When I heard about the new Utah Cutthroat Slam this year, I knew I wanted to give it a try. The slam was designed with fly fishermen in mind, and while I aspire to become a competent fly fisherman someday, I figured there had to be a way to get it done with the equipment I already knew how to use.
After doing some research, I found a few reservoirs that held the different cutthroat subspecies and came up with a plan. I got excited enough about the idea that I signed up my oldest boy and myself to see if we could check all four boxes.
Four subspecies, four destinations, and a whole lot of fishing. What could possibly go wrong?
Little Dell Reservoir – Bonneville Cutthroat
We started in April at Little Dell Reservoir, looking for Bonneville cutthroat trout. I invited my buddy Adam to come along, and we loaded up the kayaks and a small pontoon boat.
There was just one little problem. The gate letting you get down to the reservoir didn't open until May.
We could either wait another month or find a way to get our boats down to the water. We opted for the second option. There would be no backing the truck down to the shoreline that day. It was going to be a matter of muscle up or go home.
After dragging our boats down to the water and getting everything launched, we started trolling around the reservoir. We tried a few different lures, but one stood out from the rest: a gold Jake's Spin-A-Lure with red dots.
That little lure did the trick. Over the next couple of hours, we all managed to land several fish.
Things were going great until the wind picked up.
My boy was only ten years old at the time, and the wind had other plans for him. His kayak caught the wind and took him for a ride across the water. After a rescue mission, I decided I wasn't particularly interested in repeating the experience.
We called it a day with our first cutthroat species checked off the list.
One down, three to go.
Currant Creek Reservoir – Colorado River Cutthroat
Our next stop was Currant Creek Reservoir in search of Colorado River cutthroat. This time, we brought my brother Lauren along, who is always a hoot to be stuck with in a small boat for a day.
The spring drive up to the reservoir was beautiful. It's hard to complain about a day spent fishing in the mountains, even when the fish don't seem particularly interested in participating.
We started with the same gold Jake's Spin-A-Lure that had worked so well at Little Dell. We tried worms, Rapalas, and just about anything else we could think of. The Jake's lure continued to be our best option, but the fishing was considerably slower this time around.
My son managed to land the first Colorado River cutthroat. It was a decent fish, and we were feeling pretty good about ourselves.
But then we hit a dry spell.
We fished and fished and fished some more, trying to get the second fish we needed. Eventually, after what seemed like an unreasonable amount of effort, I finally landed the second cutthroat.
It was a whopping eight inches long.
That's right. Eight inches of pure fishing glory.
It may not have been the biggest fish I've ever caught, but it counted, and at that point in the trip, I wasn't about to complain.
We had two of the four subspecies in the bag. The Cutthroat Slam was starting to look achievable.
Woodruff Reservoir – Bear River Cutthroat
Our third destination was Woodruff Reservoir in northern Utah. By July, we were ready to get serious about finding our Bear River cutthroat. We brought the boat again and managed to back it down the rocky shoreline and get it into the water.
This time, we brought my brother Keith along for the adventure.
We started fishing the way we normally would on a reservoir, trolling and working through our usual collection of lures. We tried spoons, worm harnesses, Rapalas, and FlatFish. We even put the downriggers to work.
Unfortunately, there was plenty of vegetation to keep snagging our gear, and not much else seemed to be happening.
I was beginning to wonder if there were any fish in the reservoir at all. I wasn't seeing much on the sonar, and we weren't getting any bites.
After spending a good amount of time trolling without success, we decided to change tactics. We pulled up the gear and started checking the shoreline and some of the bays with the sonar, looking for fish holding in deeper pockets.
Eventually, we found a few promising spots.
Instead of trolling past the fish, we dropped down nightcrawlers on a drop-shot rig and worked the areas where we'd marked them.
Finally, we had found the ticket.
The bites started coming, and we landed several good-sized trout. The lesson for the day was pretty simple: sometimes you can troll around a reservoir all day trying to convince a fish to chase your lure, or you can find the fish and put a worm right in front of its face.
Three down, one to go.
Yellowstone Cutthroat – The Final Box
The last fish on the list was the Yellowstone cutthroat trout. This was the one I expected to be the hardest, both because of the distance and because of the more remote places we would need to explore to find them.
For this trip, I took my two youngest kids and brought along a couple of fly rods.
Now, fly fishing is something I aspire to be good at, but I wouldn't exactly call it my strength. Still, if I was going to complete a Cutthroat Slam designed around catching these fish on a fly, it seemed like a good opportunity to practice.
We bounced between a few different locations before finally finding the right little spot. It was a small creek with plenty of brush, overhanging trees, and cover along the banks.
It was also a nightmare for anyone hoping to make a nice, clean fly cast.
Fortunately, we found a stretch of creek where plenty of fish were tucked in underneath some trees and bushes. They were right where we wanted, provided we could figure out how to get a fly in front of them.
That's when we had to figure out how to make a slingshot cast.
The technique involves pinching the fly, pulling it back while bending the tip of the rod under tension, and then releasing it so the fly shoots forward in the direction the rod is pointed. With the right amount of tension and a little practice, you can get a fly into places where a traditional cast would be nearly impossible.
It was exactly what we needed.
We managed to land a few Yellowstone cutthroat. They weren't big fish, but they were beautiful, and every one of them felt like an accomplishment.
There is something particularly satisfying about catching a fish after you've worked so hard for it. We had to find the right water, figure out how to present the fly, and learn a new casting technique to get the job done.
Maybe it was the distance we traveled, the time it took to find them, or the challenge of catching them on a fly rod. Whatever the reason, those little Yellowstone cutthroat were some of the most rewarding fish of the entire slam.
And just like that, we had all four.
Four Down, More to Go
Completing my first Utah Cutthroat Slam was a success. We caught Bonneville cutthroat at Little Dell, Colorado River cutthroat at Currant Creek, Bear River cutthroat at Woodruff Reservoir, and Yellowstone cutthroat in a small mountain creek.
The trip took us from trolling reservoirs with spinning gear to dropping nightcrawlers into deep pockets, and finally to learning how to slingshot a fly beneath overhanging branches.
It was a good reminder that there isn't just one way to catch a fish. Sometimes the trick is finding the right lure. Sometimes it's changing tactics. And sometimes it's figuring out how to put a fly where you didn't think you could.
Unfortunately, my oldest boy wasn't able to join us for the Yellowstone cutthroat trip, so he missed out on completing the slam with me. My two youngest still need to catch the other three subspecies themselves.
That means there's unfinished business.
I have a feeling we'll be back soon.
Final Tally:
4 cutthroat trout subspecies caught
3 reservoirs visited
1 remote mountain creek explored
One new fly-casting trick learned
Plenty of time fishing with my kids and brothers
1 Utah Cutthroat Slam completed
