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Rivers

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Insects

Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout

Techniques

Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

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Insects

Salmonidae

Cutthroat trout

Oncorhynchus clarkii · 15–45 cm, with lake-dwelling forms reaching 60 cm.

By The Fly Desk

How it feeds

Cutthroat are shallow-water drift-feeders with a strong preference for the calm margins of a river — bank edges, backwaters and behind boulders — rather than the main current. The name comes from the red slash under the jaw.

How to fish for it

Fish them close to the bank with a small dry, and do not wade: cutthroat hold within a metre of the edge and a careless footstep clears 20 metres of bank. Native-range fish should always be released.

Flies that work: Parachute Adams · Elk Hair Caddis · Hare's Ear Nymph · Small Royal Wulff

Cutthroat trout in the ledger

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