WYOMING — A record number of anglers completed the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) Cutt-Slam challenge this year.
WGFD said in a statement that this year, 210 people achieved the goal of catching and documenting the state’s four native subspecies of cutthroat trout: Bonneville, Colorado River, Snake River and Yellowstone.
The previous single-year Cutt-Slam record was set in 2020 when 200 anglers participated. It was the eighth year in a row in which more than 100 anglers reached the goal. WGFD gives a personalized certificate and a vehicle decal to all recipients, and Wyoming Trout Unlimited gives each person a medallion.
Since the program’s inception in 1996, there have been 2,766 anglers who have realized the accomplishment of catching all four fish in a calendar year. According to WGFD, anglers from three countries and 49 states have completed the challenge in its 29 years. Rhode Island is the only state without a resident who has achieved the contest.
The Cutt-Slam was the idea of the late WGFD fisheries biologist Ron Remmick, who worked for the agency for 25 years. WGFD says that he developed the challenge to encourage anglers to learn about Wyoming’s cutthroat trout and to develop an appreciation for habitat needs and management programs.
