Utah’s Native Trout Slam hits new record with over 2,000 completions

Each of the four medallions for the Cutthroat Slam feature one of the subspecies. Photo: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

UTAH — The Utah Cutthroat Slam has been going on for almost a decade and has recently reached a new milestone of over 2,000 slam completions, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

DWR and Utah Trout Unlimited first launched the slam in 2016 to create a fishing challenge for anglers and raise funds for native cutthroat trout conservation. 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 awarded to the first 1,000 anglers to complete the slam, a feat that took until September 2022.

Once the original run of 1,000 was gone, slam organizers announced a new series of four medallions, one for each of the cutthroat subspecies, that were released periodically as another 250 anglers completed the challenge. It only took three more years to hit 2,000 completions.

• Colorado River cutthroat trout medallion: Released in October 2022, when 1,000 slam completions were reached.
• Yellowstone cutthroat trout medallion: Released in December 2023, when 1,250 slam completions were reached.
• Bear River cutthroat trout medallion: Released in November 2024, when 1,500 slam completions were reached.
• Bonneville cutthroat trout medallion: Released in July 2025, when 1,750 slam completions were reached.

Anglers who finish the challenge can now choose which of the four they would like upon completion of the challenge.

“So far this year, there have been 367 slam completions, and over $19,000 in revenue has been generated for native cutthroat trout conservation,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick said. ”This year, with Cutthroat Slam funding, we were able to restock Bonneville cutthroat trout into a remote stream system with the use of a helicopter.”

Since 2016, the Utah Cutthroat Slam has:

• Garnered over 5,729 registered anglers, including anglers from 48 U.S. states and one angler from outside the U.S.
• Been completed 2,019 times.
• 226 anglers have completed the slam more than once.
• Raised more than $126,580 for native cutthroat trout conservation work and outreach that benefits all four subspecies.

“We’re grateful to the anglers who embraced the spirit of the Utah Cutthroat Slam as a true conservation effort, not just a fishing challenge, and shared the adventure with family and friends,” said Brett Prettyman, Utah Cutthroat Slam Program Director for Utah Trout Unlimited.