The first person to complete the Cutt-Slam was then 10-year-old MacKenzie Mixer of Casper who completed the Slam with her father in 1996.

The Cutt-Slam was the brainchild of the late Pinedale area fisheries supervisor Ron Remmick who wanted to draw attention to the management efforts being done on behalf of the cutthroat. He looked at Wyoming's four cutthroat subspecies and the Cutt-Slam was born.

Fisheries chief Mike Stone recalls Remmick's proposal for the Cutt-Slam program. "Ron was very involved with cutthroat management and wanted to do something that would create an awareness of the fish and their habitat needs," Stone said. "Although cutthroats have been stocked in many Wyoming waters where they are not native, Ron's idea was to focus attention on cutthroat trout within their native range."

Since that time, cutthroat management efforts have continued with some of the most notable efforts being the reclamation of LaBarge Creek and waters in the Little Snake River drainage for Colorado River cutthroat.

Anglers who complete the Cutt-Slam are recognized for catching Wyoming's four subspecies of cutthroat in their native range in Wyoming. The four subspecies are the Yellowstone, Snake River, Bonneville and Colorado River cutthroat trout. Successful anglers receive a certificate listing the name of the angler, color artwork of the four subspecies and notation on the date and location of each catch. The Cutt-Slam program has been featured in fly fishing magazines and on several outdoor television programs.

To date, the 500 plus anglers completing the Slam have come from 39 states and two foreign countries. To qualify, an angler needs to provide a photograph of each fish and information on the date of catch and water where it was caught. There is no minimum size requirement...fish from six to 20 plus inches have been submitted. Releasing of fish is encouraged and may be required depending on the regulations for different waters.

In recognition of the milestone, the Game and Fish will provide Hoobler a Cutt-Slam patch and shirt and a $100 gift certificate from the Game and Fish Alternative Enterprises store.

Anglers interested in completing their own Cutt-Slam can contact Game and Fish regional offices and Game and Fish headquarters in Cheyenne for information on drainages and different waters in the state where these fish are available. Cutt-Slam applications and listings of different cutthroat waters are also available on the Game and Fish Web site.

News Source: Wyoming G&F - Oct. 06, 2008