Coastal cutthroat trout Coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki), like steelhead, have both resident and anadromous life history patterns but their life history patterns are not well known. They remain in freshwater for at least two years. Upstream migration of anadromous coastal cutthroat adults is thought to occur primarily in late fall and early winter (Flosi and Reynolds 1994) and spawning occurs mostly in the spring (McCain et al. 1995). Resident populations of both coastal cutthroat and rainbow trout exist throughout the headwaters of the Smith River. There are barriers to adult migration which define the upstream limit of the anadromous populations of these two species. Downstream from these barriers, both anadromous and resident life history patterns are utilized. Cutthroat are also capable of following an intermediate life history: they migrate only as far as the estuary rather than the ocean. This suggests that there is not a clear division between resident and anadromous life histories in coastal cutthroat trout.

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