Western Native Trout Challenge

The Western Native Trout Challenge is a multi-state effort hosted by the  Western Native Trout Initiative . Through this interactive map, you can learn about where you can responsibly catch different native trout and char species in 12 western states, earning one or more achievement awards.

Each of the 12 western state fish and wildlife agencies selected the species to include in the Challenge, creating an opportunity for you to learn about these native species and to have the adventure of a lifetime while you experience the unique habitats of native western trout.  Find more information  here  and  register  to participate! 

Note: All graphics are courtesy of Joseph R. Tomelleri

Information on Alaskan Lake Trout can be found on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game  website , including a  photo gallery .

Information on Alaskan Rainbow Trout can be found on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game  website , including a  photo gallery .

Information on Apache Trout, the state fish of Arizona, can be found on the Arizona Game and Fish Department  website .

Information on Arctic Char can be found on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game  website , including a  photo gallery . 

Information on Arctic Grayling can be found on the following websites:  Alaska Department of Game and Fish , including a  photo gallery , and  Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks  (not currently eligible for challenge).

Information on Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, the state fish of Utah, can be found on the following websites:  Idaho Department of Fish and Game ,  Utah Division of Wildlife Resources , and  Wyoming Game and Fish Department .

Information on Bull Trout can be found on the following websites:  Idaho Department of Fish and Game ,  Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks  (not currently eligible for challenge),  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife , and  Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife  (not currently eligible for challenge).

Information on the California Golden Trout, the state fish of California, can be found here on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife  website .

Information on the Coastal Cutthroat Trout can be found on the following websites:  Alaska Department of Fish and Game ,  California Department of Fish and Wildlife ,  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife ,  Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife , and the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service .

Information on Colorado River Cutthroat Trout can be found on the following websites:  Colorado Parks and Wildlife ,  Utah Division Wildlife Resources , and  Wyoming Game and Fish Department . 

Information on Dolly Varden can be found on the following websites:  Alaska Department of Fish and Game  and  Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife  (not currently eligible for challenge).

Information on Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife  website. 

Information on Gila Trout can be found on the following websites:  Arizona Game and Fish Department  and  New Mexico Department of Game and Fish .

Information on Kern River Rainbow Trout can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife  website .

Information on Lahontan Cutthroat Trout can be found on the following websites:  California Department of Fish and Wildlife ,   Nevada Department of Wildlife , and  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife .

Information on the Little Kern Golden Trout can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife  website .

Information on this species can be found on the following state agency websites: California Department of Fish and Wildlife provides information on  McCloud ,  Goose Lake , or  Warner Lakes  populations;  Idaho Department of Fish and Game ,  Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks  (not currently eligible for challenge),  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife , and  Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife . 

Information on the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout, the state fish of New Mexico, can be found on the following Websites:  New Mexico Game and Fish  and  Colorado Parks and Wildlife .

​Information on the Westslope Cutthroat Trout can be found on the following websites:  Idaho Fish and Game ,  Montana Wildlife & Parks ,  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife ,  Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife , and  Wyoming Game and Fish .

​Information on the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout can be found on the following websites:  Idaho Fish and Game Department ,  Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks,   Utah Division of Wildlife Resources , and  Wyoming Game and Fish Department .

Using proper catch and release techniques will help conserve western native trout species. Check the regulations in each state you fish in to educate yourself on special catch and release requirements.

The right tools for the job decrease the fish’s stress and increase its chance of survival after release.

Hooks

• Pinch the barb on your hook flat so it’s easily removed.

• Circle hooks are the ideal choice for catch and release fishing; they are designed so that the point is turned away from the shank to form a circular shape. This allows the hook to pass back through the fish’s stomach should it be swallowed, and hook in the corner of the lip once line pressure is applied by the angler. These hooks have been heavily researched by biologists and are a must for all catch-and-release anglers.

• Properly sized, single barbless hooks reduce fish handling time and injury. Two hooks can be removed from treble hooks using wire snips or pliers. Barbs can be removed by flattening the barb against the hook shank with needle-nosed pliers or fishing hemostats.

Rod, Reel and Line

• Use equipment with sufficient power and strength to land the fish quickly. Long struggles on light fishing gear can tire and stress fish unnecessarily.

• Use the appropriate gear (rods, reel, and line) for the size of the fish you are targeting. Don’t use ultra-light gear for catch and release.

Bait—Bait often results in deep hooking injuries. If possible, avoid the use of scents and artificial baits that encourage fish to swallow hooks.

Artificial lures or flies—When you use artificial lures or flies, the fish are generally hooked in the lip, making it easier to remove the hook quickly.

Landing net—Landing nets reduce handling time, stress, and the potential for injury, especially for large fish that are difficult to manage. Large frames with shallow nets made of rubber or small, soft, knotless mesh are best because they are less damaging to eyes, fins, scales, and the protective mucous membrane.

• Bring the fish to you as quickly as possible to avoid extreme exhaustion.

• Handle the fish as little as possible.

• Keep the fish in the water and resuscitate it. Handle the fish gently with wet hands or moist rubber (not cotton) gloves to reduce the loss of a fish’s protective mucous. Never use a towel. Support the fish in a landing net, or cradle the fish gently with one hand beneath the belly near the water surface. Hold the fish horizontal, if possible, because fish naturally swim through the water in this position.

• The best practice is to minimize air exposure to less than 60 seconds by keeping the fish wet and calm. Prolonged air exposure or improper handling, such as squeezing or putting fingers beneath the gill plates, can cause injury or death.

• Treat the fish gently. Never hold a fish by the gills.

• Release the fish quickly.

Removing the Hook

• Work quickly and calmly. Keep the fish in the water or hold it upside down to calm and relax the fish. This will make it easier to remove the hook. Unhook the fish while it is in the water.

• Use the right tool. Needle-nosed pliers, hemostats, and other hook removers are essential for quick and efficient hook removal.

• If a hook is swallowed and you can't get it out, do not try to pull the hook out. Cut the line as close to the hook as possible and leave the hook in the fish. Use barbless hooks to make release easier.

• Never use the “through the gill” removal method. In fact, you should never touch a fish’s gills at all. Simply cut the line as close to the hook as you can, and release the fish. The hook will rust away within a short time and the fish will have a better chance of making a full recovery than if you messed with its gills or reached deep down its throat with your equipment.

Lip Hooked—Use hemostats, needle nose pliers, or other release tools to speed up the removal of stubborn hooks. If the fish is lip hooked (barbless) simply use hemostats to grasp the hook and turn it to release the fish while it is still in the water. You don’t even need to touch it.

Mouth or Throat—If you hook a fish inside the mouth or throat and are unable to remove it with your release tools then cut the hook near the bend with side cutters as well as cutting the line as close as possible. Fish have strong digestive acids that dissolve metal. Studies have shown that fish released in this manner have a higher survival rate than do fish that have had hooks torn from their throat or stomach. The longer a fish is out of water and the more you practice your surgical techniques, the less chance the fish has to recover and/or survive.

Deep Hooked—If the fish has obviously swallowed the hook, simply cut the line off as close to the mouth as possible and allow the fish to swim away. The fish will usually be able to get rid of the hook itself if it has no barb, or it will dissolve. Never pull on the line of a deep hooked fish in an attempt to recover your hook, this will severely injure the fish and will probably kill it. Use release tools to work the hook and protect your hands. Hooks should be removed by grasping the shank of the hook and use the weight of the fish to pull the hook out. This way you will not have to squeeze the fish and will speed up the removal.

Gill Hooked

• If the hook has become lodged in the gills, the situation can be more complicated. If the fish is a legal angling species, is over the size limit and is bleeding from the gills, it is probably better to kill it humanely and keep it. If there is little or no apparent bleeding or the fish is a protected species or undersize, you can try to remove the hook (without doing any more damage). When working around the gills, always take great care not to injure the delicate gill filaments.

• Let the fish fully recover before releasing it. Hold the fish underwater, in an upright position or secured in the landing net, head first into the water, which helps push water through the mouth and over the gills. Make sure it’s ventilating before release—you should see the gills opening and closing. If the fish has difficulty regaining its strength, then face the fish into the current. The fresh oxygenated water can pass gently over the gills helping the fish “catch its breath.” Let it swim away on its own

• Revive exhausted fish by placing the fish in the water, facing the current if possible, with one hand underneath the belly and the other hand holding the bottom lip or tail.

• In fast moving water, consider moving the fish to calmer water where it can recover and swim away on its own. Fast-moving or turbulent water can sweep away or injure a weakened fish. This is particularly important for fish released from a boat in midstream.

• If the fish is bleeding or unable to maintain itself in an upright manner, and regulations allow for harvest, a fish dinner is an ethical option.

• Try to retrieve all lost fishing line, sinkers, lures, etc.

• Properly dispose of all discarded fishing line from your trip.

• Pack out all trash, even if it’s not your own.

• Recycle all plastic containers, even when you’re not fishing. Plastic in the ocean is a global issue.

Angling Unlimited:  https://anglingunlimited.com/fishing/catch-release-properly/ 

Fix.com:  https://www.fix.com/blog/catch-and-release-fishing/ 

KeepFishWet Fishing:    https://www.keepfishwet.org/ 

National Park Service Catch and Release:  https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fishing/how-to-safely-catch-and-release.htm 

NOAA Catch and Release Best Practices:  https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/fishery_management/recreational_fishing/rec_fish_wcr/catchrelease.pdf 

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Native Fish Society:  https://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/docs/catchreleasebrochure.pdf 

Takemefishing.org:  https://www.takemefishing.org/how-to-fish/how-to-catch-fish/how-to-release-a-fish  / 

The  Western Native Trout Challenge  is a program of the  Western Native Trout Initiative  (WNTI - pronounced "win tee").  WNTI is an Initiative of the  Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies  and a nationally recognized  Fish Habitat Partnership .  WNTI's mission is “To serve as a key catalyst for the implementation of conservation or management actions for western native trout, through partnerships and cooperative efforts, resulting in improved species status, improved aquatic habitats, and recreational opportunities for native trout anglers across western states.”

Many partners and sponsors provided information, support, and funding for this story map: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Arizona Game and Fish, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Nevada Department of Wildlife, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Wyoming Department of Game and Fish.

We have created a video to help you navigate through the Western Native Trout Challenge Fish Maps, as well as provide some useful tips and tricks that can help you be successful in your angling adventures.

Many anglers have asked for a way to download the maps we provided in this Story Map. The  WNTI Challenge Downloadable Maps  is an application we have developed so you can create your own “field maps” that will allow you to navigate outside of cell service. Users can create maps of specific areas from our Fishmaps of where they will be going, which is helpful for navigation and determining distances. This application can be used for any area, though only states with site-specific data are included on the map.  We have created a video tutorial demonstrating how to use the application that you can view .

                Once you have created a PDF map in the application, it can be printed on paper, or used in a variety of apps that are navigational aids. We recommend using  Avenza Maps , which is available for Android and iOS. Once the map is imported into Avenza, it will show your location on the map and also provide various useful tools, such as “pinning” a location or path tracking.

                IMPORTANT NOTE: WNTI does not have the staff capacity to provide one-on-one support, but you can watch our  video tutorial  demonstrating how to create a PDF map using the Downloadable Maps application. Information on how to use Avenza Maps can be found on their  help website .

Some participants have requested shapefiles to import into applications such as onX. Unfortunately, we cannot provide that format due to the ability to manipulate and change data.