Just thought I’d throw this one out to the group an see what the general consensus was…
(See also "Strawberry Advice " post)
Is it or isn’t it… you be the judge…PB
**STRAWBERRY RESERVOIR **(Wasatch County)
• Limit 4 trout or kokanee salmon in the aggregate.
• No more than 2 may be cutthroat trout under 15 inches, and no more
than 1 may be a cutthroat trout over 22 inches.
• All cutthroat trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released.
• Anglers are encouraged to voluntarily release all cutthroat trout. • Any trout with cutthroat markings is considered to be a cutthroat trout.
I have caught about a dozen Bows this year from the Berry . I must agree the jaw on the fish resembles a cutt but the fins look like a bow . Some bows have lots of spots but I have caught a few with lesser amounts .
This is a bow from Sage Creek Bay . Note the fins are the same color as the fish in question . It also has fewer spots than most bows I have hooked . http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=6578;
Rainbow with lots of spots . http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=6625;
On the other hand I have caught some cutts loaded with spots , but with orange fins . Some cutts don’t have orange fins but fins just like a rainbow . Caught quite a few cutts this year that didn’t have orange fins .
A safe answer , Cutt/bow . Which would be a cutt in the DWR eyes . So release all in question . Fish for Kokes .
It was a bow, you guys cant tell me you have never seen a bow with very little spots oh and also consider the white tipped fins and the girth and also the fact it took about half an hour never had a cutt do that. Did not keep it anyway.
OK, My take FWIW, the white fin tips are strongly suggestive of a bow
as had been said, some features are suggestive of a cutt (The snout,
spotting pattern) but not conclusive in the pic
IMO. It is very common to catch very silvery and
minimally/unspotted bows from larger lakes, and pre spawn, the snout
will be elongated. I can’t tell on the pic if the ventral fins
are orange, which is one of the main criteia I use at Strawberry to
help differentiate cutts from bows. Finally, the shadowing on the
picture is such that I don’t think anyone can be 100% sure from the
photo alone what it is. Still a terrific fish, must have been a
fun catch. My inflation adjusted 2 cents.
I agree that the picture is not the best photo to judge from, but It does have characteristics of both fish. Just by the pic alone, it would go back into the lake to be caught another day. BTW, there is no such thing as a hybrid that is more “bow” or more “cutt”, or more horse or more ass. It’s 50/50, no more, no less.
Curious at how you arrive at this conclusion. Cutts and bows do cross and are you saying that the off spring is always sterile? If they are not sterile then it stands to reason that there would be fish that are not 50/50 of each strain.
I would say Bow for the following reasons. This is a qoute from the DWR on how to tell the two apart. However, I still would not keep it and leave the judgment up to the DWR guys.
One of the most reliable diagnostic features that distinguishes these two trout species is fin coloration. The Bear Lake strain of cutthroat trout found in Strawberry exhibits deep orange pelvic and anal fins (i.e. the paired belly fins and single medial fin behind the vent), whereas the rainbow trout has translucent pink to gray-green pelvic and anal fins that are tipped in white.
In addition, Bear Lake cutthroat have sparsely scattered, large and very distinctly rounded spots over the upper body, with few spots on or near the head. Rainbow trout, on the other hand, are characterized by more dense, irregularly shaped spots on the back, sides and head.
Bear Lake cutthroat often lack the bright crimson jaw slash that, at times, may be yellow, gray, or even nonexistent, and the slash is not a good distinguishing characteristic.
[reply]
Can’t see the ventral slits. If there is even the hint of orange in them consider it a Cutt gamewarden style. [/reply]
This is a commone misconception among anglers. Rainbow trout and cutthroat trout are very closely related, which can cause confusion when trying to ID the fish. Rainbows, very commonly, will have red slashes under their chins. Even when there is no hybridization of cutthroat, they can still have these slashes. On the other hand, cutthroat sometimes do not develop these slashes.
There are better ways to ID a rainbow, or cutthroat, than by looking at slashes. Look at the spots on the fish in question. There may not be many spots below that lateral line, but this is not what you should look for. Look at the consistency of spots from the head, to the tail. Pretty consistent. Typically (not always) a cutthroat will have more spots (denser) toward the tail end of the fish.
Personally, i wouldn’t second guess this fish at all. Definately a rainbow.