Colorado River Cutthroat Trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus
Colorado river cutthroat trout 2
The most common subspecies of cutthroat in Colorado. Occupying all of the Colorado river basin and western slope and has been spread to a few alpine lakes east of the continental divide as well in hybrid form with the greenback cutthroat. They are most common in headwaters of major rivers and isolated alpine lakes and creeks where they have been able to exist without the introduction of non native species. They spawn in early summer when the alpine unfreezes. When they spawn adult fish especially males get bright red up their sides and will hold these colors for most of the summer. These fish are considered one of the most beautiful fish in North America. And pretty colored up cutthroat is highly sought after by anglers. They can reach sizes up to 25 inches in the right conditions and ones that size would be considered big. They tend to be smaller in creeks and lakes support them better for growing in size. These fish can survive in the extreme alpine environments much like the Arctic grayling. They are keen to eat just about any bug or meal that comes their way due to the short summer season of the alpine. They are not limited to the alpine as you can stumble across one in lower drainages but that is uncommon. Can be distinguished from the snake river cutthroat by its large spots.
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