Salt Lake City — The Utah Cutthroat Slam has reached a new milestone of over 1,750 slam completions and is releasing the newest medallion — featuring the Bonneville cutthroat trout — for anglers who complete the fishing challenge.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Trout Unlimited launched the slam in 2016 to create a fun fishing challenge for anglers and as a way to raise funds for native cutthroat trout conservation and outreach efforts. To successfully complete the slam and receive a medallion, anglers must catch Utah’s four native subspecies of cutthroat trout in their native ranges.
The original medallion was released in 2016 and awarded to the first 1,000 anglers to complete the slam, a milestone that was reached in September 2022. Later that year, the partners of the slam announced a new series of four medallions — one for each of the cutthroat trout subspecies — that anglers could earn when completing the slam.
"The Bonneville cutthroat trout medallion is the fourth and final medallion to be released in this new collectable series," Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick said. "We've been excited to see the increased participation in the slam, with anglers completing it multiple times in order to collect each new medallion. So far this year, 101 people have completed the slam and $11,560 in revenue has been generated for native cutthroat trout conservation. We are grateful for our partners, Utah Trout Unlimited, and others involved in these efforts."
The artwork for the medallions was created by artist Tim Johnson, and each new medallion was released to the first 250 anglers to complete the slam.
Since 2016, the Utah Cutthroat Slam has:
- Garnered over 5,466 registered anglers, including anglers from 48 U.S. states and one angler from outside the U.S.
- Been completed 1,755 times.
- Raised more than $118,920 for native cutthroat trout conservation work and outreach that benefits all four subspecies.
"Watching the success of the Utah Cutthroat Slam is a testament to the value of fishing in general, and in supporting native sportfish in our state," said Brett Prettyman, Utah Cutthroat Slam Program Director for Utah Trout Unlimited. "The slam promotes all the wonderful benefits of fishing, like getting out with family and friends, challenging anglers to be better at the sport, and taking advantage of the amazing outdoor experiences Utah offers. Fishing in new areas and discovering the beauty of native cutthroat are just bonuses. Raising money for conservation just by encouraging people to fish is the magic of the program."
Anyone interested in participating in the Utah Cutthroat Slam can learn more and register on the website.
