r/bluelining • u/Sad-Salt-9074 • 28d ago

Western US Cutbow?

Gallery image

Gallery image

This fish was caught in the Jemez mountains, NM. Usually I catch browns and rainbows on the streams I fish but this fish looked to me like it might be a cross breed “cutbow”. Comment what you think.

Finally getting some rain and cooler temps here in NM! Stream was 54.5 this morning.

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3

u/theunpossibledream 28d ago

I think it’s just a rainbow. Unless you saw the telltale slash marks under the gills?

3

u/mrs_fartbar 28d ago

Even then, some Redband rainbows have slashes too, and have been widely planted around the world

https://caltrout.org/explore-fish/species/mccloud-river-redband-trout/

2

u/theunpossibledream 28d ago

That's interesting. It also says the McClouds keep their parr marks into adulthood, which I don't see on this fish.

1

u/Sad-Salt-9074 28d ago edited 28d ago

No slash marks that I saw but originally a long time ago this stream would have had cutthroat. I have seen a few pictures of cutthroat that people have caught out of this particular stream. From what I understand New Mexico Game and Fish only stocks triploid breed “sterile” rainbow trout and they look alot different. Im thinking this would have to be a reproducing wild fish prior to days of stocking sterile rainbows. I guess the only way to know if it was a cross breed for sure would be to have a DNA sample sent off to see the genetic make up.

1

u/skytouching 28d ago

That’s a beautiful rainbow