These 2,000 fish planted in the summer of 2006 greatly increased trout density in two stretches of the river between the three reservoirs. But it remains to be seen how they survived the winter and the fishing pressure in waters so easily accessible.

“The Bear River is not a cutthroat recovery project, but a brand-new recreational fishery on a research basis,” said Atkinson. “It’s purely experimental. There are a lot of unanswered questions that will be answered only in future years, such as overwinter survival, how well the fish withstand a heavy runoff year and their ability to reproduce naturally.”

The river has some pretty sharp drops and strong cascades, but the meadow stretches also have riffles with good gravel for spawning.

“At this stage, I can’t guarantee the fishing will stay as good,” said Atkinson. “All I can do is hope.”

All the subspecies require clear, cold water, naturally fluctuating stream flows, low levels of sediment, well-distributed pools, stable stream banks and abundant stream cover. A study by the Western Native Trout Initiative found that such conditions exist mostly in designated wilderness and other roadless areas, underscoring the central role that roads play in devastating native trout populations.

“Native trout and wilderness are nearly synonymous,” said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity.

“You can’t have one without the other. It’s imperative that we not build more roads into America’s last remaining wild places.”

The fishing was so good I had to check my regulations to make sure the Bear River wasn’t catch-and-release or otherwise restricted to protect a conservation population of cutthroat trout.

Cutthroats spawn in early summer, just after ice-out, which in the high country comes as late as the latter half of July.

In 1995, I found myself beside Surprise Lake in the Flattops Wilderness Area with a broken ankle and no food. For four days, before rescue arrived, I tried to catch spawning cutts. They wouldn’t take anything I threw at them. But they do feed fiercely, immediately before and after their spawn.

FLIES, LURES Whereas big browns and rainbows often eat forage fish and smaller trout that are easily imitated by lures, cutthroats feed predominately on freshwater shrimp, aquatic insects, and terrestrials like grasshoppers, crickets and ants. Imitations of these food sources are your best bets for catching cutts. That’s why they’re more a flyfisher’s quarry.

My favorite fly is a Black Gnat, fished slow and deep. Other effective nymphs include a beadhead Hare’s Ear, beadhead Pheasant Tail and Stoneflies. Dries don’t work as well, though cutts will feed on the surface when there are plenty of flying insects around.

Always take along some mosquitoes and grasshoppers. Small spinners (1/24- and 1/16-ounce) are also effective. I stick almost exclusively to Panther Martins and Rooster Tails -- the smaller, the better and retrieved fairly fast.