It seems like most of the anglers I know have already completed their Cutt-Slam. Some are even working on a second slam, or even a third or fourth. I’d be happy with just one. The Cutt-Slam is a program put on by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. It was dreamed up by the late Ron Remmick, who was the fisheries supervisor for the Pinedale area. It’s similar to the sheep or turkey Grand Slam, but you don’t have to spend a million dollars or cross half of North America to get it. All you have to do is catch one of each of the four subspecies of cutthroat trout native to Wyoming in their historic waters, and send pictures of your fish to the Game and Fish.
Before I knew about the Cutt-Slam, I’m pretty sure I satisfied all the requirements, with the exception of the photos. Unfortunately, that was back when I could actually catch a fish, but somewhere along the line, I guess I stopped holding my mouth right. For the last couple of decades, I haven’t seemed to be able to catch a fish to save my life.
I went fishing with my dad on the Hoback River a few years ago, though, and I landed a really nice Snake River cutthroat. Better yet, I got a picture of that sucker. So now I’m a fourth of the way to my Cutt-Slam certificate. Now I just need to visit the Green River, Bear River and Yellowstone drainages to get a Colorado River, Bonneville and Yellowstone cutthroat, respectively. At my current rate, I should have the Cutt-Slam completed by, oh, about 2094.
Visit the Game and Fish Department’s Cutt-Slam page before you go. There are maps and all the other information you’ll need to get it done. Then all you have to do is catch ‘em. I hope you have better luck than I’ve had!
