March 2021 - 28

T

here's no better way to celebrate a birthday
than a day of fishing in Wyoming. So, when my
friend, Carrie King, celebrated hers in April, it
was a no-brainer how we'd spend the day. We grabbed
a couple breakfast burritos and our rods and headed
out for a morning of fishing.

Between casts and mouthfuls of burritos, we discussed a challenge we'd heard about - the Wyoming
Cutt-Slam. The challenge from the Wyoming Game
and Fish Department, who hosts the program, seemed
simple enough; catch each of Wyoming's four cutthroat trout subspecies in their native range. Though
elementary in premise, accomplishing the task seemed
daunting. Buoyed by our morning of birthday fishing,
we hatched a plan to achieve the goal.
We recruited two more friends, Tia Reed and Amy
McNealy, and got to work. We needed to prepare. Starting off, we talked to several people who had completed
the Cutt-Slam. We asked how they did it, where they
went and what time of year they saw the most success.
We accepted any advice on what lures and bait to use
and which techniques seemed to work best. Using the
interactive map on the Game and Fish website and
an old-fashioned, folded State of Wyoming map, we
decided which streams we'd visit. Setting an itinerary,
we decided to camp in a tent at close-by campgrounds.
Our schedule was set.
In June we set out on a mission armed with a
tent, maps and fishing gear. We planned to spend
five days in western Wyoming in pursuit of three of
the four cutthroat subspecies. We agreed if any of us
was unable to catch one of the cutthroats, we would
return another time.
Day one was dedicated to catching Bonneville cutthroat. We left early that morning to meet Amy on the
Wyoming-Idaho border. We skipped setting up camp
and got right to fishing. By midafternoon, we were
casting on our first creek. We broke into two groups
and fished into the early evening without landing a
cutthroat. Still determined, we went to a campground
and tried a lake. The Bonneville's wanted nothing to
do with anything we offered, even as we tried again
the following morning. We agreed to break camp and
head back to the creek from the previous day.
Our return proved fruitful almost immediately.
Within minutes, Tia landed the first Bonneville,
recharging all our attitudes. Shortly after, Amy landed
the next. Feeling like we were on fire, we tried moving
28 | March 2021	

The group of anglers drove through
Afton as they traveled to a stream to
catch Snake River cutthroat trout.



March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2021

Cover
From the Director
In this issue
A couple pennies
Mailbag
Opening shot
News
Ask Game and Fish
Project profiles
Case files
In the field
Tracking the rarest carnivores
Seeking the slam
A family matter
Getting kids outside
Wild country dispatch
Backpage
March 2021 - Cover
March 2021 - From the Director
March 2021 - In this issue
March 2021 - A couple pennies
March 2021 - Mailbag
March 2021 - Opening shot
March 2021 - 7
March 2021 - News
March 2021 - 9
March 2021 - 10
March 2021 - 11
March 2021 - Ask Game and Fish
March 2021 - Project profiles
March 2021 - Case files
March 2021 - 15
March 2021 - In the field
March 2021 - 17
March 2021 - Tracking the rarest carnivores
March 2021 - 19
March 2021 - 20
March 2021 - 21
March 2021 - 22
March 2021 - 23
March 2021 - 24
March 2021 - 25
March 2021 - Seeking the slam
March 2021 - 27
March 2021 - 28
March 2021 - 29
March 2021 - 30
March 2021 - 31
March 2021 - A family matter
March 2021 - 33
March 2021 - 34
March 2021 - 35
March 2021 - 36
March 2021 - 37
March 2021 - Getting kids outside
March 2021 - 39
March 2021 - 40
March 2021 - 41
March 2021 - 42
March 2021 - 43
March 2021 - 44
March 2021 - 45
March 2021 - Wild country dispatch
March 2021 - 47
March 2021 - Backpage
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com