I find the best opportunities come from creeks and smaller rivers over tailwaters scattered all over the canyons in their native range.