Cutbow

A fertile hybrid of westslope cutthroat trout and rainbow trout that turns up wherever the two species' ranges and spawning zones overlap across western North America — more and more as rainbows are stocked into native cutthroat water. A hard-fighting sportfish that blends the cutthroat's eager dry-fly rise with the rainbow's aerial run; the same hybridization is a real conservation problem for pure cutthroat stocks (source).

Key points

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Identification: Feature a combination of characteristics from both parent species: A faint-to-bright orange/red throat slash (like westslope cutthroat trout). A pinkish-red lateral band along the body (like rainbow trout). Heavy spotting throughout, particularly towards the tail.

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Where: Commonly encountered in river systems where native cutthroats share water with stocked or wild rainbow populations, such as the st mary river float reaches priority waterway profiles 2026 07.

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Tactics: Readily targeted with dry-fly attractors (Royal Wulffs, foam patterns) during hatches, or using nymphs and streamers in swift current seams.

Fishing by region

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Regulations, seasons, and the waters to target vary by region — cutbows fall under the same trout rules as their parents. In the Kootenays, see Trout Fishing in the Kootenays.