Where can I catch a Greenback Cutthroat?
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Illustration by Steven Schalla, FlyFishingtheSierra.com, used with permission

As with all cutthroats, check first for the distinct orange-red cutthroat slash below the jaw.  Greenback is one of the most colorful, and will often exhibit a bright golden yellow body with a brassy green back and an orange to red tint along the belly (especially in males). Spots tend to be the largest and most pronounced  of any cutthroat trout. Round to oblong in shape, the spots appear concentrated posteriorly on the caudal peduncle area.

Distinguishing the Colorado from its two closest relatives - the Colorado River and Rio Grande - is difficult as there is substantial overlap in appearance. Colorado River have similar coloring and spots that are slightly smaller and more uniformly distributed.  Rio Grande cutthroat trout possess similar, though sometimes duller coloration.  They have fewer scales in and above the lateral line and more irregularly shaped spots on the caudal peduncle. 

Distinguishing the Greenback from its more northern and western cousins is somewhat easier:  a Yellowstone will have a drabber, yellowish brown, silvery, or brassy color body becoming paler by the belly, with medium sized spots;  a Snake River Cutt will have drabber body color and many more, smaller spots; a Westslope Cutt will generally exhibit bright but different colors, with a yellow, orange, and red body, and more, smaller spots that won’t appear below the lateral line except near the tail; the Bonneville will have drabber coloration.