Best cutthroat trout lakes in Utah
42 Utah waters hold cutthroat trout, 1 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The native trout of the West, named for the orange slash under its jaw. A shoreline cruiser that hunts drop-offs, inlets and rocky points for baitfish and insects.
- Flaming Gorge Reservoir — 436 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Common Carp
- Bear Lake — 197 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Cutthroat Trout
- Utah Lake — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
- Strawberry Reservoir — 75 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
- Jordanelle Reservoir — 292 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow Trout
- Deer Creek Reservoir — 66 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
- Fish Lake — 175 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Yellow Perch, Common Carp
- Scofield Reservoir — 66 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, White Bass & Hybrids, Cutthroat Trout
- Electric Lake — 217 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
- Moon Lake — 73 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
- Joes Valley Reservoir — 89 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Cutthroat Trout, Splake
- Lost Creek Reservoir — 128 ft max · Rainbow Trout, White Bass & Hybrids, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
- Red Fleet Reservoir — 144 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
- Panguitch Lake — 66 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, White Bass & Hybrids, Brown Trout
- Green River (Flaming Gorge) — 12 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
- Navajo Lake — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Cutthroat Trout, Splake
- Millsite Reservoir — 52 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Splake
- Koosharem Reservoir — 12 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Splake
- Currant Creek Reservoir — 78 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Whitefish, Cutthroat Trout
- Forsyth Reservoir — 36 ft max · Yellow Perch, Cutthroat Trout, Splake
- Kolob Reservoir — 16 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout
- Little Dell Reservoir — 200 ft max · Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout
- Huntington — 92 ft max · Cutthroat Trout, Splake
- Smith and Morehouse Reservoir — 30 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee, Arctic Grayling
- Cleveland Reservoir — 56 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
…plus 17 more Utah waters holding cutthroat trout.
When to fish cutthroat trout in Utah
- Spring 3–15 ft — Pre- and post-spawn cutthroat gang up at tributary mouths and cruise gravel shorelines — swing a spinner or fly through the inlet current.
- Summer 10–35 ft — Summer cutthroat hold along the first shoreline drop and off rocky points, sliding deeper as the surface warms — troll or cast the 15-30 ft edge.
- Fall 5–25 ft — Cooling water brings cutthroat back onto rocky points and gravel shoals to feed hard before winter.
- Winter 10–40 ft — Cold-tolerant like all trout — cutthroat hang on the deep shoreline drops and basin edges through the cold months.
Also in Utah: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best splake lakes
Cutthroat Trout elsewhere: Montana · Wyoming · Washington · Colorado · Nevada · Idaho