Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Cutthroat vs. Rainbow: Why No Love for Cutthroat?

Hi Folks,

When planning a trout pond made by damming up a stream, allowing the fish to reproduce, I have gotten to wondering why, exactly, the Rainbow Trout is absolutely everywhere and is a hegemon on six continents, and the Cutthroat Trout is almost unheard-of anywhere but its original range, despite its great qualities as a sport fish. We may be just feeling a bit contrarian, and there is a good bit more literature and support for the Rainbow and more premium breeds like the Kamloops, Donaldson, and Alpers. However, we want to at least explore and research the idea of stocking cutthroats in a pond like that.

It seems to me, from what I have read, that the Cutthroat might even be better-suited to the omnipresent stocking all over the world, particularly on the east coast and in lakes, due in particular to its ability to thrive in warmer waters than the Rainbow; its better performance vs. Rainbows in lentic systems (recent studies show they outcompete Rainbows in lakes); its great taste qualities; and the fact that it is supposedly a bit easier to catch than the Rainbow.

Is there some important point that make the Cutthroat less able to become firmly established all over the world that I am missing, or is it just a matter of luck and the Rainbow Trout happening to be discovered and capturing the public imagination early, and having a better PR department?

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing what y'all think!

What you have read is different from what I have and have heard from the people that raise them and personal experiernce.

What strain of cutt are you looking at or reading about? I am familiar with the snake, Yellowstone and west slope. These three all grow slower and are less hardy in hatcheries . These same hatcheries compare them to rainbows browns and brooks. Rainbow have the highest tolerance to warm water with my experience with kamloop. Some rainbow strains do have a small red slit under there chin, a lot more than a person would think.

I am interested in reading what you have, could you share a link?

I am interested as well!

My first thought in reading the post has more to do with introducing non-native species, anywhere, in the existing culture we have today. I could see it being attempted perhaps 100 years ago, but rarely today. Then again, 100 years ago how could you successfully move those fish any distance?

Thanks for using "hegemon". I enjoy researching a new word now and then.

You got it! Although you can find the preferred temperature ranges for the different inland trout in a lot of places (heck, just google "Cutthroat Trout Water Temperature" and you will get a chart as your first result that shows their preferred temperature, along that those of Brook, Rainbow, and Brown), the source I found most readily was http://www.troutlet.com/Trout-Science-W30.aspx

All the contemporary sources seem to list the preferred water temperature of the Cutthroat at 55-65, and the Rainbow at 50-60. Of course, in the higher Appalachians with good shade neither of these will be a problem (heck, this is where Brookies, the most demanding of cold water, originate), but the Cutthroat could give one more wiggle room, as well as provide a cool variety catch. They would also be a dead giveaway if someone is poaching, as there would likely be only one place for a thousand miles to find that species, and if somebody we didn't let fish turns up with Cutthroats, we know they were sneaking on our land.

Thanks for the link ! That seams as a generality, and I would disagree with them accept ING warm water more readily than bows . In my personal fishing experience the only quality cutt fisheries are cutt only, the other fish tend to push them out, and they readily crossbreed with bows.

And the Cutts seem to have more trouble reproduce ING . Pm me if you want some co tact for Cutts and we will see if your state will allow it, however I would recommend bows. If the Cutts didn't reproduce or thrive you could always convert to bows, but in your area to have a naturally reproducing trout, wild caught brookie s or browns would be your best bet.

Check with your supplier to see how they produce in the wild, or rather how many generations since they were wild.

This website contains Wyoming's plans to protect its native cutthroat trout. http://waterplan.state.wy.us/plan/green/techmemos/enviuse.html