(Salmo clarki)
The cutthroat trout very largely take the place of the rainbow in the
waters of northern California and in Washington and Oregon, and its
various forms are more common to the lakes. Like the rainbow they
have been artificially distributed to such an extent that they are
now found in many of the streams of California and nearly all of
Washington and Oregon. As a general rule they are not as keen fighters
as the rainbow, but in the cold streams of Oregon and Washington they
put up a fight worthy of the most gamy fish. In the lakes of
Washington and Oregon, and such as Tahoe, Donner and other large
bodies of water in California, they reach a large size; fishes of ten
and twelve pounds being not uncommon. When not landlocked they go to
the sea the same as the rainbow and return as the steelhead of the
Columbia and other northern streams. Like the rainbow the cutthroat
has been divided into several subspecies.
General appearance like that of the rainbow. The color on the back is
a lighter olive or dark steel color. The upper parts are generally
thickly covered with dark spots, varying in color and shape, and the
lower fins are also spotted with smaller spots. The inner edge of the
lower jaw is strongly marked with deep red and it is from this red
mark on the throat that the species takes its name. The sides are
generally of a marked pinkish hue or coppery brown. The red mark of
the throat will always prove a distinguishing feature.