With each Utah Cutthroat Slam completion, anglers can choose one of these four species-specific medallions.
Salt Lake City — The Utah Cutthroat Slam has reached a new milestone of over 2,000 slam completions. Now, anglers who finish the popular fishing challenge can choose which of the four species-specific medallions they want with each slam completion.
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.
"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. That would not have been possible without the additional funds from this program. With this latest milestone of reaching 2,000 completions, we are excited to allow anglers to select from any of the four medallions when they complete the slam, which will allow them to more easily grow their collection. We are grateful for our partners, Utah Trout Unlimited, and others involved in these important conservation efforts and this fun initiative."
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 5,729 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. Hitting the 2,000 completion mark — a milestone we couldn't have reached without all of you — is unbelievable," said Brett Prettyman, Utah Cutthroat Slam Program Director for Utah Trout Unlimited. "We also want to thank the many people from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Trout Unlimited who have believed in and managed the slam over the years. A special thank you to artist Tim Johnson for generously donating his incredible cutthroat art to the cause. It took us 6 ½ years to reach 1,000 completions, but only three years to reach 2,000. Clearly, the colorful species medallions were a huge hit!"
To learn more about conservation projects funded by the Utah Cutthroat Slam, visit the DWR website.
Anyone interested in participating in the Utah Cutthroat Slam can learn more and register on the website.
