How to catch cutthroat trout in Utah
The native. Bonneville and Colorado River cutthroat fill Utah's backcountry streams and big waters like Strawberry and Bear Lake, and eagerly rise to dry flies.
Behavior & tendencies
Utah's native trout look up: cutts are the most willing dry-fly fish in the state. Stream fish hold in the obvious soft water; lake fish (Strawberry, Bear Lake) cruise the banks and points in packs, especially early. They eat confidently but fight the least dirty of the trout — protect them, they're the natives.
Seasonal patterns
Ice-off at Strawberry is the famous window — big cutts shallow and eating. Backcountry streams fish midsummer through fall once runoff drops. Fall fish feed hard before winter. Check the regs: cutthroat slot limits protect Utah's brood waters.
What they bite
Terrestrials, mayflies, caddis, midges, and at big waters, minnows and chubs.
Recommended presentations
- Attractor dries (Stimulator, Chubby Chernobyl) on backcountry streams
- Tube jigs or casting spoons at ice-off along Strawberry's shorelines
- Leech and minnow patterns on a slow retrieve at big lakes
- Standard dry-dropper anywhere current holds fish
cutthroat trout by region
Best months for cutthroat trout
204 waters holding cutthroat trout
Sorted by how they’re fishing right now.
- Green River (below Flaming Gorge)PrimeBlue Ribbon
- Currant Creek ReservoirGood
- Blacksmith Fork RiverGood
- Currant CreekGood
- Diamond Fork RiverGood
- Duchesne RiverGood
- East Fork Sevier RiverGoodBlue Ribbon
- Jackson Flat ReservoirGood
- Jensen Nature Park PondGood
- Koosharem ReservoirGood
- Lake Fork RiverGood
- Logan RiverGoodBlue Ribbon
- Lower Weber RiverGood
- Mill Creek — Millcreek CynGood
- Rock Creek (Uintas)Good
- South Fork Ogden RiverGood
- Strawberry RiverGoodBlue Ribbon
- Upper Provo RiverGood
- Upper Weber RiverGoodBlue Ribbon
- Yellowstone River (Uintas)Good
- Abes Lake — Mirror Lake HwyFair
- Abes Reservoir — Fishlake PlateauFair
- American Fork CreekFair
- Avintaquin CreekFair
- Barney LakeFair
- Battle CreekFair
- Bear LakeFairBlue Ribbon
- Beaver Creek — La Sal MtnsFair
- Beaver Creek — UintasFair
- Bench CreekFair
- Bennie CreekFair
- Bennion CreekFair
- Betsey Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Bitter CreekFair
- Blanche Lake — Big Cottonwood CynFair
- Blind Lake — Boulder Mtn North SlopeFair
- Blue Lake — Escalante MtnFair
- Bobs Lake — Uintas North SlopeFair
- Browne Lake — Uintas North SlopeFair
- Brush CreekFair
- Bunker CreekFair
- Carter CreekFair
- Castle Lake — Weber River drainageFair
- Causey ReservoirFair
- Cedarview Reservoir — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Chain Lake No 4 — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Clear CreekFair
- Cliff Lake (Mirror Lake Hwy)Fair
- Cliff Lake (Smiths Fork)Fair
- Cove Lake — Wasatch PlateauFair
- Crescent Lake — Boulder Top SouthFair
- Cuberant No 4 — Mirror Lake HwyFair
- Daggett Lake — Uintas North SlopeFair
- Deadhorse Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Deadman CreekFair
- Deer CreekFair
- Deer Creek Lake — Boulder Mtn East SlopeFair
- Delong CreekFair
- Diamond ForkFair
- Diamond Fork CreekFair
- Duck Fork Reservoir — Wasatch PlateauFair
- East Fork Carter CreekFair
- East Fork Sevier River — Black CanyonFair
- East Fork Sevier River — Kingston CanyonFair
- Ephraim CreekFair
- Fall CreekFair
- Ferron CreekFair
- Ferron Reservoir — Wasatch PlateauFair
- Floating Island — Thousand Lake MtnFair
- Forsyth ReservoirFair
- Grove CreekFair
- Hacking Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Heart Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Hessie Lake — Uintas North SlopeFair
- Hobbs ReservoirFair
- Huntington CreekFair
- Indian CreekFair
- Island Lake — Mirror Lake HwyFair
- Jesson Lake — Uintas North SlopeFair
- Jones Hole CreekFair
- La Sal CreekFair
- Lamb LakeFair
- Little Deer CreekFair
- Little Dell ReservoirFair
- Little Diamond CreekFair
- Lofty Lake — Mirror Lake HwyFair
- Lower Barker Reservoir — North Creek LakesFair
- Main CreekFair
- Manning Meadow Reservoir — Monroe MtnFair
- Manti CreekFair
- Meeks Lake — Thousand Lake MtnFair
- Middle Rock Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Morrell Pond — Thousand Lake MtnFair
- Mumford Reservoir — Tushar MtnsFair
- Nebo CreekFair
- North CreekFair
- North Creek ReservoirFair
- North Fork American Fork CreekFair
- North Fork Provo River — Lower ProvoFair
- Oak Creek — Sanpete CountyFair
- Ophir CreekFair
- Otter Creek ReservoirFairBlue Ribbon
- Oweep CreekFair
- Paragonah ReservoirFair
- Parleys CreekFair
- Payson CreekFair
- Pine Creek Reservoir — Boulder Top NorthFair
- Pine Lake — Paunsaugunt PlateauFair
- Powell Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Queant Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Red Butte CreekFair
- Red Butte ReservoirFair
- Red Creek — Cedar MtnFair
- Red Creek — Duchesne CountyFair
- Red Creek ReservoirFair
- Red Pine Lake — Little Cottonwood CynFair
- Round Willow Bottom — Escalante MtnFair
- Santaquin CreekFair
- Sheep Creek LakeFair
- Silver Lake — American Fork CynFair
- Silver Lake Flat Reservoir — American Fork CynFair
- Six Mile CreekFair
- Smith and Morehouse ReservoirFair
- Solitaire Lake — Boulder Mtn North SlopeFair
- South Willow CreekFair
- Sowers CreekFair
- Spirit Lake — Uintas North SlopeFair
- Spring CreekFair
- Tall Four Reservoir — Escalante MtnFair
- Tamarack Lake — Uintas North SlopeFair
- Thistle CreekFair
- Three Mile CreekFair
- Tibble Fork ReservoirFair
- Tie Fork CreekFair
- Twelve Mile CreekFair
- Twin CreekFair
- Twin Lake — Big Cottonwood CynFair
- Twin Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Twomile CreekFair
- U M CreekFair
- Upper Bells Reservoir — Little Cottonwood CynFair
- Upper Box Creek Reservoir — Monroe MtnFair
- Upper Kents Lake — Tushar MtnsFair
- Upper Rock Lake — Uintas South SlopeFair
- Wardsworth CreekFair
- Weaver ReservoirFair
- Wellsville ReservoirFair
- West Fork Carter CreekFair
- Weyman CreekFair
- White Pine Lake — Little Cottonwood CynFair
- Whitney Reservoir — Uintas North SlopeFair
- Yankee Meadow Reservoir — Cedar MtnFair
- Electric LakeFair
- Joes Valley ReservoirFairBlue Ribbon
- Millsite ReservoirFair
- Porcupine ReservoirFair
- Enterprise Reservoir, UpperTough
- Lost Creek ReservoirWarning
- Panguitch LakeWarningBlue Ribbon
- Scofield ReservoirWarningBlue Ribbon
- Strawberry ReservoirWarningBlue Ribbon
- Canyon View Park PondDrained
- Averett Canyon Pond
- Bartholomew Park Pond
- Bell Creek
- Bummer Lake
- Calder Reservoir
- Candy Lake
- Dougherty Basin — North Creek Lakes
- East Center Oweep Creek
- East Oweep Creek
- Gail Lake
- Halls Fork
- Hobble Creek, Right Fork
- Junior Lake
- Lake Canyon
- Lake Canyon Lake
- Long Willow Bottoms
- Lower Anson Lake
- Lower Teepee Lake
- Mann Creek
- Mary Ellen Gulch Creek
- Moose Pond
- Mount Dell Creek
- Mutton Lake
- Mystery Lake (Lost Lake)
- New Canyon Creek
- Rainbow Reservoir
- Ram Lake
- Rob Reservoir — Escalante Mtn
- Sandy Community Fishery
- Short Lake
- Silver Lake — Big Cottonwood Cyn
- Sixth Water
- Smith Family Park Pond
- Smiths Fork, West Fork
- Snow Lake — Uintas
- South Fork Provo River — Upper Provo
- Upper Potter Lake
- Upper Red Pine Lake
- Upper Strawberry River
- Wasatch Mountain State Park Pond
- West Center Oweep Creek
- West Oweep Creek