Freshwater · North Central
Trout - Cutthroat
These notes are district-general defaults. Search your lake or stream first — special waters override these rules. Full booklet: 2026 Freshwater Guide. Catch reports: Fish data.
Species group
TROUT
Season
District general (CCR §7.00(c)) — major correction from older app text: 1) All streams except those listed by name in Special Regulations: CLOSED to all fishing all year. 2) Tidewaters of streams except those listed by name in Special Regulations: CLOSED to all fishing all year. Lakes & reservoirs (unless named in Special Regulations): generally open all year — verify in the freshwater guide. Many popular trout/steelhead waters (e.g. Russian River segments) are governed by Special Regulations, not this closed default. IMPORTANT: If your lake, river, or stream is named in the Alphabetical List of Waters with Special Fishing Regulations (2026 Freshwater Sport Fishing Guide), those special rules override this district default.
Season notes
Hatchery trout/steelhead = healed adipose fin clip (adipose absent). Unless otherwise provided, wild trout/steelhead must be released immediately.
Daily bag limit
Streams / tidewaters under the district default: no take (closed). Typical lakes/reservoirs (if not listed specially): 5 trout per day / 10 in possession — confirm statewide rules and Special Regulations. IMPORTANT: If your lake, river, or stream is named in the Alphabetical List of Waters with Special Fishing Regulations (2026 Freshwater Sport Fishing Guide), those special rules override this district default.
Minimum size
See special-water listing for the water you fish.
Gear restrictions
Closed waters: no fishing. Open special waters: follow gear rules on that listing (often artificial lures / barbless hooks).
Identification
Throughout their native and introduced ranges, cutthroat trout vary widely in size, coloration and habitat selection. Their coloration can range from golden to gray to green on the back. Cutthroat trout can generally be distinguished from rainbow trout by the presence of basibranchial teeth at the base of tongue and a maxillary that extends beyond the posterior edge of the eye. Depending on subspecies, strain and habitat, most have distinctive red, pink, or orange linear marks along the underside of their mandibles in the lower folds of the gill plates. These markings are responsible for the common name cutthroat, first given to the trout by outdoor writer Charles Hallock in an 1884 article in The American Angler.