Free Cutthroat Trout viewing Event June 12 at Strawberry Reservoir

Heber City -- Cutthroat trout are making their way up the Strawberry River to spawn.

On June 12, you can see these beautiful fish in the river and in the hands of aquatic biologists who will hold fish for you to see.

June 12 is the day the Division of Wildlife Resources will hold its annual cutthroat trout viewing event at Strawberry Reservoir.

The free event runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the DWR fish trap behind the U.S. Forest Service visitor center at Strawberry.

You can see cutthroats in the river as you walk along a boardwalk that leads to the trap. At the fish trap, biologists will hold fish up for you to see. They’ll also be happy to answer any questions you have.

“The river may be a little murky. But you’ll still be able to see the cutthroats as they fight their way upstream. As they fight their way upstream, the fish occasionally jump over obstacles that are in their way,” says Scott Root, regional conservation outreach manager for the DWR.

“At the fish trap, we’ll hold fish up for everyone to see,” Root says. “We’ll also provide information about these cutthroats and why this strain of cutthroat trout is so important to the fishery in Strawberry Reservoir.”

Root says the Strawberry River and the other tributaries to the reservoir are currently closed to fishing. But you can try your luck catching one of these big cutthroats in the reservoir itself.

“All cutthroat trout between 15 and 22 inches in Strawberry must be immediately released,” he says. “We’ll be happy to explain why this special regulation is in place.”

For more information about the fishing regulations at Strawberry Reservoir, visit wildlife.utah.gov/strawberry on the Web.

Strawberry Reservoir is just off U.S. 40, about 25 miles southeast of Heber City.

For more information, call the DWR at (801) 491-5678.