Bear Lake cutthroat trout in Utah
Utah rules and waters for bear Lake cutthroat trout, every figure dated and sourced.
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Bear Lake cutthroat trout across Utah, summed up
The 2027 guidebook groups bear Lake cutthroat trout in its "Trout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)" line, which allows 4 per day statewide. The 2026 edition, still the rule book until December 31, 2026, carries the identical number.
It appears on 6 Utah water pages through Fish Utah, rated likely on 4. Its rule changes on 51 waters in the guidebook list, Beaver Creek among them. DWR's record book holds 1 entries for it across its categories.
2027 Utah Fishing Guidebook, p. 9 (effective January 1, 2027; DWR PDF), read November 11, 2026.
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| Statewide row | 2027 daily | 2026 daily | Note as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total) | 4 | same | Anglers may not possess kokanee salmon at any waterbody statewide from Sept. 10 through Nov. 30. |
The limits here are from the 2027 Utah Fishing Guidebook, which takes effect January 1, 2027; the 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook stays in force through December 31, 2026 and differs only where a row says so.
The doubled possession rule applies everywhere but Flaming Gorge, where one limit is the ceiling.
2027 Utah Fishing Guidebook, p. 9 (effective January 1, 2027; DWR PDF), read November 11, 2026.
Utah Admin. Code R657-13 (R657-13-19), last changed June 23, 2026 as printed on the DWR rules page, read November 11, 2026.
Utah waters with their own bear Lake cutthroat trout rule
Lines naming the fish itself come first; lines that set a general trout rule follow.
| Water as printed | County | Rule lines | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Creek | San Juan County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. All cutthroat trout must be immediately released. | both editions |
| Dougherty Basin Lake | Garfield County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. | both editions |
| Duck Fork Creek and other tributaries to Duck Fork Reservoir | Sanpete County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. | both editions |
| Duck Fork Reservoir | Sanpete County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. | both editions |
| Huntington Reservoir | Sanpete County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. | both editions |
| Huntington Reservoir tributaries | Sanpete County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. | both editions |
| Lake Canyon Lake | Duchesne County | Limit 2 trout, only 1 may be a cutthroat trout over 22 inches. To learn how to identify cutthroat trout in this water, see the description of Colorado River cutthroat trout on page 32. All cutthroat trout 22 inches or smaller must be immediately released. | both editions |
| Little Dell Reservoir | Salt Lake County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. All cutthroat trout must be immediately released. | both editions |
| Mountain Dell Creek | Salt Lake County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. | both editions |
| Panguitch Lake | Garfield County | No more than 2 may be cutthroat or tiger trout under 15 inches, and no more than 1 may be a cutthroat or tiger trout over 22 inches. All cutthroat and tiger trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released. Any trout with cutthroat markings is considered to be a cutthroat trout. To learn how to identify cutthroa | both editions |
| Panguitch Lake tributaries | Garfield County | Limit 2 cutthroat or tiger trout (a combined total); no more than 2 may be under 15 inches, and no more than 1 may be a cutthroat or tiger trout over 22 inches (goes toward the statewide trout limit). All cutthroat and tiger trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released. Any trout with cutthroat markings is c | both editions |
| Parleys Creek | Salt Lake County | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. | both editions |
| Porcupine Reservoir | Cache County | Limit 12 trout and kokanee salmon, only 4 may be rainbow, cutthroat or brown trout (a combined total). To take 12 fish, you must possess at least 8 kokanee. | both editions |
| Provo River | Summit, Utah and Wasatch counties | CLOSED to the possession of cutthroat and rainbow trout and their hybrids. All cutthroat and rainbow trout and their hybrids must be immediately released. | both editions |
| Scofield Reservoir | Carbon and Utah counties | No more than 2 may be cutthroat or tiger trout under 15 inches, and no more than 1 may be a cutthroat or tiger trout over 22 inches. All cutthroat and tiger trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released. Any trout with cutthroat markings is considered to be a cutthroat trout. To learn how to identify cutthroa | both editions |
| Sheep Creek Lake | Daggett County | Limit 2 trout, only 1 may be a cutthroat trout over 22 inches. To learn how to identify cutthroat trout in this water, see the description of Colorado River cutthroat trout on page 50. All cutthroat trout 22 inches or smaller must be immediately released. | both editions |
| Strawberry Reservoir | Wasatch County | No more than 2 may be cutthroat trout under 15 inches, and no more than 1 may be a cutthroat trout over 22 inches. All cutthroat trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released. Anglers are encouraged to voluntarily release all cutthroat trout. Any trout with cutthroat characteristics (not necessarily jaw slash | both editions |
| Weber River | Summit County | All cutthroat trout—or trout with cutthroat markings—must be immediately released. To learn how to identify cutthroat trout in this water, see the description of Bonneville cutthroat trout on page 63. | both editions |
| West Fork Duchesne River | Duchesne and Wasatch counties | Limit 2 cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings (included in statewide limit). To learn how to identify cutthroat trout in this water, see the description of Colorado River cutthroat trout on page 64. | both editions |
| Annabella Lake | Sevier County | Limit of 8 trout from Aug. 15–Dec. 31. | both editions |
| Ashley Creek | Uintah County | Limit 2 trout. | both editions |
| Bear Lake | Rich County | Limit 2 trout. | both editions |
| Big Lake | Sevier County | Limit 8 trout from Aug. 15–Dec. 31. | both editions |
| Blacksmith Fork River | Cache County | Bonus limit of 4 brown trout (total limit of no more than 8 trout if at least 4 are brown trout). | both editions |
| Calder Reservoir | Uintah County | Limit 1 trout over 22 inches. All trout 22 inches or smaller must be immediately released. | both editions |
| Causey Reservoir | Weber County | Limit 4 trout, and no more than 1 may be a lake trout over 22 inches. All lake trout under 22 inches must be immediately released. (NEW) Limit 8 kokanee salmon (in addition to the daily limit of 4 trout). | NEW 2027 |
| Deep Lake | Sevier County | Limit of 8 trout from Aug. 15–Dec. 31. | both editions |
| Donkey Lake | Wayne County | (NEW) Limit 8 brook trout. | NEW 2027 |
| East Fork Boulder Creek | Garfield County | No limit for brook trout. | both editions |
| East Fork Little Bear River | Cache County | Limit 2 trout or salmon (a combined total, regardless of species). | both editions |
2027 Utah Fishing Guidebook, p. 35-58 (effective January 1, 2027; DWR PDF), read November 11, 2026.
The DWR record book for bear Lake cutthroat trout
| Category | Weight | Length | Water | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catch and release (by length) | – | 31" | Bear Lake | 2021 |
Utah state record fish as DWR lists them (records page), read November 11, 2026.
Utah pages that carry bear Lake cutthroat trout
Read each label as the DWR planner prints it; stocked marks a recent DWR planting.
- Bear LakeDWR: likely; Rich County
- Scofield ReservoirDWR: likely; Carbon County
- Panguitch LakeDWR: likely; Garfield County
- Koosharem ReservoirDWR: likely; Sevier County
- Fish LakeDWR: possible; Sevier County
- Hobbs ReservoirDWR: possible; Davis County
Utah DWR Fish Utah planner (dwrapps.utah.gov), read November 11, 2026.
Row partners of bear Lake cutthroat trout in the Utah table
A combined row means the fish below share a single daily limit.
- Bonneville cutthroat troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Colorado River cutthroat troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Yellowstone cutthroat troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Rainbow troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Lake troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Brook troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- SplakeTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Golden troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Tiger troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Arctic graylingTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Brown troutTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
- Kokanee salmonTrout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)
Photo of Bear Lake: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Bear Lake cutthroat trout in Utah: questions that come up
What is the Utah daily limit for bear Lake cutthroat trout?
The 2027 guidebook groups bear Lake cutthroat trout in its "Trout, kokanee salmon and Arctic grayling (a combined total)" line, which allows 4 per day statewide. The 2026 edition, still the rule book until December 31, 2026, carries the identical number.
Do some Utah waters change the bear Lake cutthroat trout rule?
Its rule changes on 51 waters in the guidebook list, Beaver Creek among them.
Where was the record bear Lake cutthroat trout caught in Utah?
DWR prints 31", Bear Lake, 2021, under catch and release (by length).
Which Utah water pages carry bear Lake cutthroat trout?
Bear Lake, Scofield Reservoir and Panguitch Lake, plus others for 6 in all.
Does Utah protect bear Lake cutthroat trout from harvest?
The release lists leave it off; follow the limits shown.
Does a visitor chasing bear Lake cutthroat trout need a Utah license?
Anglers 12 and older need a Utah fishing license; both the 2026 and 2027 guidebooks print $40 for a resident 365-day adult license and $120 for a nonresident.
How does DWR accept a record bear Lake cutthroat trout?
Submissions go through the DWR records page, which lists catch-and-keep, catch-and-release, spearfishing, setline and archery tables.
How many bear Lake cutthroat trout may I hold in Utah?
Two daily limits, not counting fish at your permanent residence; Flaming Gorge allows one.