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Interest among anglers wishing to complete Utah's Cutthroat Slam appears to be high.

What, exactly, is the cutthroat slam?

It is a program established by the Division of Wildlife Resources and Trout Unlimited encouraging anglers to catch the four species of cutthroat trout that are native to Utah. Those are the Bear River, Bonneville, Colorado River and Yellowstone.

Those who complete the slam receive a medallion and certificate.

Cost to enter is $20 for adults and $10 for youth 18 and under, with all but $1 going toward cutthroat conservation. To register, log on to http://www.utahcutthroatslam.org.

According to Brett Prettyman, Intermountain communications director for Trout Unlimited, the approximately $5,000 collected so far will likely be used to help improve habitat for cutthroat spawning on a two-mile stretch of the Weber River.

Since the program began, 399 anglers from 14 different states have registered and about a dozen have completed the slam.

According to the DWR, Colton Finch was the first registered angler to complete the slam. He purchased the permit April 9.

"I took my little car to a couple of places that I shouldn't have and blew a tire," Finch said.

Because cutthroat trout are usually found at higher elevations, the slam took Finch to some new places.

"Pursuing the slam was a lot of fun because it forced me to visit beautiful parts of the state I had never taken the trouble to fish," he says. "Sometimes, I was stumbling through snow, sometimes I was trudging through mud, sometimes I was bushwhacking in the willows, but I was always having fun."

Finch said he caught a number of fish that were not part of the slam. He caught 15 wild non-native brown trout on the Bear River in a row before finally landing the Bear River cutthroat.

"Having people catch native fish in their historic habitat is just another way for all anglers to enjoy the native wildlife and natural wonders of our state," said Prettyman. "Fishing is just an excuse to get outside and enjoy our wild places. The Utah Cutthroat Slam puts an exclamation point on the adventure."