[epic]

Sitting at work crusing over some fishing sites I began to wonder about fishing records in Colorado. Species and Sub-species example the Cutthroat on the records page it says native - Cutthroat it doesnt say if this is a greenback or a Rio Grande, or a Colorado River Cutthroat or what if you catch a Snake River Cutthroat (non-native) that breaks the record does that mean you dont get the record?(how do you tell these sub-species apart?) How about rainbows and cutbows. What happens if you catch a 20lb cutbow (dont know if its possible) does it get rejected because it isnt a pure strain rainbow.

 

[wmccree]

I'm sure it's possible to get a 20lb cutbow. Ive caught small ones in the Tayloe river so there's no reason one couldn't be sitting below the dam gorging itself on mysis. Good question though. I would think a 20lb cutbow would have to be in the book somehow.

 

[IceInTheVeins]

I'm sure it's possible to get a 20lb cutbow.  Ive caught small ones in the Tayloe river so there's no reason one couldn't be sitting below the dam gorging itself on mysis.  Good question though.  I would think a 20lb cutbow would have to be in the book somehow.

Actually we have hooked into several cuttbows in the Colorado River that were over 20 pounds. The reason the rainbow record stands at only 19 pounds is because many people catch larger rainbows than that but almost all of them are cuttbows, so they are disqualified. So in the Colorado River near Glenwood, The Taylor River below the dam, The Pan below Ruedi, and the Blue below Dillon all have fish over 20 pounds, but pretty much all of them are cuttbows so they do not qualify.
The official Cutthroat Record is 17 pounds and was a yellowfin from Twin Lakes.
The best place for a pure large rainbow to beat the record is the Gunnison Gorge. They are almost all pure 'bows, and bows over 10 pounds are common in the remote holes, but extremely hard to catch and land in the powerful current. They sit on the bottom of holes that can be deeper than 40 feet and are boiling with current from hell. Very hard to trigger, almost impossible to land. Have hooked many of them and they go bye bye quick. It's pretty much all big lures for them, forget flies unless a massive hatch is going on.

 

[wmccree]

You said you have "hooked into" 20lb cutbows? Did you land any and check into it?

In July you better get me into some of these huge fish you catch or I'm gonna cry foul ;D