Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)

Freshly caught cutthroat trout lying on the rocks with reddish belly and dark spots on back and fins
A Westslope cutthroat trout, a species common in eastern Washington.  (Jim Cummins)
Category: Fish

Three subspecies of cutthroat trout are found in Washington. The coastal and westslope are native to Washington, while the Lahontan cutthroat is native to the Great Basin of California, Oregon, and western Nevada, and is the largest of the cutthroat subspecies. 

Among coastal cutthroat trout, some populations around the Salish Sea (including Puget Sound), Washington Coast and lower Columbia River tributaries are anadromous. Learn more about these unique sea run cutthroat and how to fish for them in this February 2022 WDFW blog post and March 2016 YouTube video. A popular fishery for hatchery sea run cutthroat trout is also available on the Cowlitz River; learn more in this October 2020 blog post.

Where to fish

Lakes where this species may be found

Cowlitz County