Fishing Forum

Hey everyone,
I release most of the fish that I catch, but since my wife loves trout so much, she insists that I bring one home occasionally for dinner. (One of the reasons she allows me to go fishing also...)
And normally, I don't have to know the difference between a cut and a bow, but since I'm heading to Strawberry this weekend, I'm gonna need to know how to tell the difference when I pick one to keep and bring home. When I fished at Strawberry in my boat earlier this year, I'm pretty sure they were all cuts as they all had the traditional red slits on the throat (hence the name "cutthroat), and I'm pretty good at distinguishing just by looking at the body coloring also.
But the regulations for Strawberry state that "any fish with any cutthroat characteristics or markings should be considered a cutthroat" and you need to send it away swimming.
So for my benefit, and for others also who want to stay within the bounderies of the law when keeping a fish, what are some of the other specific characteristics or markings to look for to determine the species?
Here are the only ones I know:
1. A cutthroat COULD have the crimson/red/orange or yellow slashes under its throat.
2. A rainbow USUALLY has the pink/red stripe down its side.

But what are some of the other markings that a fishcop would point out as he writes you a ticket?
Randy
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I'm sure you'll get many answers about this question. The fish up there can hybridize, so you have to be careful. My rule of thumb is if it has orange fins, or any red under the gills, it goes back into the water. You can judge a bow by its red stripe only, as cutbows will have them as well. If it has the stripe, no red on the "throat", and its fins aren't orange...keep it. Just my 2 cents.
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The best way I have ever been shown to tell the difference if your not sure because of a lack of color is to look at the head. Rainbows have a lot of spots on their head just like the rest of their body. Cuthroats on the other hand have very few spots on their head in relation to the spots on their body. The spots on the cuthroat trout are also large in size on the head. Had never noticed until a friend showed me and he was right.