SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Fishermen looking to hook Lake Tahoe's only native trout species, the Lahontan cutthroat, now have that opportunity — but anglers shouldn't expect much of a fight from the recently planted fish.“If I caught a 15-inch brown trout then I caught a 15-inch Lahontan cutthroat, there'd be no comparison,” said Victor Babbit, owner of Lake Tahoe Fly Fishing. “The Lahontan is an easier fish to catch.”Lahontans tend not to be as aggressive as the brown and rainbow trout, Babbit said. And besides that, the thousands of Lahontan cutthroat trout the Nevada Department of Wildlife planted over the last two weeks are only 8-10 inches long.In an attempt to spice up the sport fishing in Lake Tahoe, NDOW is planting 22,000 of the trout at Cave Rock over the course of a few months. The stocking will mark the first time Lahontan cutthroat trout have been put in the lake in 35 years.“Our goal is to provide some variety in the sport fishing opportunities in Lake Tahoe,” said Kim Tisdale, a fisheries biologist with NDOW, in a statement. “Traditionally, rainbow trout have been stocked to support recreational fishing during the summer months; cutthroat trout will give those fishing at Lake Tahoe a chance to catch a native trout which hasn't been available in those waters for a long time.”Babbit concedes that the diversity in fish is a fun aspect to fishing in this area.“The day you can catch a brown trout, a rainbow trout, a Lahontan, and a brook trout, is a great day,” he said. “We call it the Sierra Grand Slam.”Blue Ribbon Fishing Charters captain Gene St. Denis believes if the fish can survive and breed at least one generation in Lake Tahoe, they'll become a draw to fishermen.“Once they start developing a spawning pattern, maybe 5 or 10 years, they'll be an attraction,” he said.As the Lahontan are fished for more, they'll become smarter and more difficult to catch, St. Denis said.“Once they get hit a little bit, they'll get smarter,” he said. “After a few months in here, the cutthroat will wise up.”St. Denis' son caught a Lahontan over the weekend using a Kastmaster casting lure from the shore near Cave Rock, he said. St. Denis has caught many of the species in various lakes in the area, including a secret spot where the fish are still the only native trout species.To gauge anglers' satisfaction with the new fish, NDOW is sending an agent to survey fishermen at Cave Rock.The stocking is a “great, political, make-me-feel-good gesture,” said Babbit. But as a game fish, he prefers some species of shark and tarpon to Lahontan cutthroat trout. The heritage is important though, he added.“It has its place. It's a heritage species. I do enjoy catching them when I do catch them,” he said. “If they can start showing some proof that they can raise and bring back 15 pound Lahontans in Lake Tahoe that would be great, but no on has showed me the success yet.”Down at Cave Rock Wednesday, Jeff Davis plopped his worm and orange bobber a dozen yards from shore. Davis comes down to the spot to fish every day for a few hours before work at Montbleu. He has yet to hook one of the Lake Tahoe's only native trout species, but he remained optimistic.“It's great that they stock it at all,” he said.