You don’t have to be an angler to get a close look at cutthroat trout at Strawberry Reservoir.

Right now, many of the reservoir’s cutthroat trout are migrating out of the reservoir and up the Strawberry River to spawn.

The river runs past the visitor center at Strawberry and into a fish trap and egg-taking facility the Division of Wildlife Resources operates behind the visitor center.

Even though the water can be a little murky this time of the year, biologists from the DWR will host a free cutthroat trout viewing event on May 28.

The event will happen from 9 a.m. to noon at the fish trap and egg-taking facility.

During the event, biologists will net cutthroat trout. Then, they’ll hold them up so you can photograph and touch the fish. The biologists will also answer any questions you have. And they’ll explain the important role Bear Lake cutthroat trout play in managing one of the country’s best trout fishing waters.

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

A preview of what you’ll see at the event is available in a DWR video at http://bit.ly/1AU62CA. You can also access the video by logging onto www.youtube.com/UDWR and then scanning through the video choices until you find the video titled ‘Cutthroat Trout Viewing Day up at Strawberry Reservoir.’

“Even though the Strawberry River and the other tributaries to the reservoir are currently closed to fishing,” says Scott Root, regional conservation outreach manager for the DWR, “you can still try your luck catching one of these big cutthroats in the reservoir itself.”

Root says all cutthroat trout in Strawberry between 15 and 22 inches long must be released immediately.

More information about the fishing regulations at Strawberry Reservoir is available on pages 38 and 39 of the 2016 Utah Fishing Guidebook. The free guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.

For more information, call the DWR’s Central Region office at 801-491-5678