Cutthroat Trout Vs Rainbow

However based on a recent scientific study the practice of using phenotypic traits to distinguish hybrids is not very effective.

Cutthroat trout vs rainbow. Cutthroat or rainbow 5 TROUT. Cutthroat trout are a favorite catch of fishers in King County. Specifically rainbow trout that hybridize with cutthroat trout and brook and brown trout that tend to replace them in streams and rivers.

Ive been trying to figure out the difference too since Ive pulled some large trout out of the lake here that have had a suprising amount of red color on their throats and bodies. The profusion of black spots and the red-orange slashes on the jaw help distinguish them from rainbow trout. They can be distinguished from rainbow trout by the red pink or orange marking beneath the jaw hence the name cutthroat.

According to CDFW Environmental Program Manager Roger Bloom it is true that rainbow troutcoastal cutthroat hybrids exist at some low level in sympatric populations. Cutthroat trout have a set of teeth at the base of their tongue the Rainbow trout do not have. But typical wild cutbows usually have a very definitely cutthroat slash but look more like a rainbow otherwise.

Yellowish with broad pinkred band along Cutthroat Trout Redorange slash on each side of lower jaw Few spots on head Dark spots light background Black spots more dense toward the rear of the body near the tail. These are the Basibranchial teeth see below These teeth extend towards backwards to a depth equivalent to the edge of the eye. Rainbow Trout doesnt usually taste too fishy It can sometimes have a slight muddy taste though depending on where it was raised.

They are supposedly a lot heartier and grow faster than the straight rainbows. The pinkish meat is mild and delicate and theyre generally the perfect serving size for one per person. Yellowish with broad pinkred band along Cutthroat Cutthroat.

Steelhead and rainbow trout can both spawn more than once unlike the Pacific Salmon that die after spawning. The difference between Cutthroat and Rainbow trout Rainbow Trout Black spots are more uniformly spread out along the body Silvery white below Sides may be green blue. In an effort to preserve the legacy of these fish multi-agency conservation teams have been established for each subspecies.