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The westslope cutthroat trout (O. lewisi), also known as the black-spotted cutthroat trout, are one of four species making up the cutthroat trout complex. Its scientific name honors Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806.
They are native to upper Columbia River, Missouri River, Fraser and Saskatchewan river drainages. They can be found in 5 northwestern states: Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming, as well as Alberta and British Columbia provinces of Canada.
Though its range extends to both sides of the Continental Divide, its common name refers to being first described on the west slope of the divide.
Westslope cutthroat trout. USGS Photo.
Westslope Subspecies
There are nine recognized subspecies of westslope cutthroat trout:
Missouri River cutthroat trout (O. l. lewisi)
Neoboreal cutthroat trout (O. l. ssp.)
Coeur d'Alene cutthroat trout (O. l. ssp.)
St. Joe cutthroat trout (O. l. ssp.)
North Fork Clearwater cutthroat trout (O. l. ssp.)
Clearwater headwater cutthroat trout (O. l. ssp.)
Clearwater - Eastern Cascades cutthroat trout (O. l. ssp.)
Salmon River cutthroat trout (O. l. ssp)
John Day cutthroat trout (O. l. ssp.)
Distribution of Westslope cutthroat trout subspecies (by N8vetrout, cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Missouri River Cutthroat Trout
The Missouri River cutthroat trout is native to the Missouri River basin.
The Missouri River cutthroat trout is the type subspecies.
Missouri River cutthroat trout. Photo by Johnny Armstrong.
Neoboreal Cutthroat Trout
The neoboreal cutthroat trout is native to portions of the upper Columbia, Fraser and Saskatchewan river drainages. This range is the largest of all westslope cutthroat subspecies.
The alpine cutthroat trout, previously recognized as a separate subspecies, are now regarded as being disjunct populations of neoboreal cutthroat trout.
Neoboreal cutthroat trout. USFS photo.
Coeur d'Alene Cutthroat Trout
The Coeur d'Alene cutthroat trout is native to the upper portion of the Coeur d'Alene River basin.
St. Joe Cutthroat Trout
The St. Joe cutthroat trout is native to the upper portion of the St. Joe River basin.
North Fork Clearwater Cutthroat Trout
The North Fork Clearwater cutthroat trout is native to upper portion of the North Fork Clearwater River drainage.
Clearwater Headwater Cutthroat Trout
The Clearwater headwater cutthroat trout is native to headwaters of the Selway River and the South Fork Clearwater River.
Clearwater - Eastern Cascades Cutthroat Trout
The Clearwater - eastern Cascades cutthroat trout is native to two geographically separated ranges. The eastern populations are native to lower portions of the Clearwater River drainage (excluding the non-overlapping ranges of other subspecies) while the western populations are native to Lake Chelan, Wenatchee River and Methow River basins of the eastern Cascades.
Salmon River Cutthroat Trout
The Salmon River cutthroat trout is native to the Salmon River basin.
John Day Cutthroat Trout
The John Day cutthroat trout is native to the upper portion of the John Day River basin in central Oregon. This is the only westslope subspecies in Oregon.
Challenges
The westslope cutthroat trout, regardless of subspecies, legally caught within its native drainage in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, generally qualifies for the Western Native Trout Challenge. To count in Montana, they must be caught in stocked lakes or reservoir.
Westslope cutthroat trout caught in their native range in Wyoming also count for the Wyoming Cutt-Slam.
See challenge rules and state regulations for restrictions.
This article was authored by Kurt Zeilenga. Suggestions on how to improve this article may be sent to info@ztrout.org.
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